TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Chronicles 32:31 God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

Matthew 27:4b (the Pharisees to Judas throwing his 30 pieces of silver back to them) What is that to us? That is your responsibility.

Matthew 27:24b (Pontius Pilate to the Jews) I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility.

Matthew 27:57b (coming to get the dead body of Jesus) from Arimathea named Joseph who had even been trained by Jesus.

What is my responsibility? Yes, what is my responsibility? God left Hezekiah to test him and to know everything that was in his heart. Am I responsible for my own heart? I really wouldn’t like to be tested that way. But if I am, I believe I would pass that test. I, too, like Joseph of Arimathea, have been trained by Jesus. He alone taught me Divine Discipleship. What I do consider my responsibility is to share it with as many people as possible. I can’t give it away fast enough.

The Pharisees had Jesus in their hands… “What is that to us? That is your responsibility.” The pagans had Jesus in their hands…” I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility.” The Crowd, easily persuaded and self-serving, had the power to release Jesus, but they wouldn’t take that responsibility, and they dismissed Him… “Crucify Him!”

Who wanted Jesus? The one who had been trained by Jesus wanted Him. Divine Discipleship may have first been shown to me, but the beauty of it is that anyone who chooses Divine Discipleship will be trained by Jesus. You will be trained by learning the 20 Commands from Jesus Sermon on the Mount, Matthew’s chapters five, six and seven (or Luke’s version works as well, between chapters six and twelve). You will learn His Walk, what we now call the Jesus-Walk: Truth, Humility, Righteousness, Compassion, Justice and Mercy. With the power of the Jesus-Walk, you will be able to keep strict all 20 Commands and produce Jesus’ Spirit-fruit. It’s all Jesus.

Mr. Arimathea made the blood and body of Jesus his responsibility. He made it his responsibility to prepare Jesus for His tomb and ultimate resurrection. When I choose to be trained by Jesus, I too, am taking responsibility for the body and blood of Jesus; Jesus who makes His tomb of dwelling in me, His temple, so that my very life can be resurrected from the decay that it once was. Jesus is my light that will always shine through me, His is the gate that I gladly agonize through, He is the Shepherd that I desire, pursue and knock for, His water of Righteousness I will always thirst for, and I claim to remain in His true vine.

Taking responsibility is making a choice. In the days of Jesus, there were three people groups for the monotheistic to choose from:

1) the religious Scholars who believed to already have all the knowledge and the truth,

2) the self-seeking, self-serving, selfish Crowd who wanted Jesus for what they could get (i.e. free fish sandwiches and healings), or

3) the one who has been trained by Jesus, responsible for His body and blood.

John 12:12 “Anyone who believes in me will do what I have been doing.” It is time to take responsibility and choose.

Choose the responsibility of training with Jesus. Download the free Guidebook, register to get in a zoom flock of your own and get training!