25 And there went great multitudes with Him: and He turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:25-33)
Beloved, salvation is free, but it is by no means easy! If one finds it easy, he is not “bearing his cross”!
The western church has a very limited understanding of what it means to be a biblical church, and apparently, even her pastors. I have had the eye-opening, spirit-enlightening, honor to be with several underground, non-registered, churches in nations which had varying degrees of hostilities toward Christianity. These specific places were Russia, China, Vietnam, and to my surprise, Mexico even had some restraints where I was ministering to a small Baptist church in the Life of Prayer. In the Village of Villa Corona, the Catholic Church, the only other church in town, was harassing, frustrating, and persecuting that little Baptist work through lies and even acts of witchcraft, which they freely practiced.
In all of these places, and all of the congregations I met with, they practiced the expected biblical characteristics of our LORD Jesus’ Church, His Bride, which He birthed by His Blood and ordained by His Holy Spirit. These specific characteristics are largely not understood to the depths of the discipleship Jesus laid out in the verses above in Luke 14.
The first which was notable to me was the evidence of covenant relationship with Jesus and one another as children of God. Jesus established an eternal covenant in His Blood. No power on earth or in the heavens can break that covenant. God calls, and expects, that the Bride of Christ will live up to their side of this covenant. This is what Jesus was expressing in the Luke 14 verses we read. The Bride of Christ, the church, must take up her cross and follow Him without reservation. Here, the western church is found lacking.
The second characteristic I saw and experienced in these foreign churches under persecution was the evidence of the power to keep the covenant spoken of here and that was koinonia, fellowship with God and one another. This is a deep love which is played out in relationship toward God, but even as powerful in execution, relationship with the brethren. This expectation is revealed by the discovery that within the New Testament, there are more than one hundred verse with speaks to and commands that we love one another within His church. The western church, by and large, is weak in the understanding of koinonia, based on the evidence of her inner struggles.
Jesus told us plainly that He alone would build His church. We have all but taken that job from Him. Truly, we are to make disciples of those He brings into His church, but the building of His church is His work. We have tried to redefine the Holy Spirit to meet our standards, which are far less than Who He actually is. The Spirit of God uses many avenues to draw people to the Father, but we are plainly told, over again, that one of the things the Spirit uses and enhances for that drawing purpose is our love for one another on display for the world to see.
Beloved believer, if our love for the lost is greater than our love for His church, there is something wrong in our hearts. We are failing in our koinonia filled covenant relationship with God and His church!
Let me be more intentional with these expected characteristics of His church, covenant and koinonia. These things are to be evident within the local congregation to be sure, but also note, these are to be experienced and played out between all churches which bear the name of Jesus Christ, our LORD, the Son of God. This implies that all local churches must be bonded together in koinonia love, being helpful in advancing His Kingdom agenda, both in the region they share and the uttermost parts of the world. This means that churches of like faith and mission bond together in the areas He has placed them to associate and work together in this koinonia-covenant relationship so that the power of this love can be of use to the Spirit to save some in that area. To abandon the area He has placed you in is breaking covenant and koinonia with God and the church.
For some it seems, in the western church, to enter a koinonia based covenant with all other believers is thought to be the worst kind of persecution. And so, we are known for our struggles and battles rather than our love for one another.
Recently, while attempting to encourage my brothers to seek God’s direction by trusting Him through a major decision rather than the constraints of budget, one quoted Luke 14:28-32 as a rebuttal to trusting God. The tragedy of the moment was the missing of the context. Jesus used those verses to warn of the cost involved in finally trusting Him. Beloved, we are to count the cost of discipleship; understand it will have a price, a sacrifice, but be willing to bear the costs.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Pray On!
