Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." To be disciples of Jesus, we must deny ourselves, our families, and everything we own—even our very lives. Following Jesus would seem to be one of the most challenging quests we can face.

Yet Jesus also tells us: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

How can both of those teachings be true? First Christ requires us to deny everything, including our own lives. Then He tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. How can His yoke be easy if He requires us to deny everything and carry our cross?

The answer is among the secrets of the Kingdom Life.

"If our people could put these truths to work, we would hear God speaking to us like never before. It would lead to an awakening, a powerful movement of God as in other days when the common people were smitten by the Word of God anew."—Ken Miller

Contents

• The Mystery
• What Is the Kingdom Life?
• Naysayers and Half-and-Half Christians
• Tapping Into God's Power
• A Gradual Process
• Step One: Spiritual Examination
• Step Two: Repentance
• Step Three: Riding the Victorious Cycle

Our Prayer and Devotional Life

• Developing a Strong Prayer Life
• Nightly Examination
• Establishing Your Devotional Hour
• Enriching Your Devotions
• What to Pray About
• Reading the Scriptures and Spiritual Classics
• The Lord's Pig
• Continual Communion with God

The Role Obedience Plays

• The Proof Is in the Fruit
• Type 1: Fear Obedience
• Sammy Slick
• Type 2: Dutiful Servant Obedience
• Type 3: Love Obedience
• The Three Types of Obedience in Real Life

Helps to Living the Kingdom Life

• Bible Study and Reflection
• Accountability to the Church
• How Church Standards Can Help
• The Limitations of Church Standards
• Getting the Most Out of Church Services

Some of the Weightier Commands

• Love: The Greatest Commandment
• True and False Humility
• Beyond Hollow Humility
• Forgiving Others
• Judging Others
• Paula Pious Meets Tara and Jim
• Gossip: The Pervasive Sin
• What About Our Possessions?
• Does This Mean No Possessions?
• Andy and the Monopoly Game
• The Point of the Story
• How to Make Friends With Stolen Money
• The Sympathetic College Professor
• Turning Monopoly Money Into Real Money
• Truly Appreciating Grace
• Are You Ready for the Kingdom Life?
• Notes