The MISSION DISCIPLESHIP asks: "There are many paths leading to God... right?" (Continued) Donald Neal McKay presents a new, contemporary look at the sayings of Jesus Christ as they apply to today's Church, Christian and Christian Disciple.

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way - and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' "
- John 14:6 -

"You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you." - John 14 - 16
"Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, 'Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?' When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus said to him, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!' "
- John 21: 20 - 22 -

"You did not choose me but I chose you." This is different; quite revolutionary, actually. In other religions, the worshipper is told to continually work to gain their god's favor; to continually worship, be charitable and to present oneself as acceptable to the specific deity, hoping to be noticed and rewarded. Not so with this person, Jesus. It is he who comes looking for us! And then, when he chooses us, Jesus calls us his 'friends' only when we do what he commands us to do.

This command always seems to lie in close proximity to the words 'Kingdom of God'. It becomes clear to the reader that Jesus is not talking about rewards, but spiritual awareness and a call to duty. Christ's message removes from us the selfish 'What reward will I get from God if I do as He says?' to one that unmistakably demands, 'I stand ready for your orders, my Lord and Captain. What is it that you would have me do for my God?'

Read again and think hard on the last two sentences from John 21: 20 - 22 above. It is crystal clear that there are events and agendas taking place in the Kingdom of God that we are not aware of. There's other business going on, and it's business that is really none of our concern. But it's the second sentence that firmly sets the order of the day for the disciple of Christ: 'Follow me!'. The disciple of Christ does not ask, 'How come?', 'Why?' or 'For how long?' Instead, the disciple always responds to his or her Lord: 'Yes, Sir!'

Does this sound too militaristic? Too simplistic? Naive even? To people who can never let go of the material world, 'Yes' to all of these questions. To those of us who fully and unquestioningly hear and accept the call of the Christ,
our answer is an emphatic, 'No!' It is our reality.

The Christian disciple does not concern him or herself with thoughts about the hereafter; about receiving their reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. We are entirely focused on the here and now, split second by split second. We are fully concentrated on doing what's right when it's needed, carrying out our duties under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus is our Lord and Master and we serve at his pleasure. We do not take ephemeral pleasures in daydreaming about our final rewards in heaven. That is 'death' thinking. The disciple, instead, thirsts for the 'here and now moment', the Life moment. The Kingdom of God is God at work here and now, and he's accomplishing that work through Christ who lives in every disciple. It is the excitement and adventure of our actions in the present that make the disciple's life redemptive. We await our orders from Jesus Christ, we make the effort to carry them out, and in so doing we take our 'reward' in the fact that we were considered worthy to be chosen to undertake the task.

The disciple of Christ is not in the business of judging if this person, or that person, is going to the Kingdom of Heaven. That is God's business. Our business is twofold — preach the Gospel of Christ to the world, and comport ourselves in a manner that is the direct reflection of our Lord. That's it! The moment we believed and accepted the Christ, professed our allegiance to him, and carried out his orders, we did the same act as if we enlisted in the military, swore allegiance to the country, and then unquestioningly carried out our orders. We don't think about earning medals and rank; instead we do our duty. We do what we must do, and we are contented with that.

Others may do charitable acts, and have love for their fellow human, and they will be rewarded for this by being accepted to the Kingdom of Heaven, no matter their religion or culture. An act of kindness by an Muslim towards another is no less valuable than if it was an act of kindness by a Christian towards another. If a Hindu loves his fellow human by coming to their aid in a moment of crisis, who is going to be so arrogant to judge such an act by a Hindu as being worth less than if the act was carried out by a Christian? Friends, do not go there! " 'Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?' " (Matthew 7: 1 - 3)

The Kingdom of God presents itself at the moment least expected. "One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, 'Are you not the Messiah?' Save yourself and us!' But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' He replied, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' " (Luke 23: 39 - 43). With the second criminal's admission to Christ, he entered the Kingdom of God; later, he entered the kingdom of Heaven. Was he a Jew? I know not. Was he a disciple of Christ? Not that we're aware. Was he worth saving? Yes, because he professed his faith in Jesus and openly declared it. He did the right thing and was instantly recognized for his profession of faith. This is how the Kingdom of God works. When the correct free will decision is made — the ever so critical 'Either/Or' decision — the Kingdom of God manifests in the here and now.

Disciples of Christ understand this. We've been told where the Kingdom of God resides. "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, 'The Kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within you.' " (Luke 17: 20 - 21)
As the Kingdom of God is within us believers, then it stands to logic that the kingdom will present itself when we carry out our Lord and Master's orders and do what he expects of us. Comprehending the Kingdom of God should not be difficult for the Christian: "People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' " (Luke 18: 15 - 17). Accept the Kingdom of God as a child 'accepts' DisneyLand^® when first entering the gate. Parents know what I mean. The Kingdom of God was first extended to the Jews, and when most of them rejected it, it was then offered to the Gentiles, as evidenced by Jesus' words and Paul's teachings.

In the scheme of things, one may be tempted to ask, "Which is the more important, the kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God? Or, are they the same?" In the way the two function, that has already been addressed. There is a vast difference. As to importance, Jesus gives a very clear indication that the Kingdom of God is the superior: " 'I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.' " (Matthew 24: 34 - 35). The Kingdom of God is where Jesus is, and where Jesus' power resides, and that power is the Word of God: Jesus. By his words we are free to come to the conclusion that Heaven and earth can be done away with, but the underlying Power behind the entire creation - both Heaven and the Universe - that Power will remain and function as the living and continually happening Kingdom of God. When God said,
"I AM THAT I AM"... He meant it!

How does a child encounter and engage the world? They do so with enthusiasm and wonderment. They don't question, and there's nary a skeptic to be found among a group of children. They rush in with childish abandon, fearing nothing, consumed with curiosity and adventure. They just 'do!' while we adults doubt, ponder, hesitate, and in some cases, 'chicken out'. A disciple of Christ must possess the same childish innocence of faith in our Lord and God and gleefully venture into what He offers us. Is this so hard to grasp? It is if you are plagued with skepticism, self-centeredness and a hard heart. Disciples of Christ have been chosen by our Lord to carry out his mission. It is a job we have been chosen to do, and doing that job is reward enough for the true disciple. We should know and understand this.

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There are many paths leading to God... right? What say you, disciple? (continued)

There are many paths leading to God... right?
What say you, disciple? (continued)