Discipleship and the Scriptures

Discipleship and the Scriptures Matthew 28: 18-20  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Jesus commanded His first disciples to go and make disciples.  He went on to clearly tell them to make disciples by teaching all new disciples to identify publicly with Jesus' work and presence and to  " observe all things" He commanded. Go back and read the verses.  Is it clear to you that Jesus and His commandments are the measurement and tools for discipleship?  If it is, think with me for a moment about why we seldom focus only on Jesus and on His commandments in discipleship. Consider these questions...             Were you discipled to live from Jesus' presence in you while obeying His very specific commandments?             In your discipleship were the Scriptures used to help you see Jesus clearly or were the Scriptures used to help you see the Scriptures clearly?             Were you taught to obey the specific commands of Jesus or to obey equally all the Bíblical commands from Genesis to Revelation? I am convinced the failure to focus on Jesus' presence in our lives and the obeying of His very specific commandments  are the missing elements in modern discipleship. Let me explain. In our needed attempts to defend the inspiration of the whole Bible as it has been repeatedly attacked,  we have failed to distinguish what the Bible itself clearly  distinguishes. The Bible distinguishes Jesus Himself and His very specific commandments from everyone and everything else that comes before or after Him.  The Bible clearly  distinquishes Jesus and His commands because He is the fulfillment of  every Bíblical command. The Bible leads us all to Him and His commands as the final Living Word.  The Bible is the most beautiful book in the universe because it reveals Jesus. In John chapter 5 there is a striking story of a group of Pharisees (Teachers of the Old Testament Scriptures) who do not believe in Jesus while saying they do believe in the Old Testament Scriptures and obey them completely.   Here is how Jesus confronts their failure to receive His presence and hear His words as a result of their intense but wasted Bible Study. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5.37-40 The Bible never asks us to substiture all of its content in the place of all of Jesus or all of His specific commands.  The perfectly inspired Scriptures always direct our full attention to the perfect person of Jesus and His perfect commands which we are to obey joyfully and continously. If anyone focuses completely on Jesus' presence and obeys His commands, that person will see Jesus in every verse and command in the entire Bible. That person will love the Scriptures because they took Him to Jesus.  That person will be a disciple of Jesus and never a Pharisee. Bud McCord