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There are different levels of religious living: apostleship and discipleship. Not everyone is meant to be an apostle of the gospel.
140:6.9 If you find the requirements of apostleship too hard, you may return to the less rigorous pathway of discipleship.”
Yes, but volunteers are always welcomed.
I don’t think disciple and apostle are interchangeable, otherwise Christ himself would not have made a distinction between the two. Undoubtedly, the apostles were individuals who had an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus, their teacher, and apostles today must also have an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus. There were rigorous requirements and expectations for this family of his that were not demanded of disciples and the same holds true today.
I don’t think disciple and apostle are interchangeable, otherwise Christ himself would not have made a distinction between the two.
Correction, volunteer disciples. The apostle Paul was…?
Living loyally, or religious living, is a mode of living in which one gives wholehearted devotion to supreme values with an unquestioning loyalty. A sincere religionist is aware of universe citizenship and is also conscious of contact with superhuman powers.
Loyal living results in the ego surrendering to self-discipline which results in less emotional conflict and thus an ease of living. There is an intense striving for supermortal goals and ideals characterized by patience, fortitude and tolerance.
True religion is a living love which adds meaning to life, generates enthusiasm, courage and sublime peace. A sincere religionist maintains his sense of humor, exhibits cosmic poise due to his/her lack of doubt and inner turmoil. One who lives loyally enjoys a sense of security due to an ultimate confidence and trust in God.
What is “courageous loyalty” – one of the fruits of the divine spirit we are to immediately show forth, to live and to produce, once we’ve become born again?
193:2:2 “Salvation is the free gift of God, but those who are born of the spirit will immediately begin to show forth the fruits of the spirit in loving service to their fellow creatures. And the fruits of the divine spirit which are yielded in the lives of spirit-born and God-knowing mortals are: loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace. If professed believers bear not these fruits of the divine spirit in their lives, they are dead; the Spirit of Truth is not in them; they are useless branches on the living vine, and they soon will be taken away. My Father requires of the children of faith that they bear much spirit fruit. If, therefore, you are not fruitful, he will dig about your roots and cut away your unfruitful branches. Increasingly, must you yield the fruits of the spirit as you progress heavenward in the kingdom of God. You may enter the kingdom as a child, but the Father requires that you grow up, by grace, to the full stature of spiritual adulthood. And when you go abroad to tell all nations the good news of this gospel, I will go before you, and my Spirit of Truth shall abide in your hearts. My peace I leave with you.”The Apostle Thomas had a form of it. 139:8:1I had been thinking of starting a thread on bravery and courage, but this is just a good a place to discuss it, as part of loyal, religious living. I don’t think loyal living is for cowards. It takes real strength of character to deal with all the vicissitudes of life and remain loyal to divinity. It takes courage to admit that you have faith in something or someone who is invisible and superhuman. The secular world thinks people like that are crazy.
Speaking of courage, from our abandoned thread on the adjutant mind spirits, here is the description of the spirit of courage:
36:5.8 The spirit of courage — the fidelity endowment — in personal beings, the basis of character acquirement and the intellectual root of moral stamina and spiritual bravery. When enlightened by facts and inspired by truth, this becomes the secret of the urge of evolutionary ascension by the channels of intelligent and conscientious self-direction.
I find it interesting that the spirit of courage has something to do with fidelity – being loyal. And loyal living appears to involve character acquirement and moral stamina. And this is only a lower adjutant, #3, that helps us with loyal living. Imagine what happens when it is coordinated with all the other adjutants by the spirit of wisdom and embraced by the Holy Spirit, the supermind of the soul! It’s a remarkable system, truly remarkable.
It is fascinating how integrated, coordinated and multilayered is the work of the beings and spirits of our universe and beyond.
On fidelity and courage embodied in Jesus’ teachings:
140:8:20 What he [Jesus] aimed at in his life appears to have been a superb self-respect. He only advised man to humble himself that he might become truly exalted; what he really aimed at was true humility toward God. He placed great value upon sincerity — a pure heart. Fidelity was a cardinal virtue in his estimate of character, while courage was the very heart of his teachings. “Fear not” was his watchword, and patient endurance his ideal of strength of character. The teachings of Jesus constitute a religion of valor, courage, and heroism. And this is just why he chose as his personal representatives twelve commonplace men, the majority of whom were rugged, virile, and manly fishermen.
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