By: Gen. Jim – 3/24/25
How many of us love Jesus? I mean really love Jesus? Don’t we find it easy to speak great swelling words about our love & dedication? And we love to tell others, especially the poor lost sinner how much Jesus loves them. Yep, all part of being “Christian”.
Have we ever considered Matthew 10:37 & 38? I mean really consider Jesus’ words to His 12 when He says, “And he who does not take his cross & follow Me is not worthy of Me,” vs.38. Just before this stark statement, Jesus tells the 12, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me,” vs.37. 3 times Jesus uses the word “worthy”.
We’ll get to the meaning of “worthy” in a minute but hear this: (Jesus said) “If anyone comes to Me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, brother & sisters, yes, & his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross & come after Me cannot be My disciple,” -Luke 14:26,27, NKJV.
Jesus also says this: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself & take up his cross & follow Me For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake & the gospel’s will save it,” -Mark 8:34,35.
Q. What do we find in the texts quoted?
A. Jesus requires His disciples to love Him first & foremost – above natural family;
B. Jesus requires His disciples to carry their cross & follow Him, not just to be a BINO (“Believer In Name Only”);
C. Jesus requires His disciples to deny “self”, not protect self/save self!
Family Haters!
We’ve been called FH for years & years. When we started ACMTC (early 1980s), we let the interested know, “we’re not a 501C3 Church, a family Church, but a training corps.” I’ve also told them “We have an ‘open door’ policy, you can come in or go out, we hold no one against their will.” In spite of this (written /verbal) policy, we still were called a “dangerous cult that brainwashed & held people captive!” For decades the liberal church & the media persist in saying the opposite (see the many docs. /court trials et al. about this. Sometime in the future we’ll put together all the docs made by various people who either agree with the devil & his “dupes” or present our side.
I was watching a new doc on YouTube several days ago in which the producer showed me at K. Falls, Oregon, (during a town meeting to defend who we were & what we do). I was speaking on “the family,” telling the K. Falls folks (frightened of our corps in their town) that we are not a Church per se, but a disciple/soldier training corps… to “Take Jesus to ALL the world!” I’ve had to defend myself, my family & the corps many, many times against the accusation that we HATE families & we split them up. The truth is, we merely follow the example of Jesus. (for example, see “Answering Our Critics & Friends” [page], left side bar), click on and read “The Family” (Biblical perspective on the Family). In my article I write about:
Family, 2 kinds of Family, Pagan Tradition, what Does the Bible Say?, The Words of Jesus Himself (e.g. Mt. 8:18-22), The Children of Disobedience, Who Really Breaks Up the Family?, The Sword, Cold-Hearted Jesus!, Doing His Will (Eph. 6:1,2), We Believe in Family, Parents & Children (15 steps that parents should take heed to). This article should let you, my reader, know what the Bible teaches & what we believe.
Worthy
I want to speak about what Jesus Himself spoke about:
Worthy / Gk., axios – άξιος = adj./axioō – ἀξιόω = verb/axiōs – ἄξιος = adverb.
Mt. 10:37,38
The adj., axios can be found in other texts, e.g. Mt. 10:10,11,13 (twice); 22:8; Lk. 7:4; 10:7; 15:19,21; Jn. 1:27; Acts 13:25; 1 Tim. 5:18; 6:1; Heb. 11:38; Rev. 3:4; 4:11; 5:2,4,9,12. All these are said of persons & their deed, in a good sense;
Another adj. is hikanos (ἱκανός), “sufficient”, is trans. “worthy” in Mt. 3:11 (depends upon what translation is used), Mt. 8:8, Mk. 1:7; Lk. 3:16; 7:6;
Still another Gk. word is enochos (ἔνοχος), translated “worthy” in Mt. 26:66; Mk. 14:64, R.V. = “liable to”, A.V. = “guilty”. In Ja. 2:7 (KJV), we find the word “worthy”; the R.V. has “honorable”, & the NKJV has “noble”.
Verbs
axioō (ἀξιόω), “to think or count worthy, is used of the estimation formed by God (favourably) (2 Thes. 1:11, “may count (you) worthy (of your calling), suggestive of grace (it does not say “may make you worthy”); Heb. 3:3, “or more glory,” of Christian comparison with Moses;
Unfavourably is found in Heb. 10:29 (“worthy”, NKJV); Lk. 7:7 has “worthy”, NKJV; 1 Tim. 5:17 has “worthy of double honor” (NKJV), where “honor” stands probably for “honorarium”, i.e. material support; kataxioō (καταξιόω) is another verb, a strengthened form to axioō, it occurs in Lk. 20:35; 21:36, in some texts; Acts 5:41; 2 Thes. 1:5.
Adverb
Axiōs (ἄξιος), “worthily” is translated in the R.V. (with one exception), the A.V. has “worthy” & other renderings, “worthily of God”, 1 Thes. 2:12, of the Christian walk as it should be!; 3 Jn. 6, R.V., of assisting servants of God in a way which reflects God’s character & thoughts; “worthily of the Lord”, Col. 1:10 is found in some versions; the NKJV has “walk worthy” as does the KJV et al. Eph. 4:1 in regard to their “walk” or manner of life = “walk worthy” (NKJV/KJV et al.) Phil 1:27 speaks of “conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (NKJV et al.) (one can consult any Gk. concordance/dict. for Gk. words).
Back to Jesus’ Words
Mt. 10:37,38
(see also Lk. 14:26)
Christ first! This is what Jesus taught & what Scripture teaches. Compare Matt. with Luke’s account. Luke has, “If any man come to Me, & HATE not his father, & his mother… & his own life also, cannot by My disciple,” KJV. Are we to believe that meek, loving Man from Galilee would tell us to HATE our family? Is not this the same Jesus who tells us to “love one’s enemies”? to “honor father & mother”? “Hate” is not what we know it to be, but in Jesus’ context it means “love less”. Still, the truth remains: we must love Him first above family & self. One’s devotion must be to Him FIRST. The Bible has its own language. We should not be afraid of hyperboles/metaphors. Some think because we use military language, we also carry/use carnal weapons.
In our experiences – and we have many too – those who accuse us of HATING family & using weapons are ignorant indeed. (see the many media articles/law enforcement interviews in our PX2 Files where we are accused over & over of these “crimes”.
If one does not “love less” “family”/ “self”, one is not going to carry his/her cross to the finish line. I’ve seen so many, TOO MANY, fall away because of family ties & “love of self”.
“Cross carrying” & “self-denial” are central to the Gospel. These 2 cannot be diluted. No sir! The cross may seem too big, too heavy, too inconvenient but it is THE object to the Kingdom eternal. Jesus no doubt was giving His disciples a “word picture”, men carrying crosses to some near-by Golgotha & to die! He could have hinted at His own (future) death on a cross.
Even sinners carry crosses, i.e. burdens, those inevitable loads which life lays on every man/woman: the cross of Christ is our voluntary “self-denial” for Christ’s sake.
Let me make myself clear here: There is a distinction between burdens/loads laid upon us in life’s journey and the cross that we volunteer to carry… to the finish line. Luke 9:23 tells us to “deny himself, & take up his cross DAILY…” Oh, we take it up when we feel like it, say once-in-a-while thing. But DAILY? Few do this.
Personal Martyrdom!
Yep! This is what Jesus taught. Both in Mark & in Luke it was a Christian summons to martyrdom that presupposes reflection on the death of Christ & an experience of persecution/prosecution: “Let him (or her) DENY himself,” i.e. “let him (her)” disregard all thought of himself (herself).” Thank God, my wife & I et al. have carried the cross all around the world in our missionary travels. We (now old) still carry our cross with loyalty. I will be 80 June 29th, 2025. I started my journey at 26, Deborah at 24. We both had to break family ties in order to do what we were called to do – “TAKE JESUS TO ALL THE WORLD.” We may not travel as we once did, but we still serve God & teach from the Bible. Amen. We want to be WORTHY of our calling.