Jesus was clear about the cost of following Him; it requires a totally committed life: “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple”. [Luke 14:33] One must expect sacrifice: “Jesus said, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” [Matt. 16:24] Not all of Jesus’ followers were able to commit and many left Jesus after a while. [John 6:66] The reason being a lack of faith.
Jesus never used the word, Christian. [Acts 11:26]. The early church used “disciples” [Acts 13:52]; “saints” [Rom. 1:7] and “brothers” [1 Peter 3:8]. The name “Christian,” meaning “belonging to Christ,” was invented by outsiders and used derogatorily. Biblically, a Christian is a disciple of Christ; someone who has placed his faith in Jesus [John 1:12]. A Christian has been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit [John 3:3], “belongs to Christ”, and every day is transformed into the likeness of Christ [2 Cor. 3:18]. This is the work of the Holy Spirit and it sets us apart.
A Christian disciple follows Jesus Christ: believes, tests all things according to scripture, accepts, and assists in the spreading of the good news of salvation through Him. Christian discipleship is the reality by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by an indwelling Holy Spirit to overcome the pressures and trials of our present life and become more Christlike. This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to examine their thoughts, words, and deeds and compare them with the Word of God. This requires that we be in the Word continuously: studying, praying, and obeying. Peter tells us, we should always be ready to give the answer for the reason of the hope that is within us [1 Peter 3:15] (Susan) and to disciple others to walk in His way. According to Scripture, being a Christian disciple requires personal growth characterized by the following:
1. Putting Jesus first in all things [Mark 8:34–38] Christ’s disciples are set apart from the world. Our focus should be on our Lord and how to please Him in all areas of our lives; putting off self-centeredness, adding Christ-centeredness.
2. Following Jesus’ teachings (John 8:31–32). Be obedient children and doers of the Word [James 1:22]. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me” [John 14:21]. He is the perfect example of obedience. He lived on earth in total obedience to the Father even to death [Phil. 2:6-8]. Jesus was obedient to save souls, which is a principle to guide each one of us.
3. Bearing fruit (John 15:5–8). Christian disciples live fruitful lives displaying the fruit of the Spirit, good works, and “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” [Heb. 12:11]. Producing ‘fruit’ is not our job; our job is to abide in Christ, and the ‘fruit’ will come [John 15:1-8]. God’s goal is that we produce “much fruit” [v. 8], Christ uses us to bring about blessed change in a broken, fallen world.
4. Loving other disciples (John 13:34–35). Loving other believers is evidence of our being a member of God’s family [1 John 3:10]. Agape Love is as read in [1 Cor. 13:1-13]. These verses show that love is not an emotion; it is action. To love, we must do something and be involved in the process. One way to show love is to think more highly of others than of ourselves and to care for their interests [Phil. 2:3-4]. Another way is to be patient and not take offense at any provocation [1 Peter 4:8].
5. Making disciples of others (Matt. 28:18–20). Disciples multiply, “go and make disciples of all nations” [Matt 28:19]. We are to share the gospel, urging all people to believe and repent in Christ, but it also involves discipleship. Christians should be active, training people who will in turn train others. That is the pattern we see in Jesus’ ministry: He trained eleven men who spent the rest of their lives as disciple-makers, training all others to become disciple-makers. [2 Tim. 2:2]
A Christian disciple is one who knows that God’s gifts of grace are: not a wage, nor earned by our efforts, nor our length of service. A disciple puts Jesus first, obeys Him, produces good fruit, loves others, and makes disciples. Disciples are sure to make an impact in this fallen world for God’s glory. We must remind ourselves: all believers are to be saved and come to the truth; all believers are equal in God’s eyes, regardless of when they came to faith. God calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies. Jesus teaches we are all to be humble because those who are last in this world will be first in heaven.
Clearly, we must focus on our own journey with God and not compare our ways with others, avoiding feelings of envy or entitlement. Finally, we are to remind believers that when others are blessed, even when it seems disproportionate to their efforts, that we recognize God’s efforts are not like ours. God’s blessings are distributed according to His will and that we should trust that His plan for each Christian is perfect. AMEN
Just a suggestion:
Reading List 2025:
1. Bible – NKJV - Cover to cover – 3 pages per day. (Postpone the Remainder.)
2. Letters of Toleration, John Locke, 1689
3. Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis, 1952
4. Killing Jesus, Bill O’Reilly, 2013
5. The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis, 1418 – 1427
6. Gifted Hands, Ben Carson, MD, 1990
7. The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1937
8. In His Steps, Charles Monroe, Sheldon, 1896
9. The Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek, 1944
10. The Federalist Papers, Madison, Hamilton, Jay 1787 – 1788
11. On Liberty, John Stuart Mill, 1859
12. The Life of St. Francis, St. Bonaventure, 1904
13. The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel, 1998
Have a Blessed and Happy New Year - May you and you all thrive in twenty-five: spiritually, physically, mentally!!
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