A couple of mornings ago I was awaken by reoccurring thoughts. This is not my usual means of waking. I strongly suspect that these thoughts were from the Lord. First was the thought that God has a very strong desire for believers to become disciples. While we sometimes prefer not to make a defined distinction between believers and disciples, Jesus was not so timid.
Mark 8:34 (NASB95)
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
I was subtly under the assumption that the great commission was for the expansion of God’s kingdom therefore God’s desire for disciples would primarily benefit His kingdom expansion. While there is no doubt more than a shred of truth embodied in this assumption one thought that awoke me, a thing I apparently needed to understand;becoming a dedicated disciple is the most rewarding place possible in God’s kingdom. All the accruing advantages of discipleship survive for all eternity. Jesus’ disciples were in the know. They followed Jesus and came to know His voice. They have been promised to rule with Him in His heavenly kingdom. They enjoy an indescribably intimate relationship with God! In Jesus’ day there was no better position in the Kingdom than to be Jesus’ chosen disciple. Today there is no more eternally preferred position in the realm of God than to be seen from heaven as a determined dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ!