Tag Archives: being a disciple

July 26, 2024 · 4:42 AM

Truly Following Jesus

When I was a kid, we followed trends sets by TV and movie stars. I remember vice jackets, pastels and sock ties being a thing. I also remember saying, “I pity the fool” a lot. Today we follow influencers who tell us things to buy that we never knew we needed. When we follow people, we usually try to become like them. That’s why Jesus sent out the call, “Follow me.” He was inviting the disciples and us to become more like Him by learning how to live His way. If someone were to look at your life to see how you talk, how you dress, how you behave, etc., who would they say you follow? Does your life reflect that you’re following Jesus or people? Jesus’ invitation wasn’t to follow Him geographically. It was to learn the meaning of Scriptures and the lifestyle they require. A disciple is a student who takes the time to study, learn and change.

Here are some Bible verses on following Jesus:

1. And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 4:19 AMP

2. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me.

John 10:27-28 GNT

3. If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in heaven’s glory], there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

John 12:26 AMP

4. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”

John 8:12 GNT

5. And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 ESV

Photo by Jeremiah Ross on Unsplash

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January 25, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Discipleship

Becoming a follower of Jesus isn’t a one time event. Jesus told us that we would need to take up our cross daily in order to follow Him. Being a disciple is to constantly choose to sacrifice your desires for His. In Greek, the language the New Testament was written in, the word disciple is mathetes. According to Strong’s Concordance it means, “a learner; a disciple, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require.” What’s crazy is that Jesus didn’t tell us to go into all the world to make Christians. He told us to make disciples. We are to be followers of Christ who learn Scripture and live a life that daily reflects it. Paul said it was something we must press on for because it’s not an easy decision to make and live up to, but it’s who we’re called to be.

In Luke 18, Jesus encountered a man we’ve dubbed “the rich, young ruler”. He asked Jesus, in verse 18 he asked, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially and morally good], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?” (AMP) Jesus responded by telling him to follow the commandments in the Old Testament. The man wasn’t satisfied because he knew there was something more than following rules to being a disciple and follower of Jesus. So Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing; sell everything that you have and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” The man walked away sad because he wasn’t willing to take his next step in discipleship. He was ready to accept the Bible and Jesus as Lord, but unwilling to daily follow Him. Being a disciple is a matter of the heart.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.” What do you center your life on? Is it your desires or His? Do you seek Him for direction for your life or do you allow Him to lead? To me, that last question is the difference in being a Christian and a disciple. The rich, young ruler was asking for direction, but unwilling to let Jesus lead his life. He lived life according to the Bible, but his heart kept him from experiencing the fullness of Christ. He valued his life, possessions and desires more. He wasn’t willing to nail them to the cross and follow Jesus fully. We’re all faced with that choice as Christians. Are we satisfied with being saved or do we truly want to become like Him learning Scripture and the lifestyle it requires? It’s a daily choice each of us must make.

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

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October 10, 2022 · 5:46 AM

Being A Disciple

My wife was flipping through some Instagram stories and reels when she came across a young couple who had just landed in Rome. They showed their travel and continued by showing themselves getting a rental. They were so excited to show off the car, but while they were recording, they noticed it was a stick shift. She asked him if he knew how to drive one. He said, “No, but I’ll Google it real quick.” That got my attention. The girl said, “Keep following us as our adventure continues while he learns to drive stick shift through Rome.” The next part of their story was just text. It said, “We couldn’t do it. We kept stalling and causing traffic in Rome. We had to return the car and get an automatic.” If you drive a stick shift, you knew that was coming because you can’t learn somethings from Google. You need to be taught by a person.

Early on in Jesus’ ministry, He sat down in the synagogues to teach. They often were amazed at His grasp of Scriptures, but it wouldn’t be long before they got mad at Him. He then called twelve men who were willing to be discipled in God’s Word. Those men then discipled others as well. In Paul’s letters to the churches, we see where he did the same thing to show us a pattern of how to grow and mature in the faith. A good part of it is studying the Scriptures yourself, but the rest is done through submitting to learning from another person. In fact, the Greek word the New Testament uses for disciple means to learn and historically is between a teacher and pupil.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, “The things [the doctrine, the precepts, the admonitions, the sum of my ministry] which you have heard me teach in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others” (AMP). You can’t Google or study your way into a deeper relationship with God. You need to be discipled and mentored. It’s important that you find a Paul that you can talk to, ask questions of and learn from so you can better understand and apply God’s Word. You should also find yourself a timothy whom you can teach and lead. Being a disciple is what you and I are called to be and to make. If you want to experience more of what God has for you, follow this pattern of discipleship.

Photo by Meredith Spencer on Unsplash

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March 2, 2022 · 5:52 AM

Making A Trade

I’ve watched a few videos over the last couple of years where someone starts with a bobby-pin and makes a series of trades until they get a house. I think that’s both cool and interesting. There are websites and pages that are dedicated to trades. Ive heard of people going to swap meets as well to make trades. I’ve never been, but it sounds interesting. The idea that there’s someone out there who values something I have enough that they’re willing to trade something they own with me is intriguing. I’m always afraid I’m going to get the short end of the stick though. Fear keeps me from doing trades.

In Genesis 25, we read the story of Jacob and Esau. Esau was the first of the twins to be born, which was very important in those days. The first born received a double portion of their family’s inheritance because they were to become the new patriarch and would need to care for the wives and property of their father. The Bible tells us that Esau had been hunting and came home starving. His brother Jacob had made a stew. When his brother asked for some, Jacob proposed a trade. He offered a bowl of soup for Esau’s birthright. Esau accepted. He traded away his future, his monetary blessings, his material goods and spiritual blessings for a simple bowl of soup. What a terrible trade!

In Luke 14:33, Jesus proposed a trade to you and me. He said, “Likewise, unless you surrender all to me, giving up all you possess, you cannot be one of my disciples” (TPT). The trade He offers requires us to give up everything in exchange for being a disciple. Think about that. Have you traded everything to Him or have you held some things back? Each of us probably have some things we try to hold onto, but we must surrender everything and trade it to Him. Our future, our time, our money, our talents, our family, everything is what He requires for this trade. If we want to experience what being a true disciple of His is, we have to make that trade. The good news is that when we do make the trade, we get so much more in return, but it starts with an act of faith.

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January 3, 2019 · 5:42 AM

An Open Hand

To me, one of the most challenging things God has spoken to anyone in Scripture is in Genesis 12:1. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you’” (NLT). He was 75 years old at the time. He was well established, and yet God asked him to pack everything up and go to a destination that would be shown to him at a later time. His faith in action is inspiring to me. The Bible later says that his faith was counted at righteousness. That’s a faith we should all aspire to have.

Fast forward to the New Testament and Jesus spoke something very similar to all of us. In Luke 14:31 Jesus said, “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” Every one of us who follows Christ is given the same call that went out to Abram. I believe it’s God’s reminder to us that this place is not our home. Everything we have here is temporary and we can’t take it with us. We must be willing to let go of earthly things so we can receive from God the spiritual things that matter for eternity.

My wife and i try to keep an open hand for the things we have. When your hands are open to God, He can place things in them and take things out of them whenever He wants. Faith is trusting God with all you have and with the direction of your life. You may not get to know the destination. You may he asked to walk away from everything that’s familiar to you. God’s greatest blessings are stored up for those who are willing to give God whatever He asks for and for those who follow Him wherever He leads. What are you willing to let go of should God ask for it? Pray that God would help you keep an open hand and heart.

Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

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October 11, 2016 · 5:00 AM

Follow Me


My son, like most kids, loves to play chase around the house. I usually play along pretending he is faster than me, but sometimes I catch him. When he realizes that I’m going to catch him, the game changes very quickly. He says, “Just follow my footsteps!” He then goes around the living room, hopping, sliding, drumming on the couch, and other crazy movements to which I am to follow. I have to pay attention to where he went and how he went so I can follow correctly. Otherwise, I’m not following very well.

I often think about Jesus’ call of “Follow me” that He gave to the disciples and now to us. Follow me. Follow my footsteps. Do what I do. Say what I say. The disciples were so good at this that they were named Christians by others in Acts 11:26. The name “Christian” means follower of Christ. I find it interesting that it wasn’t something they labeled themselves as, but rather, based on their actions, they were called it. Are you and I self labeled Christians or do others label us that based on how we live?

I love how the Amplified Bible expounds on the meanings of words based on their original meaning. In Mark 2:14, Jesus went up to Matthew and said, “’Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk].’ And he got up and followed Him [becoming His disciple, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]” (AMP). Matthew was labeled as scum by another version, yet when He accepted the invitation of “Follow me”, he changed how he lived to follow Jesus’ example. How have our lives changed since accepting Him?

The call of “Follow me” goes out to everyone, but there’s a difference in following Jesus around and being His disciple, by accepting Him as your Master and Teacher through following His example. The Pharisees followed Jesus around, but it wasn’t enough to change how they lived. We each need to examine our life to see if we are following Jesus around or if we are following His example because there’s a big difference in labeling yourself a Christian and following His example to the point that others label you one. “Follow me” is more than a geographic change – it’s a lifestyle change. 

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September 24, 2015 · 5:30 AM

Seize The Day

  
“Follow me,” the call of Jesus, has gone out to everyone in every generation since He stepped foot on the earth. Since He was physically here, people have given excuses as to why they can’t. Some aren’t ready to rough it by giving up selfish pleasures. Others have priorities that take precedence in their lives. Some are waiting until they become financially stable before they follow Him. But others, like the disciples, drop everything and follow Him when He calls.

In Luke 9, Jesus experienced people with excuses. In verse 57, a person said, “I’ll go with you, wherever” (MSG). Jesus replied, “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know”. We don’t know how this person responded, but we can based on the rest of) the text we can assume he didn’t want to give up the security of his home for the security of Heaven. Like many of us, he valued the perishable things of this world instead of the imperishable.

In verse 59, “He [Jesus] said to another person, ‘Become my disciple, side with My party, and accompany Me!’ But he replied, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury (await the death of my father'” (AMP). Jesus refused and said, “First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s kingdom!” (MSG). You see, he wanted to go home, wait for his father to die, collect his inheritance, and then follow Jesus. We carry the Word of Life in us, and as Jesus said, life is urgent! We can’t wait to share our faith. We must do it now.

Then another person said, “I’m ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home” (MSG). He wanted to sell his belongings, get the cash, and then follow Jesus. In verse 62, Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backwards looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” We cannot procrastinate when we are called to follow Jesus. We are not guaranteed another day. Immediate obedience is what He’s looking for.

Which of these excuses have you given God? You don’t have time, so you’ll do it later? You can’t afford to do what God called you to? Your life isn’t at the right place right now? We’ve all given God an excuse as to why we can’t do what He’s called us to, but there’s still time if you have breath in your lungs. Pray that God would put an urgency in your heart to follow Him wherever and however He sees fit. Eternity is in the balance, and it can’t wait for some. Go out and give His life to everyone you meet today.

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