Today's episode is on being a true disciple. We delve into what it means to actually have a relationship with someone and ultimately with God. Ian shares four facets of a relationship that make it very practical and easy to know it you actually have a relationship or not. Jesus states it is essential to do more than just good things but to be in relationship with him.
SHOW NOTES
7. True Disciples (7:21-23)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Judas is an example of what Jesus was referring to. He, with the other 11 disciples, healed the sick and cast out demons as Jesus empowered them when he sent them on missionary tours.
“Know” in Hebrew culture and idiom means experience. It does not mean information or behavioural success which is the general connotation in our culture. When Jesus says he does not know someone it is an ironic statement. He knows everyone. What he is saying is, you do not know me, you have not experienced me, and you have no relationship with me. Working for me does not equal relationship. You value your work as your identity, but you have no identity in me.
This was true for Judas and Jesus. Judas resisted experiencing Jesus. He did not allow himself to connect emotionally with him. Perhaps he did not have the skill to do so, or he considered himself superior to Jesus. Often emotional connection is resisted with humour, or changing the subject.
There are married couples who do not know each other as they have no idea of each other’s dreams and disappointments, fears and anxieties. Marriage is rather a means to an end for each one of them. It is a supportive partnership in many ways but the soul nourishing emotional connection with each other is missing.
John Gray, “Men are from Mars and Woman are from Venus,” suggests that a relationship consists of the following four facets:
Purposeful Communication
Right Understanding of the other
Giving up on judging the other
Taking responsibility for the relationship
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Don’t boast of wisdom, wealth or courage. Boast that you know and understand the Lord. The Lord who glories in being kind, just and righteous..
This emotional relationship is what Jesus longed for from his friends. He wanted Peter, James and John’s emotional support in the garden of Gethsemane. They slept. Perhaps he found in Mary of the Perfume the support he longed for.
We naturally revert to thinking of ourselves as human doings rather than human beings. We focus on work rather than on faith.
Matthew 25:41-46 NLT “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
If these passages bother you, it is because of guilt. Guilt can be true, false or neurotic.
True Guilt.
You know in yourself that your focus is on your own comfort to the exclusion of the needs of those around you. The solution is not trying harder to be compassionate but focusing on the ministry of Jesus to those around him. When Jesus is your hero, you will minister to those around you. The need could be for mental stimulation, emotional comfort, or material substance. One can only discern the need by focused listening and observation and the lead of the Spirit.
One can never claim to have met all the needs that present themselves. One can only address those that one’s time, energy and ability can extend to. Jesus did not heal all the sick in Israel, or feed all the hungry around him, or raise all the dead he knew about. He blessed some of those he met as he visited Samaria, Judea and Galilee.
False Guilt.
This guilt is often experienced after the suicide of a friend. One feels they should have discerned the thoughts and actions of a friend and stepped in to rescue them. While this might be true in isolated cases, in general friends cannot prevent this tragedy. The underlying causes are deep seated and need professional therapy. Children whose parents’ divorce usually believe they have caused the rift and need counseling to understand it is not their fault.
Neurotic Guilt or Shame.
This guilt is the result of abuse by significant people in our lives such as parents, teachers and leaders. The person concludes they are bad and cannot be forgiven or redeemed. A synonym for this guilt is shame. It cannot be assuaged by repentance, confession and restitution as true guilt can. Shame is dealt with when others value us because of our individuality and uniqueness.
Here is how we come to relationship, or come to know Jesus Christ, or come into an emotional connection with him.
Matthew 6:14-15 NLT “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Jesus us making the forgiveness of others a primary virtue of Believers. This is because as we receive God’s sovereign forgiveness, we can forgive others. Any failure to forgive others means we have not received the forgiveness of God.
1 John 4:7-8 NLT Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
To love someone means to feel the best, think the beast, say the best and do the best for them (Matthew 5:43-48). This is the credible witness that we have experienced God’s love towards us.
“It is not the fear of punishment, or the hope of everlasting reward, that leads the disciples of Christ to follow Him. They behold the Saviour's matchless love, revealed throughout His pilgrimage on earth, from the manger of Bethlehem to Calvary's cross, and the sight of Him attracts, it softens and subdues the soul. Love awakens in the heart of the beholders. They hear His voice, and they follow Him.” (DA 480)
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