"Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you." Matthew 21:31-32

Men build brothels, and men build churches. Personally, I don’t care where God sends me, it could be to brothels or churches.

"When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating with tax collectors and sinners?” Mark 2:16

My job is to go out into the WORLD (brothels or churches) and make disciples of all nations.

"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ " Luke 7:34

Jesus is the Redeemer. Only Jesus can redeem, and only Jesus can be our redeemer. There is no one else.

"And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers also did. But the things which God previously announced by the mouths of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times." Acts 3:17-21

There is no other kinsman redeemer. Without Jesus as our redeemer, we would be lost and without hope. Jesus is our only hope, and He has redeemed us.

"for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete." 1 Corinthians 10:4-6

Jesus is the restorer. He is the restorer of all things. He created all things, and all things were created by Him and for Him. Only Jesus can restore.

"so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters." Galatians 4:5

Jesus the one and only restorer. There will be no other restorer. We seek no other restorer.

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Romans 5:10

Jesus is our Humility, our Faith, and our Obedience. It was Jesus' obedience that SAVED US. Past tense. Jesus already saved us through His obedience, which is done, finished, and never to be repeated.

“Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth." Job 19:25

Jesus teaches us through suffering. Jesus, fully God, emptied Himself in full humility and became man. There is no way to calculate the humility of becoming a man. He did it for the sake of the Father, His love for the Father, the Father’s love for us, and their combined love for us.

Jesus suffered, overcame, and has been given full authority over everything in Heaven and earth. He has given us the same authority to co-labor and co-reign and co-rule with Him and through Him.

"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

We learn and grow from what we suffer. Jesus never leaves us, nor will He ever forsake us. He never removes Himself or His Grace from us. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ–NOTHING.

"Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" Romans 6

The School of Obedience

Jesus’ obedience. Through the School of Jesus teaches us and works His obedience in us. Jesus is the teacher, we are the students. Jesus teaches us all about the Father, and He takes us to the Father. Our textbook is the Holy Bible, and the ability to learn is from the Holy Spirit.

"Since you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from the heart," 1 Peter 1:22

God does His works in us. We learn obedience to walk in HIS OBEDIENCE.

"For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." Romans 15:18-19

Having learned obedience through suffering, having been made perfect, Jesus became to all those who OBEY HIM the source of Eternal Salvation designated by God as High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek.

"through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles in behalf of His name," Romans 1:5

Christ, the obedient ONE makes us His obedient ONES. Jesus teaches us His OBEDIENCE as we surrender all to Him. As we HUMBLE OURSELVES He works His obedience in us.

"For the report of your obedience has reached everyone; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil." Romans 16:26

We are called to BELIEVE JESUS, LOVE GOD, and LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That is our OBEDIENCE. We are to BELIEVE the Spirit of Truth.

"For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him." Matthew 21:32

We are to BELIEVE GOD’S LOVE FOR US. We are to believe in God’s RADICAL GENEROSITY and Self-giving love. We are to believe the Good News of the Gospel.

"Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all," 2 Corinthians 9:13

Those IN CHRIST are in His School of Obedience. Jesus Salvation is His Obedience.

"who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity," 2 Timothy 1:9

In and through His obedience to the Father, Jesus is our Salvation. The prostitutes are extremely grateful for the forgiveness of sins, THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION, while the religious church-going person thinks they deserve Salvation.

"for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Romans 10:10

Obedience is responsible for our Salvation. Only Jesus' obedience will lead to our Salvation. To receive Salvation we must come to Jesus, confess our sins, and die. Only through Jesus’ obedience and the granting of His obedience to us, and in us, are we saved. It is not our obedience that saves us, it is His. Only Jesus’ obedience can save.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people," Titus 2:11

Jesus works His Salvation in us. It is in us as a free gift of His Grace. It is in us because HE was obedient. Jesus’ one act of obedience set us free forever. HE DID IT ALL.

"so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:7

Because of His obedience, we have been given His Salvation. There is no way to the Father except through Jesus, the Son, and the Son’s work of obedience.

"being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus," Romans 3:24

Like Jesus, we learn to obey through suffering. Jesus came and restored all obedience. Prostitutes are closer to the suffering and are in greater need of Jesus' Salvation. When compared to a religious person attending church, the prostitute is more likely to listen and receive the Gospel. The religious person can’t hear the gospel.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10

The Father gave over to Jesus, all authority, including all authority over THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS THROUGH SALVATION.

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9

Jesus is the Lord of Salvation, and He is the Master of our Salvation. Only Jesus can SAVE. We can only receive His SALVATION. Jesus is RESTORING OBEDIENCE.

"But the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many." Romans 5:15

Jesus is the CONVENANT OF LOVE. Through Obedience, Jesus is our Covenant of Love, by Grace.

"nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified." Galatians 2:16

Jesus' sufferings made us perfect through His obedience. Jesus is the author of Salvation, the author of Faith, and the Spirit of Truth. Jesus gave eternal life to the prostitutes and the religious leaders. Prostitutes are better listeners, and according to Jesus, prostitutes have an easier time getting into the Kingdom of God. The religious people don’t get it, while the prostitutes are welcome!

"Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John 1:2

Because of His Obedience, we share in His Salvation through His Faith. By the Spirit of Truth, we are transformed into the image of God, who is love.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us," Ephesians 2:4

Jesus, learning obedience through suffering, gave us His full life, including His physical and mental health.

"Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Through His obedience, we receive His full healthy life, a life of divine health and divine well-being. Therefore, we can go into brothels and preach the good news of the Gospel, and go into the churches to do the same. Although I believe we will have a lot better success in the brothels, we go where God sends us, so we go to the churches too. In the brothels, we don’t find unbelief. In the churches, there is not much more than unbelief.

"and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:6

Besides being our Savior, Lord, King, and High Priest, Jesus is our RABBI, Teacher, and best friend. Day by day, by His Grace we learn obedience. Prostitutes are more open to hear the Gospel than those who are religious.

"But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters... And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ." Matthew 23:8, 10

Jesus is the best teacher ever, AND He is fully responsible for our grades. Jesus is the smartest and most powerful man to ever live, and He is in the Heart of the Father, full of the Father’s goodness and light. Jesus wants to give us ALL OF HIMSELF and HIS LIFE. Jesus wants us to display and demonstrate the NEW HUMANITY by Grace, working through Love.

"so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:7

We are IN CHRIST. That means we have His full privileges in THE NEW HUMANITY. As Jesus is, so are we in this world.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

CHRIST is in us, and we are IN CHRIST. Because we are IN CHRIST, we hear the Father’s voice. We see what the Father is doing, and what He is saying, and through learned obedience, we KNOW THE FATHER and the FATHER KNOWS US.

"nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified." Galatians 2:16

We learn obedience in God’s Presence. We learn obedience by waiting in His Presence of Love. In His Presence, we are made Holy, Righteous, and Fearless–as a free gift of His Grace.

Graduates of Jesus's School of Obedience are called to an extraordinary life of service, embodying the lessons of humility, compassion, and unconditional love they have learned at the feet of the Master. They are prepared to step into the world not as judges or rulers, but as servants and healers, following in the footsteps of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8

This profound understanding of servanthood is supposed to reshape our approach to discipleship, pushing us beyond the walls of churches and into the streets, ready to touch the lives of the marginalized, the forgotten, and those society has cast aside. Our mission is clear: to serve others as Jesus served, to love as He loved, and to spread the message of the Kingdom of God through acts of kindness, mercy, justice, and love.

"For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’" Matthew 25:35-40

The outcome of obedience to Christ's call is transformative, both for the individuals we serve and us. As we pour out their lives for others, we witness the breaking down of barriers, the healing of wounds, and the restoration of hope. In serving, we discover the true essence of the Gospel, experiencing the joy and fulfillment that comes from living out our faith in action.

"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you." John 13:14-15

The world will see a tangible manifestation of God's love through our deeds, drawing more hearts to the truth of Jesus Christ. Graduates of Jesus's School of Obedience become beacons of light in a dark world, agents of change empowered by the Holy Spirit, and living testimonies to the power of a life surrendered to God's will.

"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:10-11

In our journey of service, let’s let Grace fulfill our highest calling and achieve the ultimate purpose of our faith: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.