Continuing with God's needs:

Disciples who persist in the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and who love not their lives to the point of death, until they overcome the Accuser.

Disciples who can be tested in obedience until they are fit to be governors of the nations of the earth.

Disciples who are willing to be purged of worldliness, lust, and self-will until they are qualified to judge men and angels.

Disciples who will suffer patiently until they become a wall of defense surrounding the glory of God.

Disciples who through their steadfast obedience to Christ become a part of the revelation of God Himself—God in Christ in the saints.

None of the above roles and tasks can be performed to their fullest extent by anyone other than disciples who are in the moral image of Christ and who have entered untroubled rest in Christ in the Father.

Since God's purpose cannot be fulfilled until the believers have followed the Lord in patient discipleship, since the world will not believe until the saints are one with each other and with Christ in the Father, the change from going into the world to make disciples who keep the Lord's commandments to going into the world to "save souls" by "grace" is not insignificant. It can prove to be destructive of the Lord's purposes for the Body of Christ.

What it means to keep the Lord's commandments. We are to teach the people of the nations to keep the Lord's commandments, not to tell them they are saved by grace whether or not they keep the commandments. The purpose of repentance and forgiveness is to start people on the path of discipleship, on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, on the way of patient obedience until they become a new creation in Christ.

The Lord Jesus gave us numerous commandments while He was alive on the earth, and then through the Apostles whom He had chosen. These commandments are to be obeyed. If we find it difficult to obey them, we are to go to the Lord in prayer for His enabling grace, or to the elders of the church for guidance and additional prayer, until we are able to keep them.

The following are a few of the Lord's commandments:

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad when you are persecuted (Matthew 5:12).

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave your gift before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:24).

Agree with an individual quickly if you have a dispute with him (Matthew 5:25).

Let your communication be yes, yes and no, no because much talk leads to evil (Matthew 5:37).

Do not resist evil. If someone hits you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39).

If someone sues you and takes your sweater let him have your coat also (Matthew 5:40).

Put to death the lusts of your flesh (Romans 8:13).

Remove malice from your personality (I Corinthians 5:8).

Live a righteous life (I Corinthians 15:34).

Remove filthy talk from your mouth (Colossians 3:8).

There is a truly awesome difference between presenting grace as the alternative to keeping God's commandments, and presenting grace as the means of keeping God's commandments.

To be continued.