the earthly "society of Jesus"

This is a subtitle in chapter 8 of Willard's Divine Conspiracy. I tell you this book is rich with wisdom and understanding. I'm going to start with quoting from this chapter.

"The assumption of Jesus' program for his people on earth was that they would live their lives as his students and co-laborers. They would find him so admirable in every respect-wise, beautiful, powerful, and good-that they would constantly seek to be in his presence and be guided, instructed, and helped by him in every aspect of their lives. For he is indeed the living head of the community of prayerful love across all time and space."- does anybody see Jesus this way? Is he seen as the treasure in the field or the pearl of great cost? Or is he seen as, and what he offers, look more like an outhouse on the beach?
"On that assumption, his promise to his people was that he would be with them every moment, until this particular "age" is over and the universe enters a new phase (Matt. 28:20 the great commission). More generally, the provisions he made for his people during this period in which we now live are provisions made for those who are, precisely, apprentices to him in kingdom living. Anyone who is not a continual student of Jesus, and who nevertheless reads the great promises of the Bible as if they were for him or her, is like someone trying to cash a check on another person's account. At best, it succeeds only sporadically."-so Jesus wants students, followers, disciples, apprentices (people who leave the significance of their previous way of life to live with and be like Jesus). And in the assumption that this would happen he made promises like being with us at all times found in the Bible. So why would he be with me at all times if I have not committed to being his student?

"The effect of such continuous study under Jesus would naturally be that we learn how to do everything we do "in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col 3:17); that is , on his behalf or in his place; that is, once again, as if he himself were doing it. And of course that means we would learn "to conform to everything I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20 great commission). In his presence our inner life will be transformed, and we will become the kind of people for whom his course of action is the natural (and supernatural) course of action."-so the goal then, we see, is the transformation of our inner life so that the natural course of our actions would be what Jesus would do if he were us. But again, if we don't want to be like Jesus and live according to the Kingdom ethics then we should not expect the benefits of being a student of Jesus, namely his protection and unfailing presence.