Episode 17 reveals the steps you can take now to return wholeheartedly to Jesus and become a new teacher (or follower) of his original gospel of the kingdom.
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Transcript
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The Future of the Teachings of Jesus
6. Answering the Call
The basic requirements to be an effective teacher of Jesus (Ep 17)
The supremacy of Jesus’ teachings. Do you feel the call to return wholeheartedly to Jesus? If you do, take the first step now by clearly recognizing that Jesus’ teachings are unique and supreme over all others. They are the highest and most perfect religious teachings ever to appear on planet earth. They are our common heritage. They should be studied, learned, accepted by faith, and lived. Other religious teachings may be judged by their compatibility and harmony with the original teachings of Jesus.
Study and clearly understand Jesus’ life and actual teachings. Begin your return to Jesus with a more focused and exclusive study of the Master’s life and teachings. The first step is to know and clearly understand Jesus’ actual teachings in purity and in wholeness, unmixed with the many other teachings that have become associated and identified with his original gospel. Study not only his words, but focus especially on his life story with an eye to how it demonstrates and reveals his moral and spiritual outlook. In particular, learn to recognize and be conscious of the crucial distinction that exists between the teachings of Jesus and the myriad of teachings about Jesus.
In faith accept and live Jesus’ original gospel teachings. In faith and sincerity accept and affirm Jesus’ original gospel of the kingdom–the Fatherhood of God and the Sonship-Brotherhood of man. Make Jesus’ kingdom teaching that God is our loving spiritual Father and we are all His sons and daughters and brothers and sisters to one another, a central truth that determines your self concept and your social relations with others. Learn to see yourself and others as children of God and wholeheartedly choose to do the Father’s will. Live loyally and courageously as a faith child of God.
By faith and the choice to do the Father’s will achieve the birth of the spirit. By faith in the Father’s indwelling spirit and the choice to prioritize the Father’s will above our own personal will, achieve the birth of the spirit. Clearly and sincerely affirm, “It is my will that your will be done.” Then, go forward increasingly and spontaneously showing forth love and the other fruit of the spirit in your daily life. Recognize that this increased bearing of spiritual fruit is the proof that your life is on the right track; it is your ever present check on whether you are maintaining your spiritual connection with God and continuing to make spiritual progress.
Learning and living Jesus’ teachings qualifies us as true followers. Taking these first two steps of learning and believing Jesus’ original gospel message and then faithfully living those teachings, doing the Father’s will, qualifies us as true followers of Jesus. In this way you may begin now to work for and become a part of the new revelation of Jesus. Let your life example of supreme devotion to Jesus and his teachings influence others to adopt a religious viewpoint and inspire them to believe Jesus’ gospel that we are all children of God.
To be an effective teacher of the new revelation requires mature spirituality. The third step, effectively teaching the way of Jesus, requires more time and spiritual development. We enter the kingdom as little children, but God requires that we grow up to full spiritual adulthood. We must seek to make continuous spiritual progress. As we grow through faith and choosing to do the Father’s will, from children in the kingdom to fully matured spiritual adults, we increasingly qualify ourselves to become teachers and leaders in the new revelation. Becoming mature spirit-filled children of the kingdom is the first requirement for becoming teachers in the new and oncoming revelation of Jesus.
Depend solely on Jesus. The next thing we need to do is to learn to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings. This is not to say that we do not recognize the value of other teachers and their religious teachings, but that we clearly put Jesus first and depend solely on him in our ultimate life direction and our revelation to others. We must remember that the great transforming power of Jesus’ religion has become diluted and weakened by its association with many other non-Jesusonian teachings. What the world needs now is devoted men and women who maintain and teach a focused concentration on Jesus and his life-giving teachings.
Be exclusively devoted to the spiritual regeneration of others. The third element in the makeup of the new religious leaders is that they will be exclusively devoted to the spiritual transformation of others. They will not be turned and distracted from their mission of returning the world to the religion of Jesus by other worthy goals such as social service or teaching a particular religious doctrine. They will be true to Jesus’ great commission to take his gospel of the kingdom directly to the world and bring about the spiritual regeneration, the spiritual rebirth and renewal, of their fellow man. This will be the single-minded focus of their ministry.
Like Jesus be a living demonstration of the teachings. Jesus in his life on earth provided us with a perfect example of living the teachings he proclaimed. This is why a study of his life can be even more valuable than the words he spoke. It is said that a picture is worth 1000 words, and Jesus’ life demonstration of living by faith and doing the Father’s will made his revelation far more powerful and complete. Likewise, the teachers of the new revelation must be living demonstrations of the truths that they teach. Unlike many religious teachers of the past and present these new teachers will teach with great power, authority, and effectiveness because they will actually live what they teach.
The new revelation requires both new teachers and many new followers. Also remember that this revival of Jesus and return to his actual gospel teachings will require both new teachers and new followers. There will be relatively few new teachers and many new devoted followers. Each person must decide for himself what part he wishes to play in this coming revival of the actual teachings of Jesus. In this series of podcasts, I have emphasized the need for new teachers of Jesus’ religion, but new followers are also called for. If you recognize the need for a return to Jesus and his original teachings, but do not feel called to teach, decide now to become a stronger, more focused, and inspirational follower.
The three steps to effectively teach Jesus. If you seek to become more than a follower of Jesus and feel the call to become an effective teacher the way forward may be summarized in three basic steps: Learn it, live it, and teach it. Learn the life and teachings of Jesus. By faith, live the teachings of Jesus. And by your words and actions, teach the way of Jesus.
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