THE THIRTEENTH DISCIPLE

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

There are consequences attached to every decision that we make in life, which either lead to blessing or curse, life or death. It is for this reason that God encourages us to choose life by walking in His ways, and to be led by the Holy Spirit. This is the qualifier in order for us to live a prosperous life. Now, it is essential to understand that this word “prosperity” means that you have the ability of God to meet the needs of mankind, regardless of what those needs are, and the ability of God to be in control of all your circumstances and situations. It is a gift from God, which is received or rejected by choice!

Years later, when Jesus commenced with His ministry, He initially chose 12 disciples who would accompany Him as He went about preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Each of these men was challenged to give up life as they knew it i.e. family, friends, security, homes, their incomes and sense of purpose; and pursue the opportunity of a lifetime. They would embark on a destiny changing adventure far beyond their wildest dreams, and to top it all, be mentored and coached by the King of Kings Himself, an opportunity which they accepted without delay. By putting Jesus first, they graduated from being ordinary to being significant in the world we live in today. After all, generations are still reading about and sharing the testimonies of those world changers. However, the key to them becoming great in Christ was that they were willing to give up everything and follow Jesus, the source of life!

Mark 1: 14-19
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

All of us have been challenged in similar fashion to let go of the world and what it has to offer in order to pursue a life of purpose with Jesus Christ. I’m not just speaking about those called to be part of the five fold ministry; I’m also referring to you who have been fully resourced to advance His Kingdom in your respective areas of influence e.g. your church, your place of work, family, friend’s and so on. Sad to say though, on many occasions, people have not been willing to part with certain worldly things and as a result, have been hindered from entering in to all that God has planned for them. They would rather sacrifice the Source of abundant life for short-term satisfaction. A great example of this is the wealthy man who was owned by his riches…

Matthew 19: 16-22
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself." "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Like many of us, the rich man operated within his comfort zone. He was willing to uphold the law and keep the commandments, and by doing so, always be seen in good standing with clergy. This was not in honour of God but a sacrifice he was willing to make for personal benefit. When challenged by Jesus to part with his riches, his real lord and saviour were revealed. Out of his own free will, he chose riches ahead of Jesus and departed feeling disgruntled. But there is more to this than meets the eye! Not only did Jesus ask him to sell all his possessions and share his wealth with the poor, He offered him a matchless opportunity that was only given to 12 others. Jesus invites him to walk in God’s ways by saying, “Then come, follow me.” In essence, Jesus offers him the same that was offered to the 12 disciples, the position of disciple, the “Thirteenth Disciple.”

Like this rich man, how many times have we allowed ourselves to live a life of compromise because we have permitted ourselves to be controlled by idols (stumbling blocks that stand between us and Jesus)? As a result, not only have we missed out on wonderful opportunities but we will never reach our full potential. In fact, our free will choices have positioned us for a life of lack, average or disaster, a life that will never display an abundance of good fruit, a life that will never give glory to our Father in Heaven!

In the book of Hosea, we read another example of how the Israelites fell by the wayside as a result of them giving into idolatry. They had first hand experience at witnessing God’s miracles and provision, yet they chose a life that positioned them under the curse, and ultimately destroyed any potential relationship with God, and the destiny that He had provided for them. Just like the rich man, there were certain things that they were simply not willing to give up.

Hosea 9: 10-17
"When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception. Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. Woe to them when I turn away from them! I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer." Give them, O LORD— what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry. "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, and they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring." My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations.

At first, God acknowledged an Israel that prospered and was in good standing with Him but then He revealed how they had exchanged a life of righteousness for one of idolatry. They were willing to sacrifice God’s ways and freely chose to worship shameful idols. This was their free-will choice and as a result, they brought themselves and the fruit of their bodies, their children, under a curse. This is a perfect example of what happens when we allow things to stand between God and us:

 Breakdown in communication with God
 We bring ourselves under the curse
 We bring our offspring under the curse
 We loose our ability to produce fruit
 We loose our glory
 We become like the thing we worship
 We fail to fulfil our purpose
 We loose our sense of destiny
 We become disgruntled like the rich man
 We are left homeless and become like nomads
 We loose our ability to advance Gods Kingdom on earth

Exodus 23: 32-33 says…
“You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me, for if you serve their gods, it shall surely be a snare unto you.”

Every decision we make has a consequence, either good or bad. Just as we can enjoy the fruit of our covenant with God by choosing to follow in His ways, we will trap ourselves under the curse when we allow anything else to supersede our relationship with Him. My intention is not to paint a picture of doom and gloom but rather to make you aware of the realities that we are faced with on a day-to-day basis so that you are not caught off guard.

On a more positive note, God desires to see us blessed but this only happens when we choose life by walking according to His ways.

Deuteronomy 28: 1-14
If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he wore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

This is prosperity, abundant life in the true sense, and there is only one qualifier! Verses 1 and 2 clearly state, “If you obey the voice of the Lord your God” or “if you are willing to submit to the ways of the Word of God”, then these blessings will come upon and overtake us. Just consider this for a moment. The God of the entire universe says that because I am willing to walk in right standing with Him and not allow any idol to block or hinder our relationship, the following eternal blessings are mine:

 I am blessed wherever I go
 My children are blessed
 I am financially prosperous
 No enemy can take me out, in fact, they are defeated before me
 God recognizes me publicly and sets me apart from the world
 The flood gates of heaven are open and His blessings are limitless
 I am equipped to meet every need
 I am placed in a position of authority
 I reside in the secret place of the most high

When you serve God wholeheartedly, everything you posses can be used to advance His Kingdom but if what you possess owns you, the Kingdom of God will never enjoy your presence or experience the fullness of your prosperity. Serving God and His purpose is a privilege and as Kingdom Carriers, we will be held accountable for the extent to which we have influenced mankind.

Luke 6: 43-44
“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its fruit.

The 12 disciples made a choice to sacrifice everything and choose life by following Jesus. With the exception of Judas who later traded Jesus for money, they aggressively and under His Lordship advanced God’s Kingdom on earth; their works have stood the test of time and their fruit evident. However, the “Thirteenth Disciple” advanced his own kingdom just as Judas did. Where does this leave you? If your ways are God’s ways, not only are you His Kingdom Carrier but you would without hesitation be promoting His Kingdom agenda as a lifestyle, and the quality of your fruit will reveal where your integrity lies.