Professing Christendom has a deadly spiritual disease.  I call it the “Martha, Martha” Syndrome.  Scriptures tell us that MMS is not a new religious phenomenon.  Let us return to the time of Christ for three prime examples which took place before the New Testament Church came into existence.  Three men  came to Jesus wanting to join the other disciples in Christ’s ministry.  In Luke 9:58-62 we find a man saying to Jesus: “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”  Jesus told him that He had no permanent place to live.  The man was never heard of again.  Another disciple wanna-be voiced the same desire.  Jesus said to him: “FOLLOW ME.”  The man replied: “First I want to go and bury my father.”  Jesus told him to let the (spiritually) dead bury the (physically) dead).  Not surprisingly, another would-be disciple quickly disappeared.  Another man told Him that he wanted to become His disciple, but first he needed to go bid his family farewell.  Jesus told him that a man, having committed himself to God’s service, could now allow his family to interfere with his work.  To do so would make him unfit not only for the ministry, but for salvation.  The man did not press the point.

These men exhibited symptoms of the “Martha, Martha” Syndrome–hey allowed other considerations to distract them from focusing solely on the job at hand.  There is no evidence that any of the three actually joined the Lord, either as a disciple or an apostle.  Why?  Because doing God’s work is all-consuming.  The three men discussed above, upon deciding to join Christ, had not seen the big picture.  Once committed to the task, there could be no looking back.  At one time Jesus had many disciples whom He sent out to preach the Gospel and perform miracles.  Upon hearing what they did not want to hear, many of them “walked with Him no more” (Jn. 6:59-66).  This is why He tells anyone who wants to be His disciple or a ministering apostle to “count the cost” of joining with Him (Lk. 14:28).  Read the series titled Persecution.  Key word–Persecution.  See NOTICE on the website introduction page for instructions for downloading a series.  A list of series titles is available for the asking.  To receive a copy email me at lpj4142@gmail.com

Anyone who would join Christ on either the disciple or apostle level must prioritize his activities.  God must come first in his heart.  All other considerations must take a secondary place below Him.  In the arena of faith, obedience, etc. the job of the minister/apostle and the disciple/congregant are the same.  The primary difference between ministers and their followers involves the use of their time and effort.  Ministers spend their time studying, preaching and taking care of other ministerial matters.  Congregants, on the other hand, have different responsibilities.  They carry on their daily work and family lives while following the instructions of their God-appointed leaders.  In both cases, one’s dedication to the Lord can, and often does, lead to friction within the family as well as among friends and business associates.

Those within Catholicism/Protestantism have no such problems either with those close to them or with the world in general.  Their religion offends no one.  The world accepts them because there is no appreciable difference between them.  In the eyes of God they are one and the same.  Only true conversion can save them from themselves.  L.J.