Call to Discipleship, Part 1
Central Thought: A believer is a disciple who chooses to follow Christ the rest of his life.
Text: Mark 3:13-19; Luke 9:1-5
The call to discipleship begins at a time when a man or woman willingly and consciously gives his or her life to Christ. At this point, he is expected to separate himself from the cares of this world and be ready to walk all the way with Jesus the rest of his life. In Mark 3:7-8, it is recorded that a great multitude followed Jesus from about seven towns, having heard the things He was doing; healing the afflicted and casting out unclean spirits.
Jesus Christ in the text above called out twelve men who believed in Him, to be with Him so that he would empower them to preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out devils. Only believers who spend time with Jesus and make themselves available to be conformed to His image are to preach, heal and cast out devils. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”
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Who is a disciple and what does discipleship mean?
A disciple is a follower; a learner; a scholar; who professes to receive instruction, doctrines and precepts from another. In the light of the texts we have read; a disciple is anyone whom God has called and drawn by the power of the Holy Spirit and has answered the call by believing in his heart, the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, His death, burial and resurrection. He must have confessed Him as Lord and Master of his life. He must be willing to follow Jesus all the way and be with Him, which of course is borne out of true love, as well as put Him first in all areas of his life. A disciple deliberately separates himself from the world and its pleasures and pressures and is ready to be conformed to the image of his Lord and Savior, so that he can stand through the storms of life.
Discipleship is a lifelong process by which a believer is taught and trained in doctrines and precepts to become like his Master, the Lord Jesus. It is a demonstration that he has left the world, its system, ideas and philosophies, Colossians 2:8-9.
It is painful to know that so many Christians today do not know about discipleship. The truth is that until a believer responds to the call of God to be set apart for a lifelong training and made fit for the Master’s use, he can spend years ‘playing’ church. In John 8:31-32, the Lord Jesus said, “if ye continue/abide in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. As such there is need to encourage every new convert, and believers in general, to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. It is very necessary for every Assembly of Believers to put in place a discipleship program.
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What are the qualities of a true disciple? Matthew 11:28-30
“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”, Matthew 11:28-30. This invitation from the Lord is a call to discipleship.
Some qualities a true disciple should possess include the following:
Promptly responds to the call to salvation and discipleship without procrastination:
“Then He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” Matthew 4:19-20
Must be willing to follow Jesus and learn from Him, forsaking all:
Luke 5:4-11, “. . .they forsook all and followed Him.”
Must be ready and willing to yield his will to the Lord and be led by Him: Proverbs 3:5
Should be ready to publicly declare Jesus as Lord and be a witness for Him: Matthew 10:32-33; 5:14-16
Have and Grow in the knowledge of God’s Word:
If we are followers of Christ, we must know His word. Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”, John 8:31-32
Accountability:
We are accountable to one another, and to the Lord. Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 5:2-5
Godly fellowship:
A disciple needs to be in fellowship with other believers. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers”, Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:25
Prayerful:
A disciple communicates with God in prayer and through the Word; abides in Christ. John 15:7
Fruitfulness:
The sign of fruitfulness must be evidenced in the life of a disciple. John 15:8
Loves the Lord and His people:
A disciple demonstrates his or her love for God through obedience to God’s commands and instructions, John 15:9. These are by no means exhaustive.
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How will ‘self’ serve as a hindrance to true discipleship? Matthew 16:24
One battle that could take a long time to overcome in a believer’s life is that of ‘self’ or ‘flesh’. The reason is that self seeks to be seen and known. Self can show off, appear humble and yet be proud. Self can manifest also by relying on natural strength and human wisdom. Self can be obsessed with titles: Senior Pastor, Papa/Mama, Professor, Bishop, Reverend, Chief, etc. A true disciple therefore must strive to get rid of self even as our Brother Paul, who counted all his human achievements as dung that he may win Christ, Philippians 3:8.
There is no true freedom in a system run by the ‘self’ principle. This is unlike Christian leadership where the followers are free, not to rebel, but willingly give their lives in affection for the Lord. Self stands in the way of the move of God, so in discipleship, God wills to disengage us from ‘self’ by using the inward knowledge or revelation of the cross and the power thereof. We must realize that to disciples, all things are pre-arranged by the Lord to conform us into Christ’s image, Romans 8:28-29. We should give the Holy Spirit the free hand to ‘deactivate’ the life of ‘self’ or the ‘Adamic nature’ by the cross and ‘activate’ the life of Christ through resurrection. A true disciple must daily fellowship with Christ in the place of prayers, appropriate His death by faith so that only Christ’s life will be revealed and nothing of man. For further study, see Romans 6, 7 & 8, Galatians 2-6
Daily Living Application:
Jesus gave the church grace for dominion, power and authority to govern as Kingdom representatives in this world. This authority must begin from within every disciple/believer by dealing with ‘self’ or the ‘flesh’ factor through the finished work of Christ on the cross. The SELF you pamper in your life today may turn around to kill you tomorrow. So you must be willing to die to SELF; this is what the CROSS stands for; get up and follow Christ who has all it takes to make you fit into His perfect plan. He, Christ, must increase and we must decrease, John 3:30.
Memory Verse:
Luke 14:27 – “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be MY disciple.”