It is possible to simply name something without it coming across as criticising. Which is to just state where something is at, without it being a criticism. Just like one would say, “oh that child is now at a stage of walking. And the next step will be to learn how to run.” It’s not a criticism, just a statement. Which is merely to name where the church is presently at — which is walking and not running — without judging it. Being to simply call out where we, as a body of “called out” ones, are presently at. Reminding us, at the same time, that being “called out” of God means to be “the exact representation of His being” and “the radiance of His glory” (Hebrews 1:3). Which is called out to live and walk in His “divine nature” and His “eternal power”, being the “invisible attributes of God” that have been clearly seen in all things made since the creation of the world, so that man is without excuse (Romans 1:20).

The great commission is to make disciples of all nations. And the reason it is called the great commission, is because it proves that we love the LORD our God with all our heart, all our mind and all our strength, as well as our neighbour as ourselves. A disciple is one who learns. And by adding the context of being a disciple “of Jesus”, a disciple is one who specifically learns of the ways of Jesus. Which is to know “how He lives” and “how He walks” (Galatians 5:25). Which is to learn how to “follow” Him (John 8:12).

But before we can even begin to follow Him, the Word tells us that we first need to “deny ourselves” and “take up our cross”. So if we are to be true disciples, which is what the great commission calls us all out to be, which is all those who truly follow Him, can we truthfully say there are many who, at the leading of the church, have yet “denied themselves” and “taken up their cross”? In order that they may be ready to “follow Him”?

In the church today, if we apply God’s own word in Job 38:3 and are honest with ourselves, which is, “Now brace yourself as a man, I will question you, and you shall answer Me”, or if we take an even more consultative approach of “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18), if we are truly honest with each other, how many people in the church do we believe really know what it means to “deny oneself”? Or to “take up one’s cross”? How many people really know what it means to “follow Him”? And if the answer is “not many”, how many people then does that really mean genuinely know what it means to be “a disciple”? And if it’s not many, then at the hands of the leading and counsel of the church, how many of God’s people are then actually fulfilling the great commission of “making disciples of all nations”? Which means, how well is the church doing in representing the will and the leading of God? For is the will and the leading of God not to make disciples of all nations?

For by His own life, did Jesus not example what it is to be a disciple perfectly for His church? For did He not “deny Himself, take up His cross and follow the will and the leading of His Father”? For did He not say, “My food is to do THE WILL of My Father who sent Me and to finish His work.” (John 4:34). Which is to finish what the Father started? Which is to “finish the race”. Which is to both represent His Father’s will and take His Father’s lead. And if Jesus modelled and exampled this perfectly, why is the church not teaching it, and showing the body of Christ how to follow the leading and example of Jesus — of our food being to do His will, and of finishing the race? For does the church not represent Jesus? Is it not a spokesperson and an ambassador of both Jesus’ example and the Father’s will and leading?

The word of God makes a profound statement in Matthew 7:14. It says, “(1) narrow is the gate, and (2) difficult is the way, that (3) LEADS to life, BUT few find it.” Are we not told to be “lead” by the Spirit (Romans 8:14)? And where does the Spirit lead us to? To the third stage, which is what? To finish the race. If we break this up into steps, for it is a sequence of actions required by ALL the church of (1) denying itself, (2) taking up its cross, and (3) following Him, we see three distinct stages.

The first stage is to enter the “narrow gate”. Which is the narrow gate of repentance unto salvation. And it’s narrow, because it’s only through repentance that we can enter. Which is the narrow gate of escaping Egypt. Representing our escape from slavery to sin. For were the people of God not bound by slavery to Egypt? And was it not by the narrowest of margins that they escaped “pursuing Egypt” with the Red Sea crossing? Which represents the Red Sea crossing of entering the narrow gate of salvation by the narrow margins of “by the blood of Christ only”.

“Difficult is the way” is the second stage of maturity for God’s people that is the difficult way of the “epic wilderness crossing”. For was the wilderness crossing not a difficult way? And like the Red Sea crossing, the wilderness crossing is also a crossing, because it is the epic crossing from the “death of self” into the “life of Christ” by crossing “the river of death” of the Jordan river into “the rivers of life” that flow from the bellies of all who enter the life of the promised land. For is it not said that “the difficult way LEADS to the life that few find”? Which is by the difficult way of after “denying ourselves” (repentance unto salvation) then “taking up our cross” (dying to self). For was the crossing for Jesus from death to life on the difficult way of His own cross not an epic crossing? For is the crossing from death to life not epic?

Which is “the way” of Christ (for is He not the way, the truth and the life) that follows immediately AFTER entering the narrow gate of salvation that, as a next step progression, THEN “leads” towards the third trimester of maturity. Which is the third stage of “following Him” that we may “enter the life that few find”. For did Jesus not say that those who follow Him shall have “the light of life” (John 8:12)? Which is the “light of life” of “the glorified bodies” reserved exclusively for only those who finish the race and enter “the promised land”. For did Jesus not finish the race and enter the glorified body upon resurrection from death to life? And did He not then ascend into the heavenlies to be with His Father which is to enter the joy of the presence of God which is found by entering the promised land? And excluding Jesus, was it not only a few of “all of God’s people” (being all those who are already saved) who managed to enter? Namely only Joshua and Caleb? And for those who manage to enter, does the word of God not say that, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:12)? Which are the pleasures forevermore reserved by the right hand of God for those who enter the Sabbath rest of Christ and the glorified existence of the manifest sons of God. Which is what Jesus was referring to when He said that those who are in Christ are free indeed. Which, without finishing the race, we also don’t enter. Which is to finish the race by entering the glory of the life of “a manifest son” of God (Romans 8:19) and the heavenlies that we may be with God where He is. Which from God’s word and man’s history, we can see is definitely “the life that few find”.

For in John 10:10, Jesus says He came to give life AND life abundantly. Many confuse entering the life of the promised land with entering the life of salvation. Entering the life of salvation is entering only “the life” part of John 10:10 (the "first part" of John 10:10) by entering the narrow gate. That is long before entering the life of the promised land. Entering the life of the promised land is entering the second part of the “abundant life” of John 10:10 that only a few find. Which is to enter the abundant life that is the life reserved for a manifest son. An overcomer (Revelation 21:7). A finisher of the race. Like Paul, and Enoch and Elijah. And Jesus.

A manifest son not only means we manifest ourselves before all creation, but it also means we manifest God in us. Which is to manifest sonship. Meaning that, before all of creation (Romans 8:19), we manifest — or make clearly seen — the invisible attributes of God. For the word of God says that the invisible attributes of God that have been “clearly seen” (manifested) in all things made since the creation of the world (before all of creation), so that man is without excuse, are His “divine nature” and “eternal power” (Romans 1:20). Which is to be called out FROM Egypt and called out TO sonship, in order that we may live and walk in His “divine nature” and His “eternal power”, being clearly seen (manifest). To manifest His “divine nature” means to be “the exact representation of His being”. And to manifest His “eternal power” means to be “the radiance of His glory” (Hebrews 1:3). For is the light of His glory not a powerful display of His magnificent light? And is it not a pure light, like the light of a seven fold sun? And is it not the life of the light of the sun that keeps all things alive living? And as the “light of life” (John 8:12), is it not the light of life that is the life of the mortal becoming the immortal and the perishable the imperishable? Being an everlasting life (immortal) and an everlasting light (imperishable)?

“Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. The “light of life” is the light of the glorified body of the manifest sons, being the sons of God that manifest His glory and light. And for those who have been wrapped in the garment of life and light — just like the prodigal son, around whose shoulders the Father wrapped a cloak, before then entering His home, being the garment of the glorified body — is the light of the imperishable and the life of the immortal that the sons of glory shall wear as a way of manifesting the attributes of God. Being the imperishable light and immortal life of God manifest in His sons that is the “light of life” of those who first deny themselves, then take up their cross, and finally follow Him in the way and the truth and the life.

Three stages to three degrees of life. According to the pattern of 1 Thessalonians 5:23. That at the coming of the Lord, which is when He comes as a thief in the night to receive unto Himself His manifest sons and daughters, we may present our spirits (narrow gate), our souls (difficult way) and our bodies (manifested sonship) blameless at the coming of the Lord. Which is from glory to glory.

Which are the three stages, according to Mark 13:8, that make up the three stages or categories of Christian, namely the 30-60-100 fold Christians. Do we not want to be of the 100-fold kind? Which is to inherit “the pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God” that await only those who “enter” the glorified life and light of the manifest sons of God, representing only those who “enter” the promised land (the promise of pleasures forevermore). Which is why Philippians 2:12 tells us to “work out” — which means to “solve the puzzle of” — our salvation with “fear and trembling”. For once we have worked out what our three-fold salvation is by a three-fold journey by a three-fold God (1 Thessalonians 5:24), it is a fearful thing to miss out on what is in store for those who do not deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him.

Paul — who was filled with the spirit of a disciple — said, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am INNOCENT of the blood of all men. For I have not SHUNNED to declare to you the WHOLE COUNSEL of God.” (Acts 20:26). For the vast majority, the church has not yet left “the kindergarten” of PREACHING the message “of salvation”, and moved to TEACHING how to thereafter become “a disciple”. Which according to the three stages of Matthew 7:14, is to move from the first stage of “the milk” to the second stage of “the meat” (1 Corinthians 3:2) of teaching us as disciples how to find and walk in “the difficult way” of obedience unto death of self that leads to life. Which begs the question, is the church really teaching the WHOLE COUNSEL of God? Or better yet, as in 1 Corinthians 3:2, does the body even want to hear it? For as “preaching” is to RECEIVING, “teaching” is to RELEASING. Which is the pattern of life of “inhaling and exhaling”. Preaching is to RECEIVE (inhale) salvation. Teaching is to RELEASE (exhale) destiny. Which is what teaching “the way of discipleship” ultimately LEADS to. And which the Word says few find. Which is to show us the path that leads to the type of life “that few find”. Which is the life of being released into our destiny.

“You will show me the paths of life; in thy presence IS fullness of joy. At Your right hand THERE ARE pleasures forever more.” (Psalm 16:11).

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to HIS purpose.

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be CONFORMED to the image of His Son, for Him to be the FIRST-BORN among many brothers.

Romans 8:30 But whom He predestinated, these He also called (to the narrow gate of salvation); and whom He called, those He also justified (the difficult way of discipleship). And whom He justified, these He also GLORIFIED (the life of a manifest son).