On Being a Disciple of Yeshua

By C.J. Maher

The purpose of this book is to assist spiritual seekers and new Christians become true disciples of Yeshua and thereby fulfill our God-given purpose of becoming spiritually mature children of YHWH (God). This book also proposes to help readers understand why and how to examine scripture for themselves and what to do with the information they gain from this endeavor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973615668

C.J. Maher

Much like C.J. himself, this book is a humble, genuine, and thoughtful work grounded in Scripture that puts forward his heartfelt passion to see all believers, especially the recently converted, pursue Jesus on the noble pathway to true discipleship. For any sincere Christian wondering, What does it take to be an authentic follower of Jesus? or How can I fulfill Gods purposes and live the fruitful life He intended? this book serves as a useful tool with its practical suggestions and strategies for developing the discipline necessary to grow into the spiritually mature children of God that we should all strive to be. Gerald Dirksen Elder, Calvary Chapel Kelowna Thought-provoking and insightful, CJ calls us to the essential daily practice of personal spiritual disciplines. Sprinkled with compelling details of his personal journey with Christ, he offers a clear and practical application for our own lives. Brad MacBeth

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Copyright © 2018 C.J. Maher.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-1567-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1568-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1566-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018900841

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/07/2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

SECTION ONE

Statement of Beliefs

Glossary

SECTION TWO

Our Purpose

Why and How to Study Scripture

Management Formula 7.0

Afterword

About the Author

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like his master.

Matthew 10:24-25a NKJV

This book is

dedicated to my wife, Angela, my older sister, Joyce, and to all of the other Christians who have prayed for me over the years to reach out and fulfill my purpose, to become a true disciple of Yeshua (Jesus) and a spiritually mature child of YHWH (God).

Preface

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

The work you are reading is something which I, who am not a writer by innate talent, trade or spiritual gift, have worked hard to compose and truly long to have you read because I believe it will be of encouragement and assistance to you, especially if you are a new Christian. However, before you get into the main text, there are a few things you should know about me as they may help you understand my foundation, motives and goals for producing this book.

As for my spiritual and intellectual foundation, I am uncertain what to tell you that will not make me sound insufficient for the task. Saying that I have been a baptised member of the church for more than 28 years may sound substantial, but is it really? After all, I do not now hold, nor have I ever held, any official position therein, meaning I am not a pastor, elder, deacon, teacher or anything of that nature. Then too, regarding academia, I hold no designated position therein either. In fact, I have barely three years of formal postsecondary education spread out among three different tech schools. So, I am not even a card-carrying college graduate.

Honestly, I am simply a middle-aged, primarily self-educated, Sunday morning seat warmer, who has read through the Bible a few times and participates in midweek Bible studies and a couple of ministries which I truly hope and pray are helping to spread the gospel message in the way Yeshua instructed us to do.

That is a faithful description of my personal spiritual and intellectual foundation. Still, after a serious amount of prayer and fasting, I am convinced that my rather meager foundation is solid enough to support a work such as this, but only because I am constantly seeking the guidance of Ruach Ha’Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) as I write.

So, what are my motives for penning this book? To begin with, I am motivated by the fact that the primary job of every disciple of Yeshua, as demonstrated in the New Testament, is to help spread the whole gospel message throughout the world. This means wherever and whenever we see the gospel not being lived out, we are supposed to do whatever we can, in a loving manner, to see it taken in hand and lived. As I count myself to be a disciple of His, I truly want to participate in that ministry.

Also, I am motivated by seeing some people I know fairly well attend weekly church services but not otherwise engage in becoming disciples of Yeshua, causing my heart to ache. Why? Because I care for them and as I read Matthew 5-7 and other sections of the New Testament, in order to be received by Messiah (Christ) as His disciples, we must do the whole will of the Father and obey all of His commands, which includes becoming a fulltime disciple of Yeshua.

A further motivation is the love I feel for my sisters and brothers in Christ, especially the newer ones. For I see them struggling, just as I did, to understand YHWH, Scripture and what it means to be a true disciple of Yeshua. Therefore, I decided to write about the major lessons I have learned over the past 28 years, so others might begin to mature, both intellectually and spiritually, well ahead of when I began to, which sadly was a few years after I was baptised.

Finally, I have three goals that I aim to accomplish through this book. First, I seek to encourage and assist as many souls as possible to become true disciples of Yeshua who will help to spread the whole message of the Gospels. Why? Because this is the only logical response to the Great Commission:

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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:18b-20 NKJV

Second, I want to add some Biblically-based statements to the general discussion about discipleship, as I believe it is an oft misunderstood matter by both disciples and their mentors.

My last goal is to offer readers a simple system of personal management which will help them focus on being children of God.

Blessings and Peace in Yeshua,

C.J. Maher

SECTION ONE

Statement of Beliefs

1. YHWH (God) – Having prayed about and studied this matter throughout my years in the church, and even for a decade before that when I studied world religions, I became solemnly convinced that there is only one God (YHWH)