The blessings of discipleship are only bestowed upon those who are obedient to the laws of the God who gave the commandments.  Typically, Moses never became a disciple because he did not follow the instructions God gave him.  When God took him up on Mt.  Pisgah and let him see the land of Canaan before he died, we have a vivid picture of many of the Lord's children in this present day.  They view the promised land (the church), but are never enabled to enter and enjoy its blessed fruits.  They never know the joys of discipleship.  The primary aim of this work is to give to those who read it a guide to that abundant life promised to all who obey the Master's instructions.  It is designed to show the difference in sonship and discipleship, and perhaps supply a key to understanding much of the wonders of the Holy Scriptures; also to encourage all who have a desire to serve the Lord to press into discipleship.

     After the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses died and God said to Joshua: "Moses my servant is dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, to the children of Israel." (Joshua 1:2.)

     God had given to Abraham and his seed the land of Canaan as a possession forever. (See Genesis 15:18.) It belonged to them through the grace, or at least the gratuity of God, they had done nothing to deserve it.  The organized church today belongs to all of God's born-again people, but they have to possess it.  In Obadiah 17, we are told: ". . . and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions"; a very clear reference to the gospel day and the organized church.

     There was no pursuing enemy as there was at the Red Sea crossing.  There was no coercion to drive the hosts of Israel across Jordan; only the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey.  For 40 years they had been fed with manna and quails; had been made to drink water from barren rocks when no other source was at hand.  Their clothes and shoes did not wear out, but they had no place to call their own.  They had wandered in a wilderness, a desert land, and longed for some stability in their lives.  When God had removed all who were more than twenty years of age at the crossing of the Red Sea (those who rebelled against him and did not believe his word; to whom he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest [Hebrews 3:111), then he was ready for his beloved to enter into the land of Canaan -- ready for them to become disciples.  Probably, some of them remembered the bunch of grapes brought back by the twelve men who went to spy out the land.  

     Of course, Joshua and Caleb were two of the spies and were well-acquainted with the good fruits of the land, but most of them had only known about the land by the hearing of the ear.  God through the Holy Spirit was prompting them to get up and go into their land to "possess their possessions."

     Of course, Joshua and Caleb were well-acquainted with the fortifications of the "ites" that possessed the land; they knew the size and ferocity of the Anakim, and probably there were many who had some misgivings about taking on the battle with those from whom they would have to wrest the land.  It appears that many today fear that the battle for discipleship will be greater than they can endure, or else it is fear of defeat that prevents many from entering into the battle in order to have what rightfully belongs to them.  In my lifetime, it appears that many have not been willing to take on the adversary and thereby have by default not been able to rejoice in the good fruits of the church.  There is a certain and sure formula for not being defeated in this battle:

          "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou  mayest observe to do according to all the law, which  Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:7-9.)

      Here is the key to a successful life of discipleship: Become acquainted with God's commandments and keep them and he has promised to be with us wherever we go.  Knowledge of God's commandments is absolutely necessary in order to have an abundant life, the life which discipleship is designed to give.   Discipleship does not prepare one for life in glory, but it prepares him for the trauma of the transition from mortality to immortality, from natural to spiritual, from corruptible to incorruptible.  This has ever been the experience of faithful disciples.

     When we begin to inquire about the source of knowledge, extreme care must be given to this aspect of the process.  We are warned that our adversary, the devil, is seeking to devour us, and if we are not informed properly, it is particularly easy for Satan to deceive us.  There is a tendency to follow our own inclinations, but we are told to ". . . try the spirits . . . " (I John 4:1); we cannot depend on our feelings, but must try everything by the inspired writings of the prophets and apostles.  It is true that God writes his laws in our minds and puts them in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10), and that we are taught inwardly as to principles (Titus 2:11), but for details we must search the word of God.  Not only are we required to become familiar with the five Books of Moses which God commanded Joshua to meditate in both day and night, we must become well-acquainted with the actions of God's people and God's dealings with them from Joshua to the advent of Jesus; then become exceptionally knowledgeable of the New Testament records. 

     We must understand the wonder of the incarnation of Jesus – what was accomplished by his life, what his death procured, and what the the strength to meditate in the laws of the Lord. benefits of his resurrection will eventually be.  When Jesus gave the invitation to "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me . . ." (Matthew 11:28-29), he left us the key.  We must learn of him.  Grace and peace are multiplied unto us through knowledge. (II Peter 1:2.) Solomon in the Proverbs stressed the getting of knowledge and wisdom.  When one has come to the beginning of discipleship (has become a member of the church), it is vitally necessary that his knowledge increase every day if possible.  This learning must continue as long as one is able, as long as he has God promised Joshua that if he did as commanded, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9.) This is the same promise that God has made to all who are willing to take his yoke and learn of him.  As we follow the experiences of the Israelites from the time of Moses' death, we can readily see that when they obeyed God's commandments, they prospered; but when they forgot them, they reaped sore trials and even calamities.

     Having previously examined baptism from a New Testament standpoint, we need to look at the crossing of "this Jordan" as a type of water baptism.  When the Israelites came to the river, it was at flood stage and above.  Joshua, being of good courage, believing that what God commanded was not only possible but certain, was almost contemptuous with the expression "cross over this Jordan" as if it was of no consequence or difficulty.  This should be the attitude of all of God's children when they come to the place that they desire baptism but are afraid that they are not worthy to cross the "river." If they would only look at the type and see the ease with which the whole of Israel crossed over, it would alleviate many fears and misgivings.  Every obstacle can be surmounted; every difficult task accomplished if we trust in the Lord and are not afraid.  I am sure that many timid souls were almost quaking with fear as they looked on the swollen river, yet beholding: Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood, stand dressed in living green. While to the Jews old Canaan stood, while Jordan rolled between. Ah! but behold the miracle.  As the feet of the ark-bearing priests touched the water, the waters parted and the priests stood on firm ground until all the host of Israel passed over.  This is the ease with which they who are committed to entering the church pass through the waters of baptism.  How easy, how blessed! The Lord had commanded that a man from each of the twelve tribes carry a stone from the midst of Jordan that they might build a cairn on Canaan's side of the river; also, one was built in the midst of the river where the priests stood with the ark while all the children of Israel passed over.  This is blessed indeed.  When Jacob saw the ladder in his dream and recognized that God was with him in the night, he raised the stone as a marker of the place where God was with him.  The monuments built from the stones of Jordan signified the same thing -- God had been with them and it was a Bethel spot to them.  It has been my experience that everyone of God's children who have gone through the waters of baptism have wanted to erect a marker to signify that the Lord was with them there.  No person has ever made this final step of baptism into discipleship without feeling the presence and blessing of the Lord. 

     Even Jesus himself heard his Father proclaim: "Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." (Mark 1:11.) This is a Bethel spot in the life of all true disciples of the Lord.

     Joshua had commanded them to prepare food for three days.  The manna was to cease and they had to cook and preserve enough to last them until they were safely across into the land of promise.  It was the time of harvest, and no doubt the fields were lush with the golden grain and they were to have their fill of "new corn." How sweet is the gospel to one who has just entered into the church; what a blessing to feast on the good things and not be condemned because of disobedience.  Would it not be wonderful if this feeling could last until we fly away to be at rest? But, alas, this is not the experience of God's disciples.  Immediately after Jesus was baptized, he went into a wilderness, fasted forty days, then was tempted of the devil.  Satan tried every ruse that he knew to subvert the Son of God, but had no success.  You see, Jesus was armed with the word of the Lord and he used the words which God gave to us in the Bible to put Satan to flight.  This is why we need to become acquainted with the word before we start on our discipleship, but as stated above, a disciple never ceases to learn.  In the strictest sense of the word, a disciple is a learner and grace and peace are multiplied by learning.

     By implicitly following the instructions of the Lord; by the priests who bore the ark standing in the midst of Jordan, the entire population crossed into the inheritance.  Only the keeping of the law in its proper place by God's children will deliver them into "their" possessions.  It was God that caused the waters of Jordan to "stand up as a heap" not the priests and the ark, but the instructions had been very clear and they were obeyed to the letter.  When it comes to discipleship, only obedience to God's instructions will deliver into that, whereas when it pertains to sonship, no conditions are given.  The elect are made vital sons by the infinite power of God through the Holy Spirit.  This distinction must be kept in mind, else we shall make the mistake that has been made by so many.  Only strict obedience to the gospel puts one into discipleship, and also only strict obedience keeps one in the way of discipleship.  One can fall from discipleship, but nothing can separate a son of God from his love. (See Romans 8:28-39.)

     Immediately after all the host of Israel had crossed Jordan and Joshua had called the priests out of the river bed, the waters resumed the flow common at that season of the year.  To a passerby the next day, there would have been no evidence of a miracle; a casual observer would have known nothing of the wonder that God's beloved had just experienced.  So it is today.  When one has passed through the water of gospel baptism, the casual observer sees nothing unusual about it and passes it by lightly, but to those who have experienced it, there is a feeling of extreme well-being; a feeling of having gone one place where the Lord himself went --into a watery grave.

     After Jordan was crossed, the entire host camped in Gilgal which means "wheel," actually signifies "rolling wheel," which was about half way from Jordan's waters to Jericho where the first battle was to take place.  They had not encountered any of the enemies up to this time, and this is the experience of so many of God's disciples today.  Because of the blessed peace they find immediately after baptism, many feel that they would like to camp there forever, but a wheel is a very poor place to camp and rest.  Here was where they received instructions concerning the battle for Jericho, but it was certainly not a permanent place.  The "new corn" was ready for harvest and there was ample water for all, but they were not allowed to sit down and relax.  They were just ready to enter into the fray in order to "possess their possessions."

God gave specific instructions requiring all who had not been circumcised to receive the outward mark of being the objects of God's love and mercy.  It is absolutely necessary for one who is entering into discipleship to display the outward marks of a child of God so that all who see him will not have to guess about his standing with God.

     After all the directions for crossing the Jordan and entering Canaan had been followed, God gave the battle plan for the conquest of Jericho and provided specific instructions regarding the spoils.  

     As God had commanded, they marched around the city once a day for six days; then on the seventh day they marched around seven times, the priests blew the seven trumpets of rams' horns, then the people all gave a great shout and the walls "came tumbling down"; the conquest was easy and only Rahab and her family were saved alive as promised by the spies.  All appeared to be going very well.

     But, when they spied out Ai, because of the ease with which they took Jericho, they decided there would be no problem and only three thousand men went up to take it.  They were put to rout and Joshua rent his clothes and complained to God.  This is so easy for the new disciple to do when things do not go well.  We are prone to often times think the Lord has failed us and complain about it. When the Lord reproved Joshua for lying on his face and told him it was because Israel had sinned by not following his instructions concerning the spoils of Jericho, then he understood.  One man, Achan, alone had made all Israel guilty before God.  We need to learn this lesson extremely well.  If one sins, the whole body of disciples will have to suffer the wrath of God, and the mistake must be rectified and the offender properly dealt with before God will again fight for us.  Is it any wonder that so many churches are cold and practically lifeless today? We often wonder just how many today have taken of "the accursed thing." As soon as Achan and his family were stoned to death, then burned with fire, and finally buried under a heap of stones, God was again ready to fight for Israel.

     Perhaps we may question in our minds God's right to strictly prescribe rules for our conduct.  We need to remember that "It isHe that made us and not we ourselves." Paul tells us: . . . Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" (Romans 9:20.) Because we live in a democracy and have a great amount of freedom in our natural conduct, it is sometimes difficult for us to remember that our King in heaven is an absolute monarch who is perfect in all of his ways and laws.  It is strictly by his grace that we are made sons and a wondrous stoop of mercy on his part that we are offered discipleship.  Due to the fact that he was not obligated to do either until by his sovereign grace he promised sonship, he has an inalienable right to set the terms required for one to be a follower and learner of his only begotten Son.  Furthermore, his requirements are for our good, and only by keeping his laws to a jot and tittle can we receive the ultimate blessings available to us in this life.

     How thankful we should be that sonship is not dependent on our conduct or our obedience as we start the journey of discipleship. 

     We would be made to cry with the apostles of old, "Who then can be saved?" As we examine the scriptures from Joshua to the New Testament, yea, through the New Testament, we recognize that most of the scriptures deal with the discipleship of God's children in this world.  By example and precise statements we are made to understand that God is exact in the requirements for acceptable discipleship, so if we are going to have the full benefits of an obedient son, we must "observe to do according to all the law . . . turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper wherever though goest." (Joshua 1:7.) Obviously, this requires diligent study to know and constant vigilance to do what is required.  The price required for true discipleship is high, but the rewards are very great.