How to Determine if you are a Disciple of Jesus Christ or Not

October 1, 2022

How to Determine if you are a Disciple of Jesus Christ or Not

Which image more likely shows a disciple of Jesus? Left: woman “alone” in prison. Right: Contemporary Christian Worship Service with many “believers.”

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. (Words of Jesus recorded in Luke 21:16-17)

by Brian Shilhavy

Do you know if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ or not?

It is a question that is actually very easy to answer, as it is definitively answered in the Bible, by the recorded words of Jesus Christ himself.

But first we need to define “disciple,” because in modern Christianity today, most understand the term “disciple” to be synonymous with “Christian.”

If we use the text of the New Testament to define these words, however, it is very clear that “Christian” and “disciple” are not synonymous at all.

The word “Christian” is only used 3 times in the New Testament, and it is never used by Jesus, and his followers and disciples also never used the term to refer to themselves. It was used by those outside of the fellowships and who were mainly critical of the disciples of Jesus.

I have written entire articles on the word “Christian” and “Christianity,” so I will not repeat that here. For more discussion on this see:

Fact Check: “Christianity” and the Christian Religion is NOT Found in the Bible – The Person Jesus Christ Is

Jesus very clearly distinguished between those who were his “disciples” from among the religious class, which during his day were “Jews” and not “Christians,” and he had harsh words for those who were religious but did not know God, and this is best seen in the Gospel of John in Chapter 8.

To the “disciples”:

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

To the unbelieving Jews:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?

He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:44-47)

If you want to apply this principle to modern times and the most dominant religion in the U.S. today, just replace “Jews” with “Christians” in the words of Jesus above.

So now that I have defined “disciple,” which in English would be synonymous with words like “student,” “pupil,” “apprentice,” etc., let’s answer the question I started this article with: Do you know if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ or not?

As I wrote above, this is actually a very easy question to answer, as Jesus was very clear on this topic, with little room to doubt.

The requirement to be a disciple of Jesus Christ:

… any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39)

How to recognize a true disciple of Jesus Christ, or how disciples of Jesus are treated by the masses:

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. (Luke 21:16)

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)

They will put you out of the synagogue (“church” today); in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. (John 16:2)

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)

Given the high cost of being a true disciple of Jesus Christ, very few take (or even look for) that narrow path:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

For many are invited, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)

What kind of people became disciples of Jesus when he walked on the earth?

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and “sinners’?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:16-17)

When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is–that she is a sinner.” (e.g. a prostitute) (Luke 7:37-39)

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

Given what Jesus said, therefore, about what it takes to be one of his disciples, and the written account about the kind of people that became his disciples, where do you think you are most likely to find disciples of Jesus Christ today in the United States?

I can testify that in my own personal experience as an American, especially these past 20 years or so as I began to publicly go “against the tide” of common cultural beliefs, such as selling food the Government called “unhealthy”, exposing the Satanic medical system and things like vaccines, or pointing out how Christians are participating in child trafficking through Foster Care and Adoption, that I have NOT been welcome in Corporate Christian Churches, and cannot say that I really knew of anyone who resembled a “disciple” as defined by Jesus in those places.

But I have met people who have spent time in jail or prison trying to fight the system, (and have even narrowly missed being incarcerated several times myself having been falsely accused of crimes I did not commit) that resemble what a true “disciple” is according to the words of Jesus.

I have also talked to many homeless people living on the streets, many who live there by choice, because they no longer fit into society and have chosen to live on the streets instead, and even there I have found people that resemble a “disciple” more according to what Jesus wrote, than what I have encountered in Corporate Christianity.

How about you? Do you know if you are a disciple of Jesus or not?

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:37-40)

Published on October 1, 2022

Tags: disciple of Jesus|

29 Comments

Rod Barford October 24, 2023 at 5:42 am - Reply

About 25 years ago, my wife and I both independently came to the conclusion that God was calling us out of the small church we had attended for some years. When we confirmed to each other what God had told us, we left and never returned. Since then that church has withered and did as the majority of members followed the voice of the holy spirit. We know He is calling his faithful out of the churches to begin the harvest.
He told us to return to our roots, to the small home meetings and bible studies. 
After a decade we felt we should join a small worship group nearby, but gradually realised it was part of a larger church, and soon enough, it became just another church group headed up by a pastor. It didn’t take long before God reminded us He had called us out of the churches for a good reason.
Over the years, we have had many who during the 1980s and 1990s had attended our small home to worship and pray have said how much they enjoyed that time in God’s presence and how much they miss it, especially comparing it to being in their churches.
I was saved in 1977 while interstate and returned alone to my island home to begin His work. It was a dark Godless place back then, but suchwas the power of the Holy Spririt that after a couple of years, there was a thriving group of disciples numbering over 40, all resident here. Most have since multiplied greatly and moved around as God led them.
Over they years my wife and I have spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and been regularly vilified and slurred, as have our children, but we count it all joy. Many who formerly had derided us have since been saved and are now full of joy.
I look back on those years and realise how much the Lord protected us and guided our path. Nowadays in retirement, my prayer was that I would not become isolated as happens to so many old people after leaving the workforce. 
I needn’t have worried, the Lord has regularly placed me in the path of needful people to me, many times in the most isolated locations, in supermarket aisles and checkouts, on rivers, deep in the bush, even walking down the street.
We know He is calling His own away from the churches, we have spoken to many friends both here and interstate who say the same thing. I believe this is in line with what you’re saying about ‘Christian’ and ‘disciple’.

Bro don December 21, 2023 at 12:29 pm - Reply

You are speaking the truth. Which is almost impossible to find in this soon return of jesus time we live in. may God bless everyone who has been seeking the truth and recieved your e/m s grow closer to Jesus for the hour is late Amen 🙏

Ronald March 1, 2023 at 10:17 pm - Reply

Simple- people obey their God.
Who obeys the state? Those that serve a God of their own making.
If you wave a flag, that same flag is a shroud through which God cannot see.
God is very clear on this point.
One cannot serve two masters….

Douglas Martens February 25, 2023 at 8:07 pm - Reply

Brian; “But in today’s modern “Christian America” most Christians stand up for the government, for the police state, for the military, for the medical mafia, for the Child Welfare system;”

This has been my experience here in Canada as well.  One example:  i was preaching in the local mall, and the mall manager, a christian, walked up and told me to stop because this wasn’t the time or the place.

The majority want their religion boxed up in that building, and shudder to think of taking the gospel to the streets.  They’re afraid, as i often am too.  But only those who dare to take a public stand, get the feeling of closeness with the LORD that the risk-taking truly trusting followers enjoy.

lindsmitchie June 30, 2024 at 3:47 am - Reply

amen brother – I am in Canada too… praying for hearts to open to the true gospel, and that “christians” would repent and become true disciples.

Deanne February 12, 2023 at 2:49 pm - Reply

Even after this wonderful article, I am still not sure I am a disciple. Everyone always (even in the comments section here) have such dramatic stories. I do not. I’ve never had mental issues, prison or drug addiction to be saved from. I’ve always tried to be honest and am driven to seek truth. I read your articles and look for confirmations of conclusions and I find them. So thank you for sharing with us. Do I have to give up everything? Or just be willing? I’ve never particularly cared about material matters – we were prepared to sell our home instead of taking the vaccines but though we lost our jobs we did not have to it. The recent pandemic also damaged our relationships with every family member due to our “anti vaxx” stance. I have known as a very young adult but to trust orgs who have a needle and snake as their symbol. But still unsure about whether I am saved or a disciple.

Joanne March 10, 2023 at 8:26 am - Reply

You did give up everything (relationships with family and friends) for the truth. You put all of your trust in God when you refused to believe Satans narrative and chose to refuse to live the lie and take Satans mark (the jab). You spoke and continue to speak the truth even though those you love and care about punish you by disowning you. I truly believe that you are a disciple. 
Joanne x

Gary Holder March 20, 2023 at 11:42 pm - Reply

Deanne, it deeply hurts me as a Christian believer in Christ to read you don’t know if you are saved.  

Jesus said in John 6:47 – Verily verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  Also in Acts 16:30-31 – (30) And brought them out, and said, Sirs what must I do to be saved? (31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.  

A synonym for believe could be trust.  

What must you believe?  That Jesus Christ death, burial, and resurrection paid the price for your sins.  You must believe He is the only way to eternal life in heaven.  It cannot be head knowledge, rather, belief so strong it becomes a fact.  Jesus is more real to me than my wife or even myself.  

A perfect example of this is found in John 4:48-53:
(48) Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. (49) The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.(50) Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.(51) And he was now going down, his servant met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.(52) Then inquired he to them the hour he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.(53) And the father knew it was at the same hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.  

The first time the nobleman believed, he just believed the word that Jesus had spoken.  When he got home and realized it was the exact moment Jesus had spoken those words that his son was healed then the nobleman believed Jesus was our savior and believed on Jesus for everlasting life as well as his entire house.  

I pray this makes sense to you.  I have had my Bible opened to that passage for several days now, I knew God had a purpose for it, now I know why; it was to share it with you.  

Remember, good works never saved anyone, water baptism never saved anyone, turning from all your sins (impossible for any human to do) has ever saved anyone, belief on the Lord Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for our salvation is what saves us.  

Now, if you are not saved, don’t put it off another second, believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Christine Grace January 23, 2023 at 8:56 am - Reply

Infinite Gifts ‘N’ Blessings. I AM IS LOVE I AM. I Am Sooooooo Great-Full For Your Share-IN-Goodness, Brian.

Forest Walker December 31, 2022 at 1:57 am - Reply

I was radically saved in a psychiatric ward after heavy psychedelic drug use and a brief possession by an ‘angel of light.’ I didn’t know anything other than the name of Jesus, but an agent of grace intervened in a situation that was going really bad and I found myself on my knees, filled with grace (a word I had known of but never really known). Expressing myself in prayer was the most natural thing and a softness of spirit came upon my soul. It was such a relief.

I joined the church raw and open and very penitent. Pretty soon I was voting Republic, shopping at Christian Supply, and giving 30% of my gross income to my church, even though I was very poor and young. I was quickly surrounded by women who had dreams we were too get married and I was offered a job at a bank by a Christian were we all logged into a phone system using our employee numbers preceded by 666.

I couldn’t find my way in American Christianity. So I went to China. In China, after some time I began to really see that many Christian missionaries (there are on-fire beautiful Christian missionaries) were actually advocating for americanism or better said modern corporate us citizen lifestyle Christianity. 

I met some really faithful Chinese Christians who lived and ministered under the threat of communism daily. They had beautiful spirits and were very powerful in a very quiet way. They couldn’t speak English and my Mandarin never became completely fluent, but I think they were my best friends ever. I miss them and look forward to seeing them in heaven.

After three years in China I thought I was strong enough to come home and finish a college degree so that I could spend the rest of my life on the mission field.

Within a few years I became so disheartened and the pressure of trying to be a ‘perfect’ Christian broke me. I screamed at God to get out of my life. I scoffed at the idea of ever going to church again.

The next 13 years were woeful in many ways, but honest. I knew there was a secret fraternity pulling strings and I fought it. I did go to jail and prison. I challenged the courtrooms jurisdictions and the state’s rights to bring charges against me without victims. I was put in solitary confinement, roughed up, threatened, sent to a ‘special’ hospital where the other ‘patients’ are working with the doctors and many other agents and agencies. They could not break me as God still rescued me even though I had rejected Him.

On the other hand my own inner nature, my sin nature, grew and I came close to doing things that I am now very ashamed of even considering as well as things I did do.

In the end of that existence I had really lost everything. I lived deep in the woods alone, smoking lots of Marijuana, reading all manner of Spiritual literature as well as studying law. I had one friend who never gave up on me and a hand crank radio. I began listening to J. Vernon McGee’s Through The Bible and JD Farag’s prophecy updates. Somehow God opened that door of grace back up. I was on my knees repenting. That softness came back. The joy of my salvation returned. I couldn’t believe that I would or could have ever left God, Jesus, whom I know prefer to call him Yeshua. It feels so much better and less tainted by what has been done in the name of Jesus.

God sent me back to church. He told me this was to be my new mission field. It is a country church. The pastor is simple, but he believes the Bible and loves Jesus. He is caught though in the worldly wisdom that has invaded the church. He has admitted to me privately he believes the vaxx is bad, in fact God delivered him from getting it, twice. Still he won’t preach about it and when I have edged in with my concerns about the vaxx, or freemasonry, or the churches ties to the military industrial complex, the ‘elders’ tend to quickly dampen it.

It is tough. I fast and pray. I am close to giving up. This is the age of Laodicea. Christ is at the door knocking, but the churches are so busy doing the church, when can he speak. I brought this to the elders and the pastor. They didn’t like it, but they heard me too. I have asked them to fast with me, to call the church to a fast as we begin this new year, seeking a word from God.

I believe I will soon know. I have done, albeit imperfectly, what God asked me to do. Many are called, free are chosen. May His Grace see me through to the end and give me courage every day to continue to be His disciple and abide in Him. HaShem Yeshua HaMeshiac!! Soon and very soon!!

Lissa December 14, 2022 at 1:46 pm - Reply

John 6:37-40 says it all. ANYONE who sincerely calls on the name of the Lord WILL be saved. This cannot be clearer. Yes, and when we are saved we really want to please our Saviour. We want to keep His commands, precepts, laws, ordinances and  instructions. I am powerless to do this independently. I call in the Lord to help me fulfil these injunctions. I also call on Him to make me holy and righteous, for that is impossible for me to do unaided. He has to clothe me in righteousness and make me holy so that I can stand before Him to ask for His forgiveness and help. As Romans says: For from him and through him and to him ARE ALL THINGS. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Mark Simpson December 14, 2022 at 11:02 am - Reply

Brother, I truly understand all you have written here.  I have for so long been outside the mainstream Church.  They are filled with nothing but the theology of man, with no power pouring forth from them that is truly holy and Godly.  I am loosing ties with those that I have always been so close to because they feel I have gone off track.  As I am daily in prayer with My father in heaven, I hear him speak things that are far outside the common things you hear preached in churches.  Most are nothing more than a “Christian psychology” hour session.  I hear every time how to be a better “Christian,” without ever hearing what it means living in the Kingdom of God.  Most try to speak of how we become a better person so that when we die, we can enter heaven.  This was never the Gospel, for the Gospel was all about kingdom living, and the power of God we have through faith in Jesus Christ, as that was the purpose that we have been given the Holy Spirit, that we may walk in power (as Jesus said, “When the Holy Spirit has come, you will receive power).  This wasn’t a suggestion if you wanted to take it or leave it, but was vital for the disciples to go in that they may do the very works that he did when He was with us.  His whole ministry was revealing to his disciples what the kingdom of God was all about, and what we as his followers should be walking in.  What I was shown by the Holy Spirit was that the believers over time fore went the Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God for all of us to live in, and went with salvation, or should I say, the forgiveness of sin, and made that the gospel.  But, that was never the gospel, but it was that which sealed the gospel for the believers.  The good news was that we no longer live of this world, but now of the Kingdom of God, in its fullness, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.  God bless

Lissa November 20, 2022 at 2:58 am - Reply

John 6:37-40
I cling onto this. I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me give up the right to my own life.

EJ Mace October 10, 2022 at 1:06 pm - Reply

Thank you, Brian, for your wonderful sharing of this writing with all of us Disciples, Believers.   You and your site are a Blessing.  I Pray Heavenly Father Blesses you and keeps you safe–and all of us.

alison brundage October 5, 2022 at 4:39 pm - Reply

When I read your posts Brian I am always feeling renewed in Him.  BUT what’s more?….II love the comments of other brothers and sisters who are  in love with the Lord just like you and me.  This is such a place of encouragement when we see what our Lord told us would come…..here.   It confirms my faith. Thank you all.

Lucho October 5, 2022 at 9:37 am - Reply

Me identifico con Cristo porque crucifique mi viejo hombre en la cruz  y cargo continuamente con esa cruz ,la de mis deseos y pasiones desordenados los que una vez gobernaron sobre mi ,la iglesia corporativa no es mi salvación ,mientras viva en esta vida será necesario un lugar(recipiente) para poder expresar esa identidad,pero no será jamás mi salvación, Jesús primero en mi vida siempre

Translation from DeepL:

I identify with Christ because I crucified my old man on the cross and I continually carry that cross ,the cross of my disordered desires and passions that once ruled over me ,the corporate church is not my salvation ,as long as I live in this life I will need a place(vessel) to express that identity,but it will never be my salvation,Jesus first in my life always.

Bil October 3, 2022 at 6:51 am - Reply

You’ve hit the nail on the head once more, Brian.
In further support of what you’ve already discussed, here is a passage of scripture from Revelation 12:10-11:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

By what three things do we overcome the acuser?
1. The blood of the Lamb
2. The word of our testimony (confessing Christ)
3. Not loving our lives even to the death

The third one is where most struggle. We want to be accepted in the “club.” We don’t want to be outcasts. We don’t want to go against the world around us. We want to fit in and have everything that our worldly neighbors have. We even want our church services to be “world-friendly,” justifying it by saying, they won’t come in if we don’t make it appealing. James, John and Paul all warned about being worldly.

James quite clearly says that friendship with the world makes us enemies of God (James 4:4)
John warns us that the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life are indications that we love the world rather than the Father. (1 John 2:15-16)
Paul tells us not to conform to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds as a living sacrifice that is wholy acceptable to God. (Romans 12:1-2)

The sheep and goats are being separated. The wool is being pulled off of the wolves. The clear message of Jesus Christ must go forth. No more playing “Christian.” Either you walk with Christ or you do not. Choose whom you will serve.

John October 3, 2022 at 12:15 pm - Reply

Amen Bil So So True! Let us all continually heed and Believe The Word Of The LORD!
Let us all remember this from the WORD! We all must continually from the Heart Continually worship the King! He Is and Has Defeated The Enemy! Shalom!
2Chr. 20:20-22  And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 
And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

Brian-Admin October 4, 2022 at 8:32 am - Reply

“Either you walk with Christ or you do not. Choose whom you will serve.”

You too have “hit the nail on the head once more” Bil! If only other believers/disciples would comment like you, seeking to warn others, rather than the multitude of comments I get every time I publish an article like this from “Christians” who want to “correct” me or promote their own agendas on things like the “proper name of God,” or the correct version of the Bible I should be using, etc.

I have been doing some deep dives into the Gospel of Luke which has produced this article, and I had considered adding other scriptures from other time periods that teach the same things, which includes not only Revelation and the future, but also the Old Testament saints who also LOST EVERYTHING for the sake of standing on the Truth.

Here are two verses from my devotions this morning from Psalm 88:

You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape (Psalms 88:8)

You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend. (Psalms 88:18)

So take courage fellow disciples! The Darkness is descending and the worst is yet to come, but just remember you are NOT alone! Trust in the one who saved you to remain firm until the end, even when your closest friends and family members either turn against you, or die in front of your eyes because they did not believe the Truth.

His disciple, Cynthia L. June 11, 2023 at 8:31 am - Reply

Thought-provoking article for some serious soul-searching, Brian. “Examine yourself to se weather you be in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5) 

Bless you for proclaiming the hard (to hear) truth. Most people want to have their ears tickled. “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. Thjey will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Tim. 4:3-4}

It is really quite simple. One of the most sobering verses in all of Scripture is Matt. 7:22: “Many will say t me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.” Jesus went on to say, “Therefore, eeryone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds bles and eat against that house [suffering/adversity], yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matt. 7:24-25).

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matt. 7:26-27).

Will your spiritual house stand firm, or fall?

Alan Manson October 2, 2022 at 8:31 pm - Reply

Some 30+ years ago, I commenced seeking “god” and found Jesus Christ after reading the Bible through in a year.  Back then, my wife of 20-years and my two teenage children (17 and 15 years) simply walked out of my life, never to be seen again.  They have been asked why they don’t want to see/speak with me, but they can’t provide an answer.  This is because their mother and grandmother had brainwashed them against me.  It was a price I paid for my new life in Christ after choosing to become one of His disciples:

“And A MAN’S FOES [or ‘worst enemies’ – i.e. my former wife and her mother – both professing ‘Christians’ at the time] shall be they of his own household.”  (Jesus speaking in Matthew 10:36)

After spending time in two or three Pentecostal churches, I eventually married a supposedly “born-again” Christian woman who turned out to be an agent of the Devil.  She robbed me of my house and much of everything else before I escaped from her 18 months after our marriage.  Her ‘Christian’ friends and pastors didn’t want to consider my side of the story.  I was a condemned man by them, because of her lies.

However – praise the Lord – some 8 years after serving the Lord on the street as an evangelist and by opposing the lies being preached in the pulpits and on the internet as a Disciple of Jesus Christ – the Lord brought my lovely wife of 18-years into my life – which I believe relates to this verse of scripture:

“And I WILL RESTORE TO YOU THE YEARS that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, MY GREAT ARMY WHICH I SENT AMONG YOU.  26 And ye shall EAT IN PLENTY, and BE SATISFIED, and PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.”  (Joel 2:25-26)

From this, I can say that the Lord is faithful to His word towards those of His disciples who remain faithful to Him:

“But THE LORD IS FAITHFUL, who shall [re-e]stablish you, and keep you from evil.”  (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

So the Lord restored me a wife and her children (with grandchildren also) and a lovely house to replace that which was stolen – and a lot more besides.  PRAISE THE LORD!

However – being a Disciple of Jesus Christ cannot be compared to simply replacing the material things lost in this life.  Christ’s disciples MUST “sit at the feet of Jesus” to know “sound doctrine” so as to be able to “earnestly contend for the faith that was originally delivered to the saints” and thereby maintain the True Christian FAITH!

“And she [Martha] had a sister called Mary, which also SAT AT JESUS’ FEET, and HEARD HIS WORD.”  (Luke 10:39)

“STUDY to shew thyself APPROVED UNTO GOD, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  (2 Timothy 2:15)

“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught [personally by God the Father – John 6:45], that he may be able by SOUND DOCTRINE both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”  (Titus 1:9)

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you THAT YE SHOULD EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE [or originally] DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS [at Jerusalem].  4 For there are certain men [called pastors, who have] crept in [to the churches] unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, UNGODLY MEN, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and DENYING THE ONLY LORD GOD, AND OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.”  (Jude 1:3-4)

Although the ‘Narrow Way’ (Matt 7:14) has sometimes been difficult to remain on throughout these many years, the scriptures and the many truths they contain have given me the spiritual strength and courage needed for me to remain a faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ.

“MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE, and I [Jesus] KNOW THEM, and THEY FOLLOW ME:”  (John 10:27)

Joshua May 30, 2023 at 3:21 am - Reply

wONDERFUL TESTIMONY MY BROTHER – THE LORD IS WONDERFUL.

Jane October 2, 2022 at 3:22 pm - Reply

Its always a breath of fresh air to read the truth from these posts. I’m amazed at how the Lord has whittled down the things i read and watch.  Brian without exception your blog has shone in the darkness of this world and the often lonely walk on that narrow path.

John October 2, 2022 at 12:09 pm - Reply

So True Brian. This is a day by day walk, denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Jesus!
Yesterday is gone forever, and “tomorrow” never comes. Shalom!

Will October 2, 2022 at 8:31 am - Reply

My only hope is my faith, I feel rejected by the entire world including the church, and my own flesh is a mess with constant temptations to sin, and now I’m troubled by the hatred that’s come up in my own heart in response to how humanity has acted the past few years. I’ve really begun to look down on most people and I worry that’s my heart being bad. 

I keep telling God I’m sorry, I wish I didn’t hate people but there’s so stupid and evil sometimes. I want them all to be saved and have the forgiveness of God but I now have an aversion to humanity itself, and that scares me because I’m supposed to love everyone like Jesus did.  Don’t know what to do, I’m scared of everything now, gulags and the wrath of God, and my own self.  I believe, but have I really done His will to the point I will say “Lord, Lord” and not be rejected? And, “if you have faith to move mountains but have not love…” So much selfishness, envy, and bitterness, so many failures. My heart is still corrupt. Grace and mercy are the only hope.

Scholar Blessings February 9, 2023 at 12:48 am - Reply

Will, just to encourage you  please read 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to CLEANSE us from ALL unrighteousness.” You can also read Psalms 51 as a prayer of  confession and forgiveness. Let this Psalms be your hearts’ cry to God daily, “Show me Thy ways Oh LORD, teach me Thy paths, lead me inThy truth and teach me. For Thou art The God of my Salvation, on Thee do I wait All the day. Psalms 25:4 & 5. Also verse 14. You can enjoy fellowship  with The LORD  daily, as you pray, read/study the Holy Scriptures  & Praise Him. John chapter 15: 1- 11 also helps me in my daily walk with The LORD Jesus (Yeshua Hamashiach). Shalom and God bless

Deanne May 30, 2023 at 4:20 pm - Reply

Hi Will – it is a struggle but be disappointed with humanity over all this. Especially under attacks. I always remind myself that I am asking Jesus for forgiveness of my sins/weakness so how can I not extend that same forgiveness to my fellow brothers and sisters?

Rachael Jean Wilbur October 2, 2022 at 7:51 am - Reply

I would like to hear more about your stories of false accusations and threats of imprisonment. I am a true disciple of Jesus Christ also and have faced these situations countless times by speaking an uncomfortable truth that many others don’t want to hear. I read every single email that you send out and have for a few years now. It would give me great encouragement and faith to hear how God delivered you through all of your trials and tribulations through your email subscriptions also. Thank you for your service to the world. God bless you.

Brian-Admin October 2, 2022 at 8:03 am - Reply

Hi Rachael,

Because these times in my life involved other people and circumstances I really cannot go into details in public. 

But what I can say is that 2 of the times I was facing arrest were due to Government agencies, the FDA and the IRS, and on two other occasions formal criminal arrest warrants were filed against me, in two different countries. 

I have also been threatened more times than I can even remember over the content of articles I have written, where judges, district attorneys, and many lawyers have threatened legal action against me if I did not take down certain articles.

God delivered me in all of these situations, and I was very blessed to not only be able to afford good attorneys, but to have found the right attorneys who had the connections and influences to prevent me from being incarcerated.

The Bible is filled with stories of true disciples/believers being incarcerated for standing for the truth. Many of the Old Testament prophets were incarcerated, and many of the New Testament apostles were incarcerated at various times for speaking the truth.

But in today’s modern “Christian America” most Christians stand up for the government, for the police state, for the military, for the medical mafia, for the Child Welfare system; in short they stand for Satan’s world system, and people who stand up for the truth and oppose these human systems that are part of Satan’s domain and are then punished, are generally looked down upon by organized religion because “they must have done something bad,” or “they must have done something wrong to have their children taken away from them,” etc.

So in short, if you want to count the cost and be a true disciple of Jesus today according to his words, you must also take a stand AGAINST Christianity and the “church” as well, because they are part of Satan’s domain. It was the same with the New Testament disciples as they had to take a stand against Judaism and the Synagogues.

“Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)–Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia.” (Acts 6:9)

“Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.” (Acts 18:4-7)