How delightful is your confession, and how magnificent is your praise. Glory and honor, power, dominion, majesty and might, to the only True Elohim - and our Redeemer from heaven. Praise to Yahshuah for His indescribable gift. The angels in heaven are rejoicing in your declaration of faith, my friend, and I am too.

I was prepared to continue writing at our previously established level, Mathetes, but now I am free to fully express my heart, without the fear [tc] of alienating you. As fellow partakers in the glory of Elohim, with the Ruach ha Qodesh now abiding within both of us, I am free to speak as if to Elohim Himself. And with Yahshuah now seated at the throne of your heart, I am confident that His love for you and through you will become more evident as the days go by.

And thank you for your expressions of thankfulness. For you, may I add at this time, "YAHUAH bless you, and keep you; YAHUAH make His light to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; YAHUAH lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace" [tc] (Numbers 6:24-26). As a sinner, redeemed by The Blood of The Lamb, I am unworthy of your accolades, my friend. To quote another brother, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you; in the name of Yahshuah Mashiach the Nazarene" (Acts 3:6). Thank you though, above all, for your prayers.

Now that grace has been received into your life, and now that you have declared your faith and acceptance of Yahshuah [tc] as Messiah and Master, we can discuss matters of discipleship. You have moved beyond the stage of a seeker (Zeteo), and have become a disciple (Mathetes). And your discipleship is no less significant in Elohim's sight than that of James, John, Peter, Paul, or the rest of the first century disciples.

SPECIAL NOTE:
For a quick explanation of the NAMES used throughout The Letters, please click here... For an in depth accounting of these matters though, please go to Letter #22.

Letter #11 continues here:

From the original twelve disciples, and from the later addition of Paul and Barnabas, we quickly learn that discipleship is not an event. (Look at Paul's testimony, for example, in Galatians 1:11-24). Our lives, just like theirs, and the disciplines we strive to acquire, are a process. Every disciple of Yahshuah must recognize that only by abiding in Yahshuah, can we attain the fullness of His plans for us. It would be magnificent if we could open the Bible, read the Word of Elohim, and know every teaching, intent, nuance and desire of Elohim's heart. It would be wonderful if we could fall on our face before Elohim and request knowledge, understanding, discernment, insight and wisdom from Him, and have these abilities instantly at our disposal. Unfortunately, Elohim does not work this way. What our Father will do though, is permit us to gain in all of these areas through the study of His Word, and through the experiences and processes of life. When we study His Word, and seek knowledge with all our heart, He imparts knowledge at a digestible and maintainable pace. While the pace will differ for each child, the end result remains constant: Growing unto Yahshuah.

I have always maintained that the discipleship process, and the acquiring of Bible knowledge, is like constructing a brick building. First, a firm and solid foundation is essential. Our foundation is Yahshuah Mashiach. Then, once the foundation is in place, a little mortar gets placed and the first brick is set. The mortar is always the Word of Elohim, because His Word is what holds everything we know together. The brick is a piece of wisdom, knowledge, insight or understanding. As mortar gets spread (As the Word is studied and learned), more bricks are set (We grow in our comprehension), and the process of growth (discipleship) continues throughout our life. The Ruach ha Qodesh, by the way, is the Plumb Line - He keeps everything in check.

Just like brick building construction though, the first coarse must be set before the second coarse may begin. Sure, walls may have tiers at different levels, like a stairway, but the first brick must be set before another can be placed on top of it. If you seriously consider the lives of the Old Testament disciples (yes, they were disciples) and if you study the Apostles and disciples of the New Testament, you will discover that they all suffered through tremendous periods of learning and growth. They all had to go through the process of setting aside the worldly, in order to attain full reverence unto Elohim. Such is our quest.

Along with an awareness of spiritual warfare, therefore, we must gain an awareness of the realities of discipleship. As we identify and fight the forces of evil, and as we set aside that which may interfere with our walk (like I did with smoking), Elohim will nurture our growth, and compel us along His path to glory. Elohim wants us to know what we are fighting for, and what the basic spiritual requirements, responsibilities and rewards of faithful service are. Just like those who have gone before us, Elohim wants for each of us to be everything we would like to be. In knowing the realities of discipleship, we begin adding bricks to our building - which prayerfully, will reach to the very throne of heaven.

A disciple, Mathetes, is a devoted PRAISER - someone who seeks for the honor and glory of Elohim. PRAISER is an acronym I use to describe a believer who knows what the Purposes, Requirements, Assurances, Instructions, Signs, Expenses and Rewards are, for those who would follow Yahshuah. "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it" (Luke 14:28). The following outline presents the basics of a P*R*A*I*S*E*R; the basics for a tower builder. I humbly submit this simple teaching for your consideration:

The first thing a PRAISER must know, therefore, is their Purpose:

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Ruach ha Qodesh, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). (This, by the way, is referred to as "The Great Commission").
"In much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain" (Ecclesiastes 1:18).

We were created to glorify Elohim. In every generation, Elohim has raised up His chosen ones, insuring a remnant that do not bow to Baal. As disciples of Yahshuah in this generation, therefore, the mantle now passes to us. The manner and intensity in which we glorify Elohim, magnifies as we draw near to Him, and our responsibility increases as He reveals Himself to us. We are to devote our lives to praise, prayer and performance, because He is our purpose and our goal. "For to live is Mashiach".

The Word of Elohim is direct. The promises are not meant for everyone.
The second PRAISER areas of consideration then, are the Requirements:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of Elohim" (John 3:3).
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Ruach, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Elohim" (John 3:5).
"Seek the Master, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility" (Zephaniah 2:3).
"Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him" (Ephesians 4:15).
"By this the children of Elohim and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of Elohim, nor the one who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10).

A Disciple of Yahshuah Mashiach must be born-again! But why is that necessary, what precisely does that mean, and how is it accomplished?

The necessity of being "Born-Again" is found in two powerfully connected passages within Genesis - and one from the Gospel of John, because once analyzed, these three verses speak reams to us:

Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, when man was originally created, we find the Holy Word saying, "Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 2:27). After the fall, however, we now find the following being said, "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth" (Genesis 5:3).

As I pondered these passages, my heart literally raced to our Master's conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, and the fullness of why our Yahshuah said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Elohim", sprang to life in my heart, mind and soul...

We are offspring of Adam and Eve. We are born into this world in the image and likeness of our "fallen" parents. The only way that we can ever enter into the Kingdom of Elohim is by being born again unto Elohim - in water and in Ruach - and this process only begins through the acceptance of Yahshuah Mashiach as our personal Master and Messiah...

The moment an individual acknowledges Elohim as their creator, comparing their sinful state to His majestic holiness, and in that moment believes in their cleansing through the shed blood of Yahshuah Mashiach - in that moment which that person bows in recognition of Elohim's sovereignty and dominion, and humbly cries out to Yahshuah, "Master, save me," as Peter did (Matthew 14:29), in the realization that they are doomed without Him, and then determine to dedicate their lives to the faithful obedience of His Mastership - in the moment they claim Him as their personal Master and Messiah - in that moment - they are spiritually Born-Again!

I believe that once we are Born-Again, Elohim commands us to follow His example of immersion baptism [tc]. The passages in the concordance present irrefutable evidence in support of this. In teaching an immersion baptism though, I am not advocating legalism or ritualism. Understanding Elohim lies in the fact that Elohim is Ruach, and His requirements are spiritual. While we may not understand His workings, we must concede, "`My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares YAHUAH" (Isaiah 55:8). Sometimes we need to take the Word of Elohim at face value, when understood in the proper context, and by faith, do whatever He desires. For some, baptism will be that step of faith, while for others, water immersion will be a natural expression of their desire to follow Him.

The Bible is not a collection of stories and fables, Mathetes, but Words of salvation, life, fulfillment, joy and eternal happiness. Each Word of Scripture must be examined, digested and reacted upon, for His glory. Unless we seek Elohim in the pages of His revelation, we will never know Him, but once we find Him; once we know His desire, we must act in order to please Him. Following Yahshuah in emersion baptism is one of those areas that pleases Him.

Righteousness is a faithful life of right living, but attainment of these things is no simple matter. In order to teach faith, Elohim causes our circumstances to be such that we must figuratively walk on water. If humility is lacking, our Father will place His child in a humbling circumstance, until the lesson of humility is learned. Patience [tc] is taught in impatient situations. Whatever disciplines are lacking, Elohim wisely uses opposing circumstances, of ever-increasing degrees, to produce the desired result - so that we may, "Grow up in all aspects into Him" (Ephesians 4:15). The disciple must be committed to these realities, my friend, and expect a gradual and progressive change in their life. This is fruit!

Immediately after becoming a disciple, events transpired that resulted in my unemployment. Although I did everything required to find a job, Elohim had other plans. In between résumé's and networking, I studied the Word of Elohim. A week turned into months and employment was not found. Miraculously, our financial needs were met, but pressure steadily grew. As the studies continued, our fellowship at the Ekklesia we were attending intensified. Some members of this Ekklesia were dynamic leaders of the community, both political and business, and from their example, Elohim began teaching me how to be a disciple in the workplace.

After reading, The Christian Employee, by Robert Maddox, it seemed as if I had received my diploma, and the door of opportunity flew open. The lessons Elohim had been teaching me throughout the period of unemployment, prepared me for a return to the workplace as His representative.

The fullness of His miracle did not occur for another four months, though, and we still marvel at His workings in our lives at that time. We relocated to the city with the new job, and while we rented a house, our desire was to purchase a home for use in our new ministry. We had very little capital, and when we discussed our situation with the realtor's, they laughed, telling us we would never find what we were looking for. We believed, however, that this was the Masters will for us, so we continued praying and searching. Eventually we found a young 'Christian' realtor who, although he thought we were insane, acknowledged the reality of faith, and together we searched.

After an especially depressing period, our new realtor phoned with the news that he had found a listing he was certain met our needs. Miraculously, it fit our budget too. Around 9:00PM, excited but skeptical, we drove to see the house. Immediately upon entering the front door, we knew we were home. Elohim worked through our faith to provide a job and the home, and while neither search was easy, He was always reassuring us. Faith is learned under circumstances requiring faithful living.

And then there is love, the last Requirement of a PRAISER. Do you remember reading, "Elohim is love" (1 John 4:8)? Throughout these letters I have attempted to point you toward the truth about love. Love of Elohim, Love for Elohim, Love of the truth, Love for our neighbors and enemies alike, Love for the brethren, and Love of justice and mercy, name but a few aspects of love that I have presented. Elohim is a great many things, dear friend, but compared to what this world believes, Elohim is much more. Our joy, as disciples of Yahshuah, is to share His love, for His glory!

The third factor in our outline of a PRAISER are the Assurances
that Elohim has given to those who would follow Him:

"Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we may confidently say, 'The Master is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me'" (Hebrews 13:5-6)?
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" (John 15:7-8).
"The eyes of YAHUAH move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" (2 Chronicles 16:9).
"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

In the first two passages quoted as assurances, we are given what at first glance might be considered a contradiction. On one hand we are told to be content, while on the other, we are instructed to ask for whatever we want. These verses are frequently quoted out of context and used to mislead the undisciplined. The positive thinking guru's of our age want us to believe we need only think happy, positive thoughts, and whatever we seek or desire will be given us. This is a lie!

The false teaching of the positive thinkers is clearly addressed elsewhere, where Elohim said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward Elohim" (James 4:3)?

The John 15 passage clearly teaches that asking must be linked to the glorification of Elohim, in the witness of His Son and His Kingdom, and in the proving of discipleship. A true disciple is not merely seeking personal gain, but asks in accordance with the will of Elohim, for the fulfillment of a need to the ministry. The assurances given in the verse from Hebrews relates to our own personal circumstances, because while we may not have all we want, we will always have what we need.

We received fulfillment to our request for a home, because we were sincere in our desire to use that home for ministry. We also wanted to be wise stewards. As disciples, we need to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves, knowing that Elohim is in control. Is this easy? NOT AT ALL!

The assurances we are given, however, are that Elohim will be a Helper to those whose heart is His, and that He will always be with us. I could go on at this point, telling how He is present, willing and able to come to our aid. Hours could be spent telling of events in which He taught me something I was striving to understand. Or how He responded one day as I was driving down a rural road, crying for reassurance, because of the battle I was involved in, when a balloon bearing the message, "I LOVE YOU," hovered in the path of my car. I could talk of spiritual, financial and physical miracles, in my life, and in the lives of countless brothers and sisters. But I will not. The assurances given to His disciples are awesome, Mathetes, and we must remember, "If Elohim is for us, who is against us? He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things" (Romans 8:31-32)?

Our fourth PRAISER item for disciples, are the Instructions
that He has given us. Instructions to find, and to follow:

"All Scripture is inspired by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of Elohim may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
"Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Thy name, O YAHUAH Elohim of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16).
"And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him" (1 John 2:27).
"Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from Elohim, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Ruach; for the letter kills, but the Ruach gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

The Bible contains the revelation of Elohim to man. It teaches about man's relationship to and with Elohim, and about man's relationship to man and his environment. Within the pages of His revealed Word He has presented us with everything we need to know in this life pertaining to Him and ourselves. He has told us what He desires, and what pleases and displeases Him. We have been told what to expect if we abide in Him, and also what to expect if we abide outside of His will. We are given judicial, environmental, historical and spiritual information, as well as the data necessary to live a magnificent and Elohim magnifying life here on earth, if we will listen. The Bible teaches Yahshuah from Genesis to Revelation. Yahshuah: Messiah, Redeemer, Head and Provider. Yahshuah: Master and Elohim. Yahshuah: Creator, Glory, Majesty, Power, Dominion and Might! We must not ignore Elohim's revelations.

Our instructions are in the pages of the Bible, but let me tell you how this works. If you read the Bible from cover to cover you will glean an understanding of certain areas. As you reopen your Bible and read His Word a second time, the gleaning increases. Subsequent voyages through Elohim's Word accumulate data in an almost geometric progression. This is the brick building process that we discussed earlier. The cornerstone and foundation must be perfectly set, or everything that follows is out of square. The cornerstone of understanding Scripture is Yahshuah. Once He is properly in place in your heart, the construction of the building -you, His Ekklesia - begins. The Ruach ha Qodesh will also be in place in your life, ensuring that the construction proceeds one trowel of mortar and one brick at a time; ensuring that everything remains square. That is how the Word of Elohim works in our life, and that is how we get to know Him and His truth.

An easy test to the principle of building blocks is to read one of the Books of the Bible, daily for a week. Seven passes through the same book, reading the entire book every day. Try it with the Book of Hebrews. I assure you, the seventh reading at the end of the week, will reveal facts missed on the first six passes. Our instructions are in His Word, Mathetes; we need to search for them though, as if for gold.

Our fifth PRAISER consideration of discipleship, are the Signs
that must be evidenced in the life of a disciple:

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
"If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
"If you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons" (Hebrews 12:8).
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father" (John 14:12).

Although the command has been issued to, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44), the command given to love one another in John 13:35 is different. In John 13, Yahshuah is speaking about love of the brethren; about loving those who believe and labor for Him, as we do. The bond between members of the same body is special, and we who are the EKKLESIA, are one body in Messiah. We are cleansed and forgiven, by and through His blood, and we are freely loved. Therefore, we are free to love one another. The manner in which we esteem the brethren is a sign of our discipleship to the world, because it is unique.

Additionally, truthfulness must always be present in the life of a disciple of Yahshuah. The world is spinning headlong into the pits of depravity, but the child of Elohim must maintain His truthful witness. The light cannot be hidden.

It is amazing how whenever the faithful assemble, testimonies flow about the discipline realized at the hand of our Master. I have never met a brother or sister in Yahshuah, who has not received instruction and discipline at the hand of our Messiah, and who then has not been used for the furtherance of His kingdom.

Of necessity, therefore, the final item in the Sign area for the PRAISER, deals with the matter of works. Satan has so thoroughly distorted theology regarding works and deeds though, which deal with our life purpose, that the false teachings percolating throughout Babylon, have people either working for their salvation, or sitting in their pews waiting for someone else to do their job for them. In the delusion presented by Satan, many souls honestly believe that their faith is a personal thing not to be shared, or have been persuaded that personal salvation is gained only through the sharing. We must realize one thing though, because lacking this realization, our pride will certainly interfere with our work. The reality we must know is:

We can contribute absolutely nothing to what Yahshuah has already done for us on the cross!
No work, no deed, no word uttered or prayer prayed will ever add to His already perfect sacrifice.
While Elohim has work for us to do, Faith + 0 = Salvation.

I pray that the eyes of the EKKLESIA would be opened to the harvest, Mathetes, and that we would see the pain, suffering, agony and death surrounding us. We have received grace and mercy from Elohim, and we have learned about the water of life. We have found freedom, liberty and abundance through Yahshuah. How can we deny this salvation to those dying about us? The task confronting us is immense, difficult, marvelously fulfilling and tremendously rewarding though, "For we are His workmanship, created in Mashiach Yahshuah for good works, which Elohim prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Some time soon I will write again on this issue of works. For now though, it is sufficient that you know that Elohim has plans for you, and that He will use you in His work - if you permit.

Number six on our PRAISER list, is the Expense of discipleship:

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
"Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).
"So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions" (Luke 14:33).

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul said, "I have been crucified with Mashiach; and it is no longer I who live, but Mashiach lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Elohim, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20). In speaking of the loss of his worldly possessions, Paul added that he would, "Count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Mashiach" (Philippians 3:8). We must all adopt this attitude (expanded upon in Luke 12:33 and 18:18-30). Many faithful brethren have been permitted to accumulate vast wealth in order to serve Elohim with that wealth, but the Master will require these from us personally some day, and we must be prepared to abandon it all for Him. Anything less is idolatry!

In understanding true humility, a disciple will learn to relate to John the Baptist when he said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Refer back to our letter on humility, Mathetes, because you will see that every disciple of Yahshuah ultimately comes to know that we have died in Him when we accept Him as Messiah and Master. Our death comes daily as we strive, in the Ruach ha Qodesh, to set aside our ambitions and goals, and institute His will for us. While we are born-again the moment we accept His sacrifice for our sins, we grow unto Him in a procession of surrenderings. Humility is displayed in the fullness of these surrenderings.

Please keep our past letters in mind, dear friend, because I attempted to set a solid foundation for the discipleship process within those notes. And within those letters I emphatically stated that not all are gifted the same. Each of us is given different talents and abilities. And, we discussed the fact that Elohim will never test us beyond what we are able to endure. The matters I am presenting to you today will be stressful to many, because being a PRAISER is not simple. The fact of these matters though, is that SOME may never be asked to surrender much of anything, while OTHERS may be asked to surrender all. Elohim knows our hearts, Mathetes, and Elohim will NEVER ask us to do anything that we are unable to endure.

These things all fall under the banner of the Master ship of Yahshuah, and it is His Mastership which is the primary factor missing in most Bible studies and discipleship courses today. It almost appears that His suffering on our behalf is acceptable, while submission to His dominion is to be rejected. Inasmuch as He is our Master though, preparation must be made in our hearts, minds and souls to submit our will, belongings, ambitions and plans to Him - should He require those things from us. He is our Master, and He may have works prepared for us that are truly unique.

Finally, the PRAISER should glance at a sample of the Rewards
that Elohim has told His children would be theirs:

"If you would seek Elohim and implore the compassion of the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate. Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly" (Job 8:5-7).
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21).
"To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of Elohim." (Revelation 2:7).
"He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:11).
"To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it" (Revelation 2:17).
"And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star" (Revelation 2:26-28).
"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5).
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My Elohim, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My Elohim, and the name of the city of My Elohim, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My Elohim, and My new name" (Revelation 3:12).
"He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21).
"And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true Elohim, and Yahshuah Mashiach whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

Elohim desires us! Elohim wishes to bestow more upon us than we could ever imagine. Thousands of promises are in His Word regarding our present and eternal lives, but we need to remember that only by His grace can we know and believe upon Yahshuah as our Master and Messiah. So, by His grace we see, and by His grace we receive and are forgiven. What our Heavenly Father is offering humanity, through His Messiah, is His kingdom - in exchange for our faithful obedience! In Yahshuah, Elohim is offering us life beyond our wildest imaginings!

While Elohim deserves our devotion, without Him having to pay further for that devotion, He nevertheless paid the ultimate price for us. And, while we do not deserve a morsel from His table, He nevertheless is offering us everything within His kingdom - freely. In exchange, He simply requests our faith and obedience.

In Isaiah 14:12-17, and in Ezekiel 28:11-19, a snapshot is given to us of Satan. We are told of the splendor, majesty and power that were given to him by Elohim. Satan was freely given everything a soul could ever imagine or desire, including tremendous beauty. Satan wanted more. He wanted more, but he never understood the responsibility or price of the power and majesty that he sought, or the humility required of a truly great ruler. In our sinful state, Elohim is teaching us what we need to know to inherit His kingdom, and in humility, His PRAISERS will inherit the kingdom of Elohim.

I remain faithfully your brother in Yahshuah our Messiah,

larry vosen

Topical concordance:

Baptism:
New Testament: Matthew 3:11-17, 28:18-20; Mark 1:4,5, 16:15-18; Luke 3:16, 12:50; John 1:29-33, 3:5, 3:22-23, 4:2, 16:7-15; Acts 1:4-8, 2:37-41, 8:12, 8:36-38, 9:17-18, 10:47-48, 13:23-24, 16:13-15, 16:31-33, 18:8, 19:1-7, 22:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, 12:13, 15:29; Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:9-12; 1 Peter 3:21-22.

Discipleship:
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 31:6; 2 Chronicles 15:2, 16:9; Ezra 7:10; Job 8:5-7, 11:13-19, 22:21-30; Psalms 119; Proverbs (all); Ecclesiastes 1:18; Isaiah 14:12-17; 50-51, 55:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 17:5-8; Ezra 28:11-19; Zephaniah 2:3.

New Testament: Matthew 5:11-12; 8:18-27, 10:24-42, 13:52, 16:24-26, 28:18-20; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 6:40, 10:1-20, 12:33, 14:26-35, 18:18-30; John 3:3,5,30, 8:31-32, 13:5-17, 13:31-35, 14:12-27, 15, 16, 17; Acts 7:2-53; 8:5-40, 11:26, 13:52, 14:9-19, 18:9-10, 28:22; Romans 8:31-32; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, 10:3-4; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:10, 4:15, 6:12; Philippians 3:8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; Timothy 2:24-26, 3:16-17; Hebrews 12:8, 13:5-6; James 4:3-4; 1John 2:27, 3:9-11, 4:1; Revelation 2:7,11,17,26-28, 3:3,12,21, 5:14, 12:11, 14:9-16, 18:4.

Fear:
Old Testament: Psalms 27:1-3, 46(all), 56(all); Isaiah 8:12-13, 41:1-16, 43:1-7, 54:4-17; Ezekiel 2:1-7.

New Testament: Matthew 10:28-33; Mark 13:7; John 14:27.

Patience - of the Disciple:
Old Testament: Genesis 16(all), 17:15-21, 18:1-15, 21:1-7; Psalms 37.

New Testament: Acts 24:27; Romans 5:3-5, 12:12; Colossians 1:9-12, 3:12; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; James 5:7-12.

Peace:
Old Testament: Exodus 14:14; Numbers 6:24-26.

New Testament: Mark 9:49-50; John 14:27; Romans 12:17-18; Ephesians 4:1-3; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 3:15; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 1:2.

Yahshuah, Deity:
Old Testament: Psalms 2:12, 23(all), 78(all), 99(all), 100(all); Micah 7:7-20.

New Testament: Matthew 9:2-7, 11:27-30, 16:13-17, 22:41-45, 26:63-66; Mark 2:5-11, 5:19, 14:61-62, 15:2; Luke 1:26-38, 8:26-39, 22:66-70; John 3:16-21; 4:25-26, 5:37, 6(all), 8(all), 10(all), 11:25-26, 12:44-50, 13:12-20, 14:6, 14:9-11, 15(all), 17:6; Acts 2:36; Romans 1:4; Colossians 1:13-20, 2:9; Hebrews 1:3-9, 3:6, 4:14, 5:8-10, 13:8; 1 Peter 1:18-21; 1 John 2:22-23, 4:2-3, 4:15, 5:1; Revelation (all), see: 1:4-8, a:17-18, 22:12-16.

Letter 11 - Discipleship - Our Objective.

The first thing a PRAISER must know, therefore, is their Purpose:

The Word of Elohim is direct. The promises are not meant for everyone. The second PRAISER areas of consideration then, are the Requirements:

The third factor in our outline of a PRAISER are the Assurances that Elohim has given to those who would follow Him:

Our fourth PRAISER item for disciples, are the Instructions that He has given us. Instructions to find, and to follow: