Five Words to Determine Your Destiny

By Dan Klender

A man endowed with divine wisdom once wrote, "The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars like well driven nails, given by one Shepherd." Embedded in the biblical narrative are five words bequeathed to the church by Jesus and the apostles that serve as goads motivating Christ's bride to fulfill her God given destiny. These five words represent the nexus of the Christian life as well as the tipping point between success or failure. Carefully applied, these five words will add sinews of spiritual strength and muscle tone to your walk with the Master. Unapologetically biblical and pulsating with practical insight, Five Words to Determining Your Destiny will embolden you to hover above the fray of a rapidly decaying world. Personalize these words and you will find your life both now and in eternity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9798891305168

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Five Words to Determine Your Destiny

Dan Klender

ISBN 979-8-89130-515-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89130-753-7 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89130-516-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2024 by Dan Klender

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Tekna: The Born Ones

Mathetes: The Learner

Disciples Wear the Badge

Disciples Practice Connectivity

Disciples Forgive Like Jesus

Disciples Are Set Apart by Truth

Nikeo: The Champions

Metochoi: The Partners

The Hungry Inherit

Huios: God's Unique Children

Epilogue

Endnotes

About the Author

The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well driven nails, given by one Shepherd.

—Ecclesiastes 12:11

Acknowledgments

The author would like to dedicate this book to a few of the treasured people in his life. This book could not have been written without the providential friendship and mentorship of the late Dr. Glen Riddle. Glen's passion for precision in interpreting God's Word challenged the author at every turn. Another is my friend and mentor Jim Andrews, who taught me that one word is worth a thousand pictures. Additionally, I wish to thank my lifelong friend, cartoonist extraordinaire Jonny Hawkins, who, several years ago, urged me to write. Ditto to my Navy compatriot and friend Curtis Culwell, Pastor Brian Chandler, and missionary extraordinaire Jim Baugh.

Special thanks to my anointed and courageous pastor friend Jurgen Matthesius, whose servant's heart is so characteristic of his partnership with the Savior. My parents, Curt and Carol Klender, who, at an early age, ingrained within me the discipline necessary to write this book.

As a career Navy chaplain, I reserve fond affection for those who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Among them are three uncles—Robert Conine, Dick Payne, and Bill Klender. Words are inadequate to express how grateful I am for the sacrifice you were willing to make for your country! The author would also like to thank his siblings, Rich and Lori Klender and Wendy and Thad Wilson. My aunts, Sandy Klender, Ann Wykoff, and Betty Almand.

As always, the author writes with posterity in mind. To this end, I reserve immense affection for my daughters and son-in-law—Tiffany, Abigail, and Cole. To my infant grandson, Asa, a tekna, may you grow to be an overcomer! Finally, for the one I love more than any other, save Jesus, the lovely Marta, my earthly partner who daily motivates me to fulfill my purpose in life.

Prologue

Michael can hardly contain his exuberance as he prepares to share the good news with his fellow archangel Gabriel.

Five thousand teknon have just been born into the family of God! he announces with a lilt in his voice. Highly favored evangelist Greg Laurie has just concluded a crusade in Southern California, during which he gave an urgent invitation to believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Five thousand in one evening received the free gift of eternal life and have been rescued from a Christless eternity in hades. Elohim will be so pleased! Michael exalts.

Unable to suppress his joy, Gabriel exults, Mike, I heard the glorious news! What joy this must bring to the heart of the Master! To think it all happened at a place named Angel Stadium. Quite appropriate, Mike, as all our angel compatriots are rejoicing!

Gabe, it is truly amazing that more do not avail themselves of the free gift of eternal life since it is, by definition, without cost.

I know what you mean, Gabe. Since the Master paid the ultimate price for their redemption, why would anyone reject the free offer of eternal life?

Yes. But what an awe-inspiring privilege we have as the messengers of Elohim to assist these little children so that they may become partners with the Lord Jesus!

I heartily agree, Mike. That is why we must redouble our efforts to help all the teknon in becoming the heirs of salvation.

Count me in, Gabe! Let's redeem every opportunity to urge our angelic colleagues to ensure that as many born ones as possible become partners.

That's it, Mike! And let us diligently work to ensure that the teknon are overcomers who achieve special son and daughter status.

Don't forget, Gabe, that they fulfill the Master's purpose of reigning with the King forever and ever. Amen!

With renewed purpose, Michael and Gabriel resolve to lead the host of guardian angels in making the born ones of God the heirs of salvation.

True Fiction

Fulfill your destiny! is what Darth Vader morbidly fomented to his son, Luke, in the popular Star Wars trilogy. While the fictional character harbored a nefarious motive by issuing this dark directive, in real time, God has an ineffable destiny He desires for His children to fulfill. One critical entrée to fulfilling this destiny is to acquire a thorough understanding of our identity as God's children.

The Worst of Times, the Best of Times

Dickens's famous line in A Tale of Two Cities, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, is timelessly true and oozes with a myriad of practical applications. Today, we might imagine Dickens's immortal statement in reverse as COVID-19, much like 9/11, has transformed our world forever. The pandemic has spawned an unprecedented number of universalistic phobias and sociological challenges. Suicide, drug overdoses, mental illness, isolation, self-destructive behaviors, and ubiquitous hopelessness have all risen to unconscionable levels. Governmental distrust, moral non-absolutism, political opportunism, and a culture of death and depopulation have also emerged from the murky shadows of secular culture to take center stage. In the ominous wake of the COVID crisis, following the science has spawned incendiary culture wars, militant wokeness, identity confusion, stratospheric national debt, pervasive lawlessness, unchecked borders, and suffocating inflation, all conspiring to unravel the fabric of Western society. Pouring gasoline on the cultural bonfire is the paralyzing hopelessness many feel.

The Center for Disease Control reported in a recent survey that one out of two teenage girls are plagued by chronic sadness and hopelessness. In a recent poll, 73 percent of Americans fear for the future of their nation. Recently, it was reported that 61 percent of New York City residents fear being assaulted when they leave their residence.

In the wake of such cultural tsunamis, millions are drowning in an ocean of perpetual despair, reminiscent of Thoreau's famous line, Most men live their lives in quiet desperation. Perhaps more than at any time in modern history has the West embodied the spirit of Jeremiah's prophecy: Fear on every side.

The glorious news is that the worst of times creates an intrinsic thirst for the best of times. The pervasive wickedness we witness in our world can be used by God to drive us to the glorious future He intends for us. In the wake of boundless evil, God does not intend for His people to morbidly wallow in the swamp of despair but to perform a biblical adjustment on their lives.

For the pain of the worst seasons of life is symptomatic of a greater problem—the problem of our failure to fulfill our divinely intended purpose. Analyzed from one perspective, the best of times may be biblically characterized as eternity in our hearts (Eccles. 3:11). The Hebrew word translated eternity is the word olam. It speaks to an innate desire that men and women understand both their origin and destiny. In this respect, the human heart resembles a human satellite dish programed to receive intergalactic signals from our Creator, God. Olam explains the irrepressible itch of even the most godless societies to be in tune with the God who made them. When this eternal itch is satisfied, glorious favor awaits the child of God.

Supernatural Adjustments Promote Divine Healing

Recently, I began seeing a chiropractor for chronic back pain. I quickly noticed that the aggressive adjustments to my spinal column significantly reduced the pain and accelerated healing. Lifting, walking, standing, and running were normalized. In a similar vein, the author is convinced that the nerve center of the church is in desperate need of an aggressive biblical adjustment realigning her with her God-given identity, purpose, and destiny.

God has a future and a hope for His people. Though the future and hope may involve temporary tears, it will culminate with God wiping away all their tears from [our] eyes (Rev. 22:4). In this glorious scene, many of God's people are restored to their original status of co-regents with the Almighty God. God intends for His people to be victors, not victims.

Today, it is a popular sentiment to declare that God desires more for His people than they have scripted for themselves. While this is often the case, the more is often limited to this life. Few books are written today with the theme of how our life on earth impacts our eternal destiny. In this book, the author will attempt to convince the reader that the Lord desires more for the believer in eternity. That more encompasses ineffable joy, peace, and righteousness while on earth (Rom. 14:17). While the author is convinced that the Christ-follower must occupy until He comes, we must do so with our eye on Christ's eternal reign and their participation in that reign. With this in mind, let's mine from the biblical text the five words that will determine our destiny!

In this vein, A. W. Tozer's words are timelessly relevant: Thinking rightly about God will resolve 10,000 practical problems. This writer contends that personalizing these five destiny-shaping words will advance the child of God many miles down the freeway of thinking rightly about God, their identity, and seizing a glorious future He desires for them.

The goal of this book is to infuse hope and understanding of five biblical words begging the attention of the twenty-first-century church. These five words paint a resplendent mosaic of God's design for every believer. Perhaps more importantly, these words are the key unlocking the door to the life God blesses now while unfolding the final destiny of the Christ-follower in eternity. Personalizing them will empower, us to fulfill the destiny God intends for us by magnifying Jesus Christ in our bodies, whether by life or death.

Dan Klender

San Diego, California

Tekna: The Born Ones

The Born Ones

Jesus did not come to collaborate with the religious systems of this world, He actually came to conquer them.

—Joseph M. Stowell III

Nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself.

—T. S. Eliot

The movie Infidel illustrates a contemporary challenge in the evangelization of Muslim nations. The movie, based on true events, features the main character, a popular Christian blogger boldly preaching the gospel of Christ to an international Islamic television audience in Cairo, Egypt. During the interview, the character, played by Jim Caviezel, quotes John 14:6, the clearest scriptural text declaring Jesus to be the Father's exclusive way to obtaining eternal life: I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father, but by Me. For good measure, he reinforced his belief by quoting the seminal verse of the Christian faith, John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

In the process, this Christian blogger clearly defers to Jesus over Mohammed by dubbing Jesus as God incarnate rather than a mere prophet. Gazing into the camera, the blogger concludes the soon-to-become viral interview with the urgent appeal, And He [Jesus] wants to be your God. Expectantly, this blogger's bold proclamation made for an awkward moment on an international Islamic television network. Consequently, the blogger is seized by radical Islamic Jihadists, taken into captivity, and beaten. Among other issues, this story evokes the specter of the question, What constitutes a child of God?

One Way, Jesus

A certain way to raise the blood pressure of millions in a hostile woke culture is to assert on international television that there is a singular way to heaven, namely Jesus. While multitudes consider such a claim the height of hubris, C. S. Lewis correctly asserted, balking at such a claim pegs the Son of God as a colossal liar. Clearly, one cannot have their proverbial cake and eat it too.

Hostile to Jesus

Several years ago, this author found himself in the company of several pastors. One pastor quoted John 14:6 as the entrée to heaven. Immediately, one of the pastors responded with surprising vitriol. Though this pastor considered himself a follower of Jesus, he employed an expletive to promptly dismiss this unwavering assertion made by the Son of God. My thoughts gravitated toward Why bother counting yourself among Jesus's followers if you categorically deny His most basic truth claim? In effect, rejecting Jesus's claim positioned him not as a follower of the Son of God but one whom the apostle John called an antichrist (2 John 8–9).

Does Love Always Win?

One public disavowal of Jesus's exclusive gospel claim was made by former evangelical pastor Rob Bell. Bell, like many others, has abandoned his evangelical roots to embrace a universalistic view of salvation. In the epilogue of his book Love Wins, he describes how he came to faith in Christ. While he was a boy reared in Okemos, Michigan, his mother led him in the sinner's prayer, and Bell was gloriously born into the family of God. So far so good. Yet Pastor Bell unapologetically remarks that such a path is not the only onramp to heaven. He asserts in his controversial book that there are many roads to arrive at the abode of God. Like Bell, the Western church and culture are hostile to the gospel tenet, proclaiming Jesus as the exclusive way to the Father in heaven.

Unpacking Jesus's Bold Claim

Jesus Christ, the linchpin of history, unapologetically announced, I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father, but by Me (John 14:6).

When Jesus says, Way, He is referencing the only road (hodas) to heaven. When He uses the word truth, He is speaking of exclusive truth that is singular rather than pluralistic, monolithic rather than polymorphous. In the words of actor Jack Nicholson, Truth doesn't have versions. Nicholson was correct on this score. Truth is axiomatic. It is as fundamental as 2+2=4. Not only was Jack Nicholson correct about truth not having versions, but he was also generally correct when he famously fumed, You can't handle the truth! In a diatribe directed at actor Tom Cruise's character in the movie A Few Good Men. Similarly, many struggle to embrace a singular, solitary path to heaven, judging such a view as narrow-minded and bigoted. Regardless of popular sentiment, the apostles unapologetically proclaimed this truth after the day of Pentecost:

Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which you must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

The good news that faith in Christ alone saves was at the core of both Jesus's and the apostles' teaching. For the apostles, the giver of such truth was One whom they had touched and handled, the Word of Life, the God enfleshed Christ of glory (John 1:1–18; 1 John 1:1–4).

Therefore, they proclaimed the message without apology. There is no other name that a man or woman may place faith in to be saved. Only faith in Jesus's name saves! These two scriptures beg two monumental questions. Namely, what is the onramp to the gift of eternal life? And how is one rescued from a Christless eternity in hell, according to the apostles' definition of salvation? These questions are answered by biblically mining, How does one achieve child of God status?

The Bible's Designation of Child/Son

There are two words in the New Testament designating one as a child or son of God. A primary word for son, Huios, will be defined in a subsequent chapter. This chapter will address the common Greek word tekna in a biblical and practical way. Tekna is the first word to determine our destiny.

Tekna is the Greek word for infant or born one. The cognate of the plural form teknon is tikto, meaning to be born. Semantically, tikto means to beget, bring forth, give birth. Tikto is the root of tekna. A tekna is thus seen as an infant, child, born one. Teknon the plural form of tekna and references little children and offspring. Teknon are naturally born sons and daughters.

The Pricelessness of Infants

Is there anything more precious than a newborn infant? Totally helpless yet irresistibly adorable. Featuring soft and piercing (often blue) eyes, supple skin, and a gently cooing mouth moving in slow motion. Newborn infants are a beautiful expression of the wisdom and power of God. To cite David, they are fearfully and wonderfully made creations of the Almighty, all-wise God (Ps. 139:14; 1 Tim. 1:18).

Jesus declared that if one were to offend a tekna, it would be better for a milestone to be hung around his neck and he be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matt. 18:6). When Jesus speaks about being born anew in the spiritual realm, He uses the word tekna.

As it is in the physical realm, so it is in the spiritual. Isaiah serves notice of God's love for His teknon:

Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget. See I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. (Isa. 49:15–16)

The value God assigns to His children is inferred in the prologue of John's gospel and as His eyewitness account of Jesus unfolds. Writing under the inspiration of God's Spirit, He announces, [Jesus] came unto His own and His own received Him not, but to as many as received Him to them He gave the power to become children of God, to those who believed in His name (John 1:12).

Teknon are Born from Above

At the onset of Jesus's ministry, an eminent religious leader by the name of Nicodemus approached Him at night to ask a probing question. Captivated by this young rabbi from Galilee, Nicodemus believed Him to be of heavenly origin, an emissary of the one true God. Though apprehensive about jeopardizing his career for consorting with the Savior, the religious All-Pro made the following heartfelt admission: Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God be with him (John 3:2).

Cutting to the chase, Jesus responded, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

Nicodemus was confused. He asked what he considered to be a reasonable question, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time in his mother's womb and be born? (John 3:4).

Jesus, as He often did during His earthly ministry, elevates the conversation to a spiritual level by citing the daily routines of life. He transcends physical birth by explaining that spiritual birth from above is a nonnegotiable requirement to entering the kingdom of God (3:7). He goes on to explain how one acquires the gift of eternal life. He explains in John 3:14–16:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

After promising eternal security to all who believe on Him, Jesus censures all other belief systems. He divines, He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

There is a tone of finality to Jesus's words. The Son of God is emphatic and unapologetic. He issued no disclaimers, no plausible exceptions. He simply states that if anyone fails to believe in Him as Savior, they are condemned. The Son of God serves notice that one's final destiny in eternity is determined by a binary choice to accept or reject Jesus as the Son of God. Bar none, this is the most important choice one will ever make!

John stated unabashedly, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name (John 1:12). The gospel is good news! Glorious news! However, it comes with a solemn warning. Rejection of Jesus will condemn one to a Christless eternity the Bible calls hell.

The Only Road

Jesus could not have stated His case more plainly. He is the only way to the Father. By asserting such, He is speaking volumes. By claiming He is the only way to the Father, Jesus is employing a literary device known as synecdoche (the part for the whole). One example of synecdoche is the tired cliché The pen is mightier than the sword. This maxim intends much more than the power of a writing utensil. It is emblematic for the tomes of writings that have shaped culture and history. It is essentially stating that written words are more powerful than all military arsenal ever assembled since ideas possess more potency than the most well-trained and best equipped fighting force. Negatively, one chilling example of the mighty pen is Karl Marx. Marx's nefarious lies birthed communist and socialistic ideologies, catalyzing the murder of an estimated five hundred million people in the twentieth century. In this sense, the pen truly is mightier than the sword.

By referencing the Father, Jesus is substituting the part for the whole. To be sure, the Father is in heaven. The Father references the glorious future of the teknon including eternal life, heaven, living together with God, the angels, and fellow believers. By unequivocally stating that He (Jesus) is the only way to heaven, the Father, and all the good that eternity has to offer the believer in Christ.

The Simplicity of Jesus's Stupendous Claim

How simple is Jesus's stupendous claim that He is the only way to the Father?

Again, believing in Jesus is as simple as:

Drive a car:

Arrive in San Diego

Believe in Jesus:

Arrive in heaven

Believe in Jesus:

Live forever with God

Yes, it really is that simple.

The Necessary Condition to Being Born into the Family of God

Each Lord's Day, millions of Christ followers sing songs declaring that there is no other name like Jesus and that there is power in His name. How right they are! Moreover, it logically follows that believing in Jesus's name is the only avenue to heaven.

There is a singular condition necessary for a person to be born into the family of God. The condition is expressed in John's gospel as faith in His name. While unpacking this sacred truth, John employs a literary device known as an inclusio. An inclusio is like a parenthesis. It is a literary device supplying bookends for a prominent theme in a given section of Scripture.

This inclusio nearly spans the entirety of John's gospel and conveys the method whereby one becomes a child of the Most High God. Beginning in John 1:12, John begins to seal the issue of Sonship by declaring:

He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12; italics mine)

And truly Jesus did many others signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name. (John 20:30–31; italics mine)

These two salient texts identify the method by which a person acquires the gift of eternal life. John is serving notice that such an acquisition takes place through faith in His [Jesus's] name (John 1:12).

John echoes this truth while disclosing the purpose of his gospel:

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name. (John 20:31; italics mine)

The recurring theme throughout John's gospel is that eternal life is acquired through faith in Jesus's name. Moreover, John insists that the means to achieving child of God status is exclusive (John 3:14–18; 8:24; 14:6). John 1:12 and 20:30–31 serve as bookends of this gospel theme. Below is a compendium of verses proclaiming faith in the name of Jesus as the sole condition for obtaining eternal life:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:14–16, italics mine)

He who believes on Him is not condemned. He who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18; italics mine)

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36; italics mine)

Most assuredly I say to you that he who believes My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come unto judgment but has passed from death unto life. (John 5:24; italics mine)

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40; italics mine)

Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. (John 6:47–48; italics mine)

One receives the free gift of eternal life through faith in His name.

If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24; italics mine)

Jesus answered and said to them, "I told you, and you do not believe; The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father who gave them to Me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:25–30; italics mine)

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he should die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25–26; italics mine)

Martha responded in faith, "She said to Him, ‘Yes Lord, I believe You are the Christ the Son of God who is come into the world.'" (John 11:27; italics mine)

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40; italics mine)

Consistent with the template of how Abraham was justified, New Testament believers are also justified.

Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6; italics mine)

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. (Acts 16:31; italics mine)

Paul informs the Galatians, "You are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:26; italics mine)

Child of God Status Is Acquired through Faith

Jesus declares that faith in Him is the only way anyone will ever gain passage through heaven's pearly gates. While debating a cadre of recalcitrant Jews in John 8:24, He warns, "If you do not believe that I am He you shall die in your sins."

By saying this, Jesus was serving notice that what one does with Himself is the most important thing about them. For one's final destiny is determined by whether they believe on the Son of God or reject Him through disbelief. Again, it is easy to discern the exclusivity