Being a true disciple of Christ
I have been thinking a lot about being a disciple lately and what it really
means to follow Jesus. I decided to look up my Bible software and see how
the New Testament describes followers as Jesus. I found that it used the
term disciples 282 times, believers 26 times and Christians only 3 times.
This got me thinking about the terms disciple, believer and Christian.
Being the Bible geek that I am, I decided to look up the Greek words
used for disciple in the New Testament too. One is math-ay-tes this means
learner or pupil. The other is math-ayt-yoo-o this talks about being a
student or a pupil, but also a teacher too. It is about learning and also
passing it on to others.
Today I want to have a look at what the Bible says about being a
disciple and what things are expected from a true follower of Christ. Here
are some of the things.
1. A true disciple is willing to follow the call to discipleship
When Jesus called the first disciples we see that He came and saw the
fisherman by the lake in Mark 1:17-18. He simply said to them to, Come and
follow Me. We see that they heard the call, received it and simply left
everything to follow. He called them to be His followers or Disciples.
In New Testament times a disciple was someone who wanted to learn from
another person. You could become a disciple of a Rabbi, a Craftsman or a
Philosopher. The learner would attached themselves to the person and learn
the particular skill. Often the pupil had to beg over a period of time to be
the apprentice. If accepted, they would watch, learn, practice and
eventually do it by themselves. When the skill was fully transferred they
would go on their way.
This was very different to Jesus He chose His disciples, not the other
way around! He turned the whole process upside down when He chose His
disciples!
As we have seen, being a disciple was about connecting with someone else
to learn their ways. This is how it was for the 12 disciples that Jesus
called at the beginning of His public ministry. They stayed with Him for
three and a half years. The watched, learnt and were sent out to do things
themselves.
Being a disciple of Jesus is about committing to a way of life and of
learning and growth. It goes past just believing in something, it is more
about learning to follow and to heading in a new direction full steam ahead.
2. A true disciple wants to be part of God's plan for their life
The Bible tells us that God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives
and a disciple of Christ knows and understands this. The Bible says in
Ephesians 2:10, For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The NLT says, You
are God's masterpiece. This verse tells us that God has a great plan and
purpose for our lives. He has a destiny that He planned for us before the
world was made.
Because of this plan He has created us with certain gifts and abilities
so we can play our part in it. Just imagine that we could have been born at
any time in history, but God chose for us to be born now. We are not here by
chance and we are not living at this time in history with no purpose. God
has a plan and purpose for each of us and it is a great one! When we
deliberately seek out God's plan for our life and play our part in it, we
find ourselves being the most happy and fulfilled as we can be in this life.
Finding and following God's plan is a big part of being a true disciple.
3. A true disciple loves and accepts others like Christ did
In John 13:34-35 Jesus says, A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another. A true disciple should
love God and love others.
It is interesting when we look at the life of Jesus, we see that He
loved and cared for all types of people. Here are a few examples of the
different groups of people Jesus spent time with. The Sadducees, Pharisees,
Herodians, Romans, Zealots, Samaritans. Jesus also had followers who were
women which was unheard of for religious leaders of His time. He welcomed
children. Combine this with Jesus spending time with social outcasts of the
day like tax collectors, prostitutes and lepers shows that Jesus was a
Saviour for all people. He didn't discriminate. He just genuinely loved and
cared for people, no matter whom they were or what they had done.
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because
they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Loving
others the Jesus way means opening ourselves up to others and to want what
is best for them. It means being willing to come along side them and help
them if the need arises. It is interesting that it says people will know we
belong to Christ because of the love we show to others. A true disciple
loves people like Jesus did.
4. A true disciple shares their resources to help others
In this life we have a choice to spend our money how we please. We can
choose to save it and spend it all on ourselves or we can see ourselves as
stewards of God's resources. One of the great examples we see from the early
church in Acts 4:32-37. We see that the community of believers shared their
possessions and sold some things so others would not go without the basics
of life.
They understood what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:10,
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers. We should
really look out for each other and not just see this life and my
journey, but our journey together. A true disciple sees the world and
its needs through God's eyes and uses their resources accordingly. A
true disciple knows to store up their treasures in heaven as it tells us
in Matthew 6.
5. A true disciple helps others to follow Christ
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. This is the
last words of Jesus before He returned to heaven. We are told to make
Disciples, not Christians. As we saw earlier a disciple who is someone
who is committed to a journey of learning, service and growth. We are
called to help others start the journey of faith and life in Christ to
be disciples.
A true disciple knows how great it is to know, love and serve Christ and
they want to help others to follow Him too. For me personally, the day I
became a Christian is the greatest day of my life. Knowing Jesus
personally and asking Him into my life was a true turning point for me.
My life was good, but I lacked a sense of purpose or real meaning. Now
my life is full of hope, purpose and meaning and I want to share this
with others. I also want to share the great love Jesus has for others
too.
6. True disciples are known by Jesus and do the Father's will
In Matthew 7:21-23 there is a section titled, "True disciples" in the
NLT Bible. It says, "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!''
will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of
my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me,
"Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name
and performed many miracles in your name." But I will reply, "I never
knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws."
As I read this section of Scripture two things spring to mind. The first
is that being a true follower of Jesus is about being obedient to the
Father's will. Secondly, being a true follower of Jesus is about
relationship. Jesus' words "I never knew you" shows us that it is
possible to do good works and not be in relationship with Him. I can
have an intellectual knowledge of God and copy what other ministers do
and get good results, but a personal relationship might not exist. True
disciples are obedient to the Father's will and are in an ongoing
personal relationship with the Son.
Summary
As true disciples of Jesus Christ our heart attitude should be that
of a humble servant who loves God and loves others. They should try
their very best to live their lives in the same way that Christ lived
His. A true disciple should try to live out Jesus' teachings in a way
that blesses others and gives them a chance to follow Jesus themselves.
And finally a true disciple is known by Jesus and is obedient to the
Father's will.
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