Category Archives: Apologetics

Jesus Did Not Say That The Foolish Virgins Were Not Filled With The Holy Spirit

Apologetics, , , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT THE FOOLISH VIRGINS WERE NOT FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in their jars along with their lamps. (Matt 25: 1-4)

We Gentiles, who understand neither the language nor the culture of the ancient Hebrew people, make a real mess if this one. When we read about lamps or light, it should alert us immediately that Jesus was talking about “walking” or living their lives God’s way and that oil had something to do with the way they lived.

We must also remember that Jesus was telling His disciples a parable. Therefore His story had a purpose and He was addressing a specific situation. We cannot interpret all the details of a parable without losing the teller’s main intention. What was the theme of Jesus’ discussion with His disciples? He was responding to their question about the destruction of the temple which He has just predicted:

‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?’ (Matt 24: 3b)

He did not give them a timeline which they could tick off as events happened. Hebrew people did not think like that. He gave them “signs” so that they could recognise what was happening and take action before they were caught up in the destruction. The whole purpose of His response was to teach them how to be ready for His return. It was not about living it up until just before His return but about being faithful to their duty so that they would be ready when He came to fetch His bride.

This parable fits into this theme. Jesus is the bridegroom who has gone to prepare the bridal chamber for His bride. It is the bride’s duty, during the extended betrothal period, to separate herself from all other men (to be holy) and to prepare her bridal gown. We have already discovered the interpretation of the “bridal gown” from our reference in Rev. 19: 6-8.

‘. . . For the wedding of the Lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous deeds of the saints).

Just as the believer is robed in the righteousness of Christ, given to us as a free gift to cover our unrighteousness and make us acceptable to the Father, so we must confirm our status as God’s sons and daughters by living as Jesus taught us or, as the Bible’s imagery explains, we must walk in God’s way, following the path of His teaching or Torah by being generous and merciful to all people because God has been generous and merciful to us.

The “oil” in this parable is not a reference to the Holy Spirit, as many preachers interpret the story, but to the “righteous deeds of the saints” which the bridal gown represents. The five wise virgins were filled with righteous deeds – they lived their lives according to Jesus’ teaching, that is, the way He interpreted God’s instructions found in the first five books of the Bible, collectively known as the Torah. Their lamps were full of oil because they walked in the light of God’s word.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psa. 119: 105)

Doing the right thing (righteous deeds) is not the reason for their righteousness but the evidence of a right relationship with God, made possible because Jesus removed the barrier of sin.

The foolish virgins showed no evidence in their lives that they had ever responded in faith to the offer of the gift of righteousness. They had no “light” on their way. When the bridegroom came, they could not go into the wedding feast with the others because their lamps were empty of the true light of life, the good works that revealed their true nature as daughters of God.

We read the clue to the seriousness of their failure to be ready by the response of the bridegroom when they wanted to enter the banqueting hall.

But when they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day nor the hour. (Matt 25: 10-13)

The bridegroom denied them entry because He did not “know” them. The word “know” implies the intimate knowledge of a husband and wife which results in reproduction, just as Adam “knew” Eve and she bore a son.

Jesus only “knows” us when we bow to Him as Lord and respond to Him in submission and obedience to His word. We respond to His mercy and generosity by treating our fellow human beings with mercy and generosity, revealing our nature as sons and daughters of God.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Matt 25: 40)

John, the beloved disciple, hit the nail on the head!

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18)

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

To order your 0wn copy of either book, contact

Toll free – 0800 990 914 (South Africa)

orders.africa@partridgepublishing.com

www.partridgepublishing.com/africa  or

+44 20 314 3997 (outside South Africa)

ISBN: Hardcover – 978-1-4828-0891-9                                                                                     Softcover 978-1-4828-0890-2                                                                                                              eBook 978-1-4828-0889-6

Check out my blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

Jesus Did Not Say That He Didn’t Know When He Was Returning

Apologetics, , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN HE WAS RETURNING

Now don’t get me wrong. I didn’t say that Jesus didn’t say it, full stop. I said that He didn’t say it in the sense that we understand it. Again we must look at the context to understand His meaning.

One of the images God used to symbolise His relationship with His people was a marriage. The Bible is full of wedding talk, Hebrew style. Hebrew courtship between a man and woman was conducted in five stages, and specific Hebrew words or expressions were used which the prospective bride would understand and with which the prospective bridegroom would communicate His intentions.

The first step was called lachah – which meant “I want to make you mine.” The young man, after getting to know the girl, would let her know that he was serious about his intention with her. God signalled His intention with Israel, using the very word in Ex. 6:7:

I will take (lachah) you as my own people, and I will be your God.

The second step was segulah – “I want to make you my treasured possession”. Listen to God’s words before He made His formal proposal to Israel:

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations, you will be my treasured possession (segulah).

The thirst step was a preparation for the proposal and took place three days before the formal proposal. It was called mikvah – “Go and wash.” It was more than just cleaning up. It was a ritual bath that signified leaving the old life behind and stepping into a new one.

And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.’ (Ex. 19: 10-11)

The fourth step was the drawing up of the ketubah – the prenuptial marriage contract, witnessed by the fathers, and the formal proposal. In the presence of their fathers, the young man would propose marriage to the young woman. Included in the proposal was the promise, “I am going to prepare a place for you and I will come again to receive you to myself that where I am you may be also.” Does this sound familiar?

Her response would be, “When will you come to receive me?” and he would reply, “I do not know the day or the hour, but when my father is satisfied with the bridal chamber, I will return for you.”

The final step was the wedding ceremony. When the father was satisfied with his preparation, the bridegroom would return without warning. It was the bride’s responsibility to be ready for his return. She had two duties to perform while he was away preparing the bridal chamber at his father’s house. She had to separate herself from all other men, and she had to prepare her bridal gown.

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

‘Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints). (Rev. 19: 6-8)

The wedding ceremony was conducted under the chuppa – the canopy usually constructed by suspending a talith – a prayer shawl – on four posts. God came down on Mount Sinai under a canopy – chuppa – of smoke and gave His people His ketubah – the “Ten Words” which was the declaration of how they were to live in fellowship with Him in a marriage relationship.

After the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom, accompanied by the wedding party, would lead his bride to the bridal chamber, pick her up and carry her (rapture her!) over the threshold where they would consummate their marriage. After that would come the wedding feast.

God’s people proved their unfaithfulness to their betrothal to Him by going after other gods and by their disobedience to His covenant. Jesus renewed His proposal to His people and, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to indwell them forever, the church was born which is the bride of Christ.

Now can you fit Jesus’ words into the whole courtship and marriage symbolism? He was not telling them that He was not God or that He was not omniscient in His divine nature. As a man, He deliberately set aside His rights as God in order to be a perfect Son under the power of the Holy Spirit. He was under the authority of His Father and, as a Son, He would return for His bride, the church at the Father’s instruction.  

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

To order your 0wn copy of either book, contact

Toll free – 0800 990 914 (South Africa)

orders.africa@partridgepublishing.com

www.partridgepublishing.com/africa  or

+44 20 314 3997 (outside South Africa)

ISBN: Hardcover – 978-1-4828-0891-9                                                                                     Softcover 978-1-4828-0890-2                                                                                                              eBook 978-1-4828-0889-6

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Jesus Did Not Say That We Must Accept Him As Our Personal Saviour

Apologetics, , , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE MUST ACCEPT HIM AS OUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR

I suppose that the most common expression that is used today of someone becoming a Christian (and even that idea is not Biblical), is that he has “accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour”. I’m sure you’ve heard that one as well! But I have yet to find any place where it is used in Scripture.

Is it wrong, and if so, why? I understand that people use it to describe what happened to them and what changes it made in their lives, but it does not fit the reality of what the Bible has to say about this experience.

The Bible presents life as a journey, symbolised by Israel’s migration from Egypt to the Promised Land. Their’s was an unknown way through the wilderness where there were dangers all around them and where it was easy to get lost and perish in the desert if they did not stay on the path and follow the landmarks. There are many references in Scripture to a path or way which will take us to our appointed destination. For the Israelites it was the Promised Land, symbolised by the city of God – Jerusalem, which was often called “Zion” – the highest point in the city and the place where God had established His name.

God gave them His torah, His directions for the journey, i.e. His “law” which was summarised in the Ten Commandments. If they followed His way, it would light their path and show them the way to their destination. The “landmarks” they were to follow were the opportunities to treat their fellow Israelites and the strangers among them with kindness and generosity, prescribed in God’s Torah or teachings. If they followed His way, they would become like Him, i.e. they would move towards “Zion” where He had placed His name – His character.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path. (Psa. 119: 105)

Sin, or going their own way, caused them to leave God’s way and take a way that would lead them to destruction. There was no food or protection for the journey away from God’s path. Those who went their own way were lost and in danger of perishing. He continually called them, through the prophets, to repent, shuv, change their minds and return to God’s way.

Jesus came to restore the wayward hearts of His people that were bent on going their own way in spite of God’s warnings and the judgment that fell on them because of their disobedience. Through His death and resurrection He dealt with and removed the barrier of sin which animal sacrifices only symbolised and could not do. He calls His wayward sons and daughters to shuv, to return to the path we were on before Adam chose to go his own way and took the human race with him.

John the Baptist’s message to Israel was “Repent (shuv) – return to God’s way, for the kingdom of God is near.” Jesus echoed John’s words with the invitation, “Repent (shuv), for the kingdom of God is here.” He came to restore God’s rule of torah, teaching His way of doing life by being merciful, compassionate and generous to all people, in the hearts of those who would follow Him. It was never His intention to do away with the “law” – His directions for following His “landmarks”, but to show us how to fulfil what God required, not by observing rules, but by loving God and people from the heart according to the greatest commandment.

If we have only “accepted Jesus as our personal Saviour”, we have completely missed the point. Jesus did not call His disciples to “accept” Him but to follow Him. That means embracing His yoke – His way of believing and doing life, which was the correct understanding of God’s intention in His word. Life is about unselfishly serving others and sharing our resources with them because God has been merciful and generous towards us, most clearly revealed to us by the cross.

“Becoming a Christian” is much more than accepting Jesus as our personal Saviour, as though we now have a free pass to heaven. It is a commitment to follow Jesus because He is the way to the Father. It is His intention to teach and empower us through the same Spirit that empowered Him, to be true sons and daughters of the Father so that we can bring heaven to earth by becoming replicas of Jesus, our rabbi.

He promised that, through His true followers who live by His yoke, He will transform ever the most wicked and debased people into His church – the visible representation of the kingdom of God on earth.

Jesus did not call us to respond to an altar call or to sign a decision card. He called us to follow Him. It is a step-by-step, day-by-day, decision-by decision to walk with Him in submission and obedience, learning from Him how to “wear” His yoke and how to be sons and daughters of God. He is both our model and our mentor on this journey through His “Other Self”, the Holy Spirit.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

It can be ordered directly from www.partridgepublishing.com or from your local branch of the publishing company. Details of where you can buy the book will be posted in due course.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

Jesus Did Not Say That We Must Be Born Again

Apologetics, , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN

Here’s another misunderstanding that has been turned into a doctrine. In fact it has become more than a doctrine. It has become a category – as though it were one of three categories of Christians. You get Christians; then you get “born-again” Christians; and then you get “born-again, Spirit-filled” Christians. Have you ever heard people using these distinctions? Of course it all depends on the stream of the faith to which you belong.

I wonder what Jesus would think about this!

From where does the expression “born again” come? “From Jesus, of course!” you retort. Yes, He did use it once, on a specific occasion to a specific person, but I wonder whether He meant it to be used as a category for believers or did He have something else in mind?

Let’s examine the circumstances of His use of the words, “born again”.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one can perform the signs you are doing if God were not with Him.’

Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ (John 3: 1-3)

“There you have it. Jesus did say that we must be born again,” you declare. Ah, but once again we must examine the context.

First of all, who was Nicodemus? He was a Pharisee, a strictly religious Jew who was a stickler for obeying, not so much the letter of Torah, as the letter of the myriad interpretations added to Torah by the ancient rabbis who had sh’mikah. They were acknowledged to have authority to make pronouncements about the meaning and application of the Law, which were not necessarily an expression of God’s original intention.

Like all the religious leaders of the Jews, Nicodemus believed that his adherence to the Law, which included all the additions, qualified him to be “righteous” before God. However, when he was confronted by Jesus, he realised that there was something missing both in his belief system and in his life. He was honest enough to admit, unlike his fellow Pharisees, that Jesus was more than a man because of His works. No one could do the miracles Jesus did unless His power came from God. He was not foolish enough to attribute Jesus’ power to the devil.

Jesus cut him short. No explanations. Just a bald statement of fact. As a member of the human race, not just the privileged class of Pharisees, Nicodemus was under divine judgment for his sin like everyone else. No amount of rule-keeping qualified him for exemption. If he wanted to experience life in the kingdom of God – the life Jesus exemplified by His words and works, he would have to have a brand new start.

This was not about being “born again” as a new status. This was about “seeing” the kingdom of God. The Jews of Jesus’ day, including Nicodemus, misunderstood what Jesus meant by “the kingdom of God”. They were obsessed with the passion to get rid of the Romans and to re-establish the glorious kingdom of David. Many thought that Jesus would do this – overthrow the Roman occupation and set up their own kingdom once again.

But Nicodemus had to understand that God’s kingdom was not about the restoration of David’s kingdom, but the restoration of God’s rule in his heart. That would take much more than a new ruler in Israel. It demanded a brand new start through the power of the Holy Spirit. To “see” the kingdom of God was to have insight into what it was and how it worked. This was not possible while he, Nicodemus was still in the “flesh”.

Being “born again” was not a title or a status – it was a qualification for new life under the rule of God in the heart. It demanded a divine intervention through the Holy Spirit. It required a change of heart and nature to have the ”eyes” of the Spirit and to understand and walk in God’s ways. No amount of religious status or rigmarole could awaken him out of the death of sin.

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 3: 4-6)

To describe people as “born again” is meaningless unless they are born again into an understanding and experience of life in the kingdom of God. Far too many who claim the title know nothing about living under God’s rule or even being true disciples of Jesus. A disciple is one who follows Jesus so closely that he becomes a replica of his Master, not just a casual adherent to a church or denomination. He is one who submits to Jesus as Lord and lives in obedience to His word.

To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. . . (John 8: 31)

No, being born again is neither a title not a category of religious persuasion, but a drastic and dramatic work of the Holy Spirit. In response to faith in Jesus, He raises the dead spirit to life, transfers the believer in Jesus from Satan’s dominion of darkness to the kingdom of God, changes the heart and nature from selfishness and greed to unselfishness and generosity, and patiently refines the character until the believer begins to resemble his Master by becoming the true son of God which he is.

The expression, “born again” is used only twice in Scripture, by Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3, and by Peter in his first letter. Look at the context.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduing word of God. (1 Peter 1: 22-23)

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

It can be ordered directly from www.partridgepublishing.com or from your local branch of the publishing company. Details of where you can buy the book will be posted in due course.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus Did Not Say That The Wheat And Chaff Were The Godly And Ungodly

Apologetics, , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT THE WHEAT AND CHAFF WERE THE GODLY AND UNGODLY

In actual fact, it was John the Baptist who said of Jesus:

I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3: 11-12)

Why is it that we are so quick to interpret these words as referring to the end times and as the separation of the ungodly from the godly so that the ungodly can be sent to hell?

John used a familiar agricultural picture to explain the work of the Messiah whom he came to introduce to his people. John recognised his calling to be that of the one prophesied by Isaiah.

This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” (Matt.3: 3)

It was John’s role to create a picture of the Messiah so that the people would recognise Him when He came. Once again, we must understand his words from a Hebraic perspective. John referred to “fire” twice in this description. Was he meaning a literal fire or did he imply something else? Hebrew people would ask the question, “What does fire do?” Fire can either purify as with metal, for example, or it can destroy.

Was it Jesus’ intention to destroy people? No, a thousand times!

‘. . . For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ (Luke 9: 56 – New American Standard Bible)

What, then, is the significance of John’s use of the imagery of wheat and chaff? Chaff is the hard protective husk that covers the grains of wheat. It is inedible. The process of winnowing was to separate the chaff from the wheat by beating it off the wheat grains and then tossing the wheat into the air so that the wind would blow the lighter chaff away while the wheat fell into a pile to be gathered up for later use. The chaff would be burned because it had no further use for the farmer.

Just as the chaff was separated from the wheat and burned, so the Holy Spirit would separate what was useless in the lives of Jesus’ followers (i.e., sin), from what was of value. The “fire” of the Holy Spirit would purge out that which was worthless, purifying their hearts and setting them apart for God.

That brings me to a second thought regarding the work of Jesus. Unfortunately, there has been bred in the minds of many believers an escapist mentality. What Jesus came to do on earth has been narrowed down to one thing – that He came to save us from hell and take us to heaven. Believers are taught to “hang on” until Jesus comes, a sort of “white-knuckle” club. If we can just “endure to the end”, we shall be saved.

How does that match with Jesus’ statement that He came to give us abundant life? Does that only refer to life in the hereafter? Is that what salvation is all about? Are we just to endure this life so that we can enjoy heaven forever? Did Jesus just endure His few years on earth so that He could go back to heaven to be with the Father?

If we read the gospels correctly, we see a man who loved life. In spite of what He had to endure from His opponents, He was described as a man of joy, more joyful than any other person who had ever lived (Heb. 1: 9). He came to reveal the Father and to live a human life that made “up there” come “down here”. He wanted His disciples to understand how to bring heaven to earth by living like He did, in fellowship with the Father, doing His will and serving those who needed Him.

No, Jesus did not come to separate the ungodly from the godly, but to invite all people into a life of great happiness by following Him and becoming like Him. It was His passion to set people free from the sinful ways that destroyed them so that they could enjoy life to the full. He promised them His love. His joy and His peace to replace the fear, guilt and shame that burdened their consciences and kept them from coming to the Father. He paid the debt of sin so that people could be forgiven and reconciled to God.

Jesus’ focus was always on this life. Yes, those who followed Him would be with Him forever, but it was His desire that His people would represent Him on earth so that those who did not know God would recognise Him in them and leave their ungodly ways to follow Him.

We must broaden our understanding of salvation to mean much more than going to heaven when we die. Salvation, to the Hebrew mind, is another word for wholeness. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent from the Father to replace Him when He left, has an all-consuming task on earth, to restore people to wholeness. How does He do it? By leading us into all truth (John 16: 13); by revealing Jesus to us (John 16: 14-15) so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12: 2).

Whole people are those who unselfishly and willingly give themselves to the service of others as their Master showed them. They express the righteousness of Jesus by their generosity with their resources and with who they are. They recognise that this life is an apprenticeship for the next. They follow Jesus because He promised to take them to the Father.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, will soon be on the bookshelves.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com