27 January 2013
What is discipleship? Who is a disciple? How does one disciple another person to Christ? What does biblical discipleship truly look like and can it really be practiced in the 21st century? Is discipleship necessary to Christianity and the evangelization of the world? What will it take to have churches full of an ever expanding group of disciples who will love one another while loving God with all their hearts? Can the world even really be evangelized? Are disciples the only true Christians? These questions and many others must be answered and modern day followers of Jesus Christ must have deep convictions about the answers if they are in fact going to carry out the mission of Christ in this generation. This Series: A Quest for the Restoration of Biblical Discipleship will explore scripturally the need for discipleship and seek to answer these questions and many others. Put on your thinking caps,buckle your spiritual seatbelts and hang on for the ride as we put your faith and convictions to the test: is the Bible truly your standard for how you live as a Christian or have you lost your way? We will explore “the cost of a disciple”, “the lost art of disciple making”, “multiplying disciples” and several other topics in order to get to the truth. Question your convictions and compare them to the Word of God as we study out this radical teaching of Jesus.
The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. Isaiah 8:11-18. Clearly in the Old Testament it is taught that not all who claim to follow God truly love the Lord. The standard in Isaiah’s time had been diluted and polluted by false motives, false teachers, superstition and he was calling them to listen to the truth about following the Word of God. The prophecy here in Isaiah 8 is a call to seek out the “law among my disciples” rather than distorted views of God’s plan for man. In this passage and through chapter 11 is a prophecy of Jesus’ arrival and how his disciples would bring the truth and thus hope to the whole world! “…for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:9b
Acts 11:26b “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Up to this point in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles all “Christians” had been called disciples and the title Christian is only used 3 times in the Bible, therefore we must then know what a disciple is in order to know what a Christian is. In addition, the word “disciple” is used 29 times in the Bible: once in the Old Testament and 28 times in the New Testament while the word “disciples” (the plural use showing that they were together) is used once in the Old Testament and 266 times in the New Testament. Since this is the case we must come to a conviction that one cannot know what a true Christian is without knowing what a disciple is. This first study will explore the “Marks of a Disciple” or the distinguishing characteristics and heart one must display in order to be a disciple of Jesus. Since the words “disciple” and “disciples” are so frequently used, one must deduce that what a disciple is should be very clear. As the marks on a zebra (black and white) are clear and the look of a giraffe (long neck) is so clear due to their “distinguishing marks” then a disciple equally must be easy to recognize due to his/her distinguishing marks. What then are the marks of a disciple?
1. The Blueprint
Mark 1:14-20 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. The calling of the first disciples was not corrupted by false discipleship. Jesus called these men (his first disciples) to five standards that they then met in order to be his disciples. Without them these men would simply be another religious group and not the answer to the prophecy of Isaiah!
A. Repent – meaning change your thinking and turn from your sin. This is a 180° degree turning from wickedness AND the call to begin doing God’s will rather than your own will. Repentance then was and is a mark of a disciple. If a person will not repent then they cannot be a disciple of Jesus. Have you repented and maintained a state of brokenness in your walk with God?
B. Believe the good news – a true faith which embraces the teaching of Jesus, the gospel message, and obedience to it is necessary to fulfill the gospel. The word gospel (euaggelion: a good message) is both a noun (to be believed) and a verb (to be obeyed) and so cannot simply be a belief in a thing without obedience. A person then must “know” Jesus and “obey” Jesus in order to be his true disciple. Belief is not sufficient.
C. Come, follow me – Jesus states that in order to obey the gospel one MUST follow him. Where then did Jesus go? To the cross! Possibly the most radical of Jesus’ teaching on discipleship is that his followers must actually follow him wherever he went and he certainly laid down his life during his three year ministry and then he died a horrific death on the cross…he simply models, “Do as I do and as I say”. Imagine actually following in the steps of Jesus! How radical your life would be!
D. I will make you fishers of men – Jesus takes from these men their temporary purpose of survival and gives them an eternal purpose to become someone who passionately catches men. Since Jesus was/is the savior of the world and calls us to follow him we too are to go into the entire world with a passion and conviction to see the world saved. From the first day of his ministry Jesus was all about seeking and saving the lost and thus we too must have this heart to be his disciples.
E. At once – disciples of Jesus are not “hasty” and foolish but men who do not beat around the bush with years of excuses…they hear the voice of Jesus and follow- at once! A true Christian, a disciple then must make radical and urgent decisions based on following their new master. One can determine the humility and eagerness to follow just based on the rapidness of obedience.
Thus we learn in our first scripture that in order to be a disciple of Jesus one MUST have these five marks in their lives as they relate to following Jesus or one cannot be his disciple. How are you measuring up? Do you like comparing yourself to the disciples of the Bible? It is challenging and yet the true meanings of discipleship have been lost in modern day Christendom and so we must seek to restore them in order then to restore Jesus’ church. The marks of a disciple here are so very obvious and thus cannot nor must not be missed! Salvation is on the line since we know that a Disciple = Christian = Saved (Acts 11:26) we then know that this is an issue of eternal life.
2. The standard of discipleship is Jesus’ word
John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Many of us are familiar with this passage and yet when one takes a second and deeper look at the words of Jesus, this becomes a life or death verse that we must consider carefully! Jesus uses that intense little two letter word, “IF” to call out those who truly wanted to be saved. If and only if one holds [meineete or meno (men’-o); a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)] to the teaching of Jesus are they are able to claim the name “disciple of Jesus”. How then does one “hold” to this? In all circumstances, at all times, no matter the cost, no matter the price, without reservation and never backing down is how a disciple must “hold” to the teaching. While so many claim Christianity without obedience to the Word of God a true disciple is set apart from the world and even the religious world by his faithful obedience. Disciples then are free indeed…not trapped in a religious system that leaves them doubting or struggling to feel “saved” day after day. If you doubt your salvation, get into the Bible with a disciple and find the truth that sets you free!
3. Unconditional Love
John 13:34-35 “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.” Brutal! One of the most powerful, telling and radical teachings of Jesus is love…as he loved! This is His standard for a true disciple and the salvation of the entire world is on the line. How often do you let yourself get angry at another disciple and simply stop loving them? Do others in the church bother you? Do you avoid other members? Are you serving like Jesus who washed his disciples’ feet? Ask others around you that you respect and who live like true disciples to tell you the truth by answering a simple question: “Do I love like Jesus?” If the answer is no- get urgent and radical about repentance because you are in danger of not being a true disciple! Is there anyone in the congregation or in the movement that you cannot stand, don’t like, want to avoid, you feel critical of, don’t think is a disciple, doubt their hearts, have hurt you and you cannot seem to forgive…etc…? True “Jesus like” love is amazing and the only way to win the world. The worst way to lose the world is then to NOT love like Jesus. We are not striving to be just another church on the corner with a tiny impact but rather we are seeking to be true disciples of Jesus who will turn the world upside down with true discipleship. Only a love like Jesus’ love will accomplish this! How are you doing compared to the Bible?
In God We Must Trust,
Matt Sullivan
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