Sometimes Jesus uses dirt to define us.

His parable about the sower who planted seeds under different growing conditions confirmed that His disciples shall be rewarded on the basis of productivity. But apparently, not everybody in the large crowds was actually listening.

Maybe that’s why He said, “He who has ears, let him hear!” when He’d finished speaking. [Matt. 13:1-9]

But why did He wait until the end to say this? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to preface His story with this announcement?

The text gives the reader some insight. Some people came up to talk to Him afterward. The author, Matthew, described them as disciples [μαθητής: (mâ-thāy-tāy’s) disciple, pupil, follower]. They asked Him why He spoke to “them” [the crowds] in a parable. His answer was very revealing:

“To you [all] it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” [vss. 10-12]

[ἔχω: (ê’-kō) transitive: have, hold, possess, keep, receive, get, regard, consider, think, can, be able]

Who answered the invitation to “hear” after the parable? His disciples. Not the crowds. That’s what made them disciples. What was Jesus “granting” them to know? The mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens—a part of which He went on to describe in more detail to them a few sentences later. [vss. 18-23]

Most importantly though, His disciples had something the crowds didn’t.

The Greek verb ἔχω had a very broad range of meanings. Though intransitive in form here, a direct object is nevertheless implied. As noted above, sometimes it defined an attitude which sought possession of something very valuable. It was often recorded having a strong semantical connection to belief.

There’s your object.

And the disciples weren’t about to let go of it.

The apostle Paul wasn’t a church planter.

He didn’t travel all over Palestine and Asia with a goal of expanding membership or to help generate building funds for the congregations of Jesus Christ’s assemblies.

Nor did he develop personal career goals only to surface over time, conflicting with the purposes Jesus had described for him at his conversion.

But he was a disciple maker.

He was, in that sense, just a man—a man who learned to adapt to every circumstance he found himself in. A man who ultimately took the skills he spent years learning and the wisdom he had acquired and pointed them in the right direction.

But that opportunity didn’t just fall into his lap.

In his letter to all the saints in Christ Jesus who [were] in Philippi, he described a learned process which became instrumental to becoming a powerful witness and teacher of the good news given to the Gentiles:

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be self-sufficient in whatever circumstances I exist. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every [circumstance] I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all [things] through Him who strengthens me.” [Phil. 4:11-13] [my emphasis]

The man of God learns how to effect discipleship based on the conditions of the road he travels on. He anticipates the lean times while, at the same time, he waits patiently to partake of the fat of good fortune.

He may not be the captain of the ship, but he’s definitely the pilot.

He’s an any and every kind of guy.

I am the property of Jesus Christ, and only in Him is my value computed.

And, since property value is determined by statute to be based upon its “highest and best use,” then perhaps His suffering and death provide the necessary transactional evidence of my incalculable worth in His eyes, justifying any application of that use for His purposes.

By illustrating the worth of the individual, I can also demonstrate two important principles of Common Law. Property has value. And the ability to own it is an inherent, substantive right which cannot be denied or converted to a privilege.

But unfortunately, the right to own property has lost its value in the minds of most men today.

There are any number of reasons why, but they all lead back to a very successful series of social engineering schemes to try to eliminate any earned satisfaction a man might get from possessing and enjoying the pursuits of his labor.

But God is just, and He hates the unlawful confiscation of wealth.

That’s why every war He ever created or commanded His people to fight was ultimately over land rights. While the extermination of evil was often a means, the end game was always the same—for men to possess durable title to their own private property in order to subsist and to also partake in the procurement of gain.

It was a big deal to Him. That’s why it should be to us.

Because land is only His to give, not anybody else’s. And, at the end of the day, He decides who’ll have it and who won’t.

“…for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.” [Gen. 13:15, God’s words to Abraham]

In fact, private property was important enough that His laws reflected the value of a human life not yet fully realized:

“If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life.” [Exod. 21:22-23]

While an unborn child certainly amounted to more than an unactualized asset, it was indeed that as well. A fetus may not be property, but its existence confirms any potential a father might have for acquiring resources as a result of its birth.

Whether real or even anticipated, life reflects value. To not recognize that is to deny any right to impute it.

That’s walking on thin ice.

The Revelation given to the apostle John is very specific about who it’s written to.

Yet, many who claim to belong to Jesus Christ are taught that this prophecy can be readily interpreted and applied to their lives merely on the basis of their affiliation with a particular congregation or religious doctrine.

But the first sentence confirms the intended audience: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…” [Rev. 1:1, NASB Translation] [my emphasis]

[δοῦλος: (doo-lôs) noun; meaning as a slave]

I like the NASB Translation’s use of the word “bond-servant” here, since the term “slave” can have different contexts. But to get a true understanding of the New Testament authors’ vision of what it actually meant to be a slave [or bondservant] to the Lord, I might want to look closely at the first ordinance that He gave to His people through Moses at Mt. Sinai:

“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone.

But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him as a slave permanently into the age [often translated as ‘forever‘].” [Ex. 21:2-6] [my emphasis]

This phrase, “serve him as a slave,” is actually a verb derived from the same cognate noun “δοῦλος” noted above which is also recorded in the Septuagint and throughout the rest of the Greek New Testament. There were plenty of other terms to define slavery and servitude that are used in either of the original languages of the Bible.

But in the mind of every New Testament author, a δοῦλος was a special kind of servant. He wasn’t bound against his will in the service of debt, or a child who waited upon his elders. He brought his bondage upon himself.

He was driven by his love for his master and he was all in.

Are you?

Empty spaces always trigger unnatural responses.

We proved this in a High School science lab experiment. Having sealed a two-foot glass tube on either end with cork and electrodes, and then creating a vacuum inside the tube, a visible current of electricity could jump from one end of the tube to the other because of the electrons ability to flow unimpeded in that environment.

I’ve never forgotten this phenomenon. In fact, I’ve witnessed the same principle unfold repeatedly over the years, especially from a Biblical perspective.

Leadership is a role reserved for and best discharged by men and fathers. Groups consisting of women exclusively or that include children would be the exception, of course. Men simply cannot lead as effectively as women in those situations.

Yet women are appointed to lead young men in the Boy Scouts. Females have been designated to lead soldiers in various capacities of the armed forces. Women are welcomed into the ranks of municipal compliance positions, some even elected as sheriffs. Many corporations [municipal and private] seek the diversity of female CEO’s while wives and attractive young ladies are elected to serve as the peoples’ voice at every level of jurisdiction and legislation. Even young females are sought to fill the roles of pastors and elders in our congregations.

So why is this happening?

Because, by their absence, men are creating a vacuum that must otherwise be filled for things to function as our Creator intended, and women are being encouraged to step up and take the baton as a result. And it’s often a situation where they have no choice.

So it’s hardly a feminine scheme to turn the tables of tradition.

But vacuums don’t just happen. More often than not, they’re concocted as a means for dismantling the Creator’s design of sexual distinction. My science experiment was the result of a lot of planning and manipulation.

These attempts would be ineffective for the most part if they met ample resistance. Many men inherently seek and assume the Biblical leadership role, but have unwittingly been conditioned to help facilitate a destructive global agenda over the decades.

As a result, the Lord’s creation mandate has been subverted. [Gen. 2:15-17]

What will it take to get the tube opened again?

If I don’t have all of me, then what remains of me will suffer in the good fight.

And there’s no battle Christ’s disciple shouldn’t expect to fight. The apostle Paul reminded the congregations at Corinth:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the destruction of fortresses…” [2Cor. 10:3-4]

Unfortunately for me, the Evil One knows how vulnerable a man can be. For example, if he can cut off my thumbs, I’m worthless in battle or self defense. I can neither hold nor wield a weapon. I can also confirm the historicity of this condition by reading. [see: Judges 1:4-7]

But what he really wants are my “spiritual thumbs.” In the same way my physical thumbs are integral to accomplishing basic tasks, so also is my capacity to fight the spiritual war being waged against Jesus Christ and His ecclesia in this age—along with the means to defend the temptations and lusts of the world.

Both types of thumbs are something we take for granted—until they’re gone.

The reality is that, if my thumbs are actually severed from my hands, I’d notice immediately. But if my spiritual thumbs are taken from me, I’m likely to not even notice at first. In fact, I’d probably feel a false sense of freedom to act upon what I normally would flee from.

Too many men today have lost their “thumbs.” It’s no wonder they can’t find a way to fight for their integrity and purity any more.

Evidence of lopsided battles are littered throughout our communities at every level of public enterprise or jurisdiction. Sadly, our homes and congregations are also packed with thumbless men who lack enough knowledge, training and backbone to persevere as serious disciples of Christ.

The good news is that the Bible holds the key to showing me how to retain every part of me necessary to run with endurance the race that lies before me. [Heb. 12:1-2]

Because I can’t defend anything effectively unless everything is intact.

A king’s authority is always granted by his subjects.

That’s because we’ve always chosen who we want to rule over us—whether directly or indirectly. Some would suggest choice isn’t always an option, that tyrants seize power by force. Of course they do. But history also confirms that a peoples’ sovereignty is ultimately surrendered by its own consent.

The Scriptures illustrate how that happens.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob established a perfect form of monarchial rule after He led His people out of Egypt. While in Egypt, they were only a people because they had no land. When He gave them land in Canaan, they became a nation and a sovereign people.

Then, as a nation, He gave them His laws. As sovereigns, they had the authority to make choices.

And they made some bad ones.

Because God wanted them to live under His jurisdiction as King even though He gave them the authority to rule themselves. But they wouldn’t have it. They wanted that authority to come from one of their own. The texts of the Old Testament reveal just how well that worked out for them. Some of their kings ruled justly at times, others, not so much.

But what He allowed to happen over the centuries to follow was no Plan B.

Because He came to live among those whom He chose to be His people, providing them with yet another opportunity to decide for themselves who could actually handle the job.

But even to this day, some who claim to have submitted to the jurisdiction of Jesus Christ the King are willing to place His jurisdiction under those created by men. Perhaps they’d do well to remember that, whoever’s authority they ultimately surrender their sovereignty to, then they’re likely to be judged by his actions rather than their own! [see: 1Sam. 8; 2Chr. 28:19]

Today, many who profess to be part of Christ’s ἐκκλησία [assembly] assume authority in His name, but have, in fact, submitted to the jurisdiction of the State. Perhaps they seek a 501(c)(3) tax status for their congregation. Or maybe they’re willing to comply with some ridiculous public health care mandate every time it’s dispensed.

But Jesus Himself said that no one can serve two masters—or jurisdictions. [Matt. 6:24; Lk. 16:13]

My decision to live exclusively under Christ’s authority in this age confirms His redemptive assurance that my identity won’t be questioned when I sit on His judgement seat—only my works.

But I might wanna’ keep an eye on who I vote for.

Because if I’ve placed myself under the jurisdiction of the State exclusively, it would seem that I’m still under a curse! [see: Gal. 3:1-14]

Where’s your “church?”

Tradition provides that we might worship together in specific locations, having different congregations to choose from. And indeed, those different congregations are a license for us to agree to disagree about what the Bible says.

But what does the Bible actually teach us about our “churches?”

First of all, that Jesus Christ was never on record referring to His disciples as the “church,” but rather as His ἐκκλησία [ê-klā-see’-uh]. This word is defined in the Greek lexicons as a congregation, assembly, or a gathering of religious, political, or unofficial groups. It’s a derivative of the Greek preposition ἐκ [êk], meaning “from, or from out of,” and  κλῆσις [klā’-sîs], a noun which means “a calling.”

In a general sense, ἐκκλησία can simply mean a gathered group. But the context in which Jesus used it was very specific. He spoke of it in a way that leaves the reader no semantical latitude. When He said ἐκκλησία, He defined a group He calls out from the world, that is, those He expects to set themselves apart from it.

He said to Simon, the son of John:

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My assembly [ἐκκλησία], and the gates of the grave shall not overpower it.” [Matt. 16:18] [my emphasis]

Many of the Greek lexicons have added the word “church” to the list of meanings of ἐκκλησία over the centuries, which explains why the two words are used interchangeably today. But I think it’s important to understand that the English word “church” originated with the Greek adjective κυριακός [cûr-î-ô-kôs’], and means “belonging to a lord [or a master].” And if you care to trace this word’s Germanic and Gothic morphology over the past two millennia, you can recognize its generic nuance and why it’s not synonymous with Jesus Christ’s ἐκκλησία. It’s used only twice in the New Testament: [1Cor. 11:20 and Rev. 1:10] and refers to our Lord’s “supper” and “day,” respectively—not an assembly.

So, κυριακός could describe the condition of belonging to any “lord” or master regardless of the presence or type of any religious affiliation.

What’s also remarkable though is that the realm of civil authority is another dimension that the term ἐκκλησία carries with it according to the Scriptures. Read Ac. 19:35-41. The speaker, the town clerk of Ephesus, used the same word twice to describe a legislative body.

So Christ’s ἐκκλησία is called out not just to sanctify itself, but also to govern in His behalf!.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders.” [Isa. 9:6a]