CHRIST’S DEMAND FOR TRUE DISCIPLESHIP

Matthew 16:24; Luke 14:26-28, 33; 16:1-13

 

Discipleship is the state of following Jesus Christ, serving and obeying Him. As soon as our Lord Jesus started His earthly ministry, He began to make many disciples, notable among whom were His twelve apostles. These first line disciples obeyed Christ’s command (Mat.28:2-28) and made other disciples. And so through the centuries of Christian ministry, the Church has made more and more disciples. These disciples have followed in the footsteps of Christ their Master. They suffered persecution in the name of Christ. But as we have learned, persecution will prepare us, purge us, purify us, make us patient, leads us to perseverance, increase our power, send us on our knees to prayer, and makes us prepared for the coming of Christ. True disciples of Jesus Christ are overcomers whose names are written in the book of life, whose mansions are being prepared by Jesus Christ, whose home will be the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

We are going to look at the command, the conditions, the cost, the consequences and the compensation of true disciple.

1.     The Call To True Discipleship 

The call to true discipleship is a call to every true believer. It is not a call meant only for apostles, evangelists or pastors or workers only. To be an apostle you must first be a true born again believer, a true disciple. To be an evangelist you must first be a true disciple.  To be a pastor, you must first be a true disciple. To be a leader of any sort in the church you must first be a true disciple. Discipleship involves following. The Pharisees claimed to be the disciple of Moses (John 9:28). They made a show of upholding the Law. Our Lord Jesus Christ called people to follow Him (Mat.4:18-20; 9:9). A disciple of Jesus Christ must follow Him; He must follow His teaching (John 8:30-31; 15:4-7); He must follow His example of service to others (John 13:13-17); His example of love (John 13:34; 15:9, 12; 16:27); His example of suffering (John 15:18-20; 2Tim.3:12; 1Peter 2:21). True Christian disciples are still following in this footsteps of Christ. True disciples follow promptly (Mat.4:19-22; 9:9). Therefore in following Jesus Christ, the disciple must:

(i)                  Learn from God (John 6:45; Eph.5:1-2)

(ii)                Learn from Christ (Mat.11:28-30; John 8:30-31; 13:15; 1Pet.2:21; 1John 2:6)

(iii)               Learn from The Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 16:13; 1Cor.2:13)

(iv)              Learn from Other People (Deut.31:12; 1Cor.4:16; 11:1)

Learning is what characterises disciples. In most known religions of the world, disciples are devoted to learning the teaching of their masters and following in their footsteps. Even though these teachings and examples are not going to earn them any eternal reward, they hold them tenaciously and assiduously.  If these people are so passionate in holding unto unfruitful tenets, and doctrines and teachings that at best lead to death, how much more should we hold unto the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Good Shepherd, the saviour of the world?

So to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, you must follow Him (Mat.4:18-20), and you must learn from Him (Mat.11:28-29).

2.     The Conditions Of True Discipleship

Let us begin with a quotation from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ." In contrast to this is costly grace, Bonhoeffer continues,

"Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light. The term “costly grace” should not be taken to mean a works-based salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith. J.I. Packer said that “…free grace in one sense, will cost you everything”.

What then are the conditions of true discipleship?

(i)                  Unquestionable, undisputable LOVE for CHRIST (Luke.14:26)

(ii)                Uncompromising DENIAL of SELF (Mat.16:24)

(iii)               Unflinching CHOOSING of the CROSS (Mat.16:24)

(iv)              Unswerving FOLLOWING of Christ (Mat.16:24)

(v)                Unfeigned LOVE for all who belong to Christ (John 13:35; 1Cor.13:4-7)

(vi)              Unrelenting CONTINUANCE in His Word (Luke 9:26; John 8:31)

(vii)             Unregrettable FORSAKING of all to follow Christ (Luke 14:33)

 

3.     The Cost Of True Discipleship

What will it cost you to be a true disciple? Everything! It will cost you your life. It will cost you your family. It will cost you your friends. It will cost you your wealth. It will cost you your reputation. It could even cost you your job. If your spirit man is still raw, you will struggle with true discipleship. True discipleship demands

(i)                 Death (Mat.16:25; John 12:24; 1Cor.15:31; Gal.2:20). Speaking about Himself Jesus said a corn of wheat must fall down and die in order to produce more corn, else it abides alone, fruitless. Discipleship is about losing your life. It is about dying with Christ and for Christ. Have you been crucified with Christ? Or are you still raw?

(ii)               Denial (Mat.16:24)

(iii)             Discipline ( Prov.25:28; 1Cor.9:24-27; 2Tim.2:3-5; Heb.12:1-4)

(iv)              Devotion (Luke 14:26-27, 33). Did you notice the tone of finality in the words of Jesus? If you cannot and do not forsake all you have and follow him, you CANNOT be His disciple. If you claim to be one, he will come back and say, I don’t know you!

True discipleship is costly. Stephen was the first martyr of the Church; James the brother of John died next for his faith. Church history tells us that only John among all the apostle of Jesus died naturally. For the rest, some were hauled to lions in the arena to entertain Caesar and his senators. Others were tortured, or crucified – Peter was crufied upside down. Jim Eliot was an American missionary to the Auca Indians of Ecuador. He and four other missionaries went to reach the violently dangerous tribe. Before they could speak any word of the Gospel to them, they were ambushed and all four of them were murdered by the Auca Indians. Elliot wrote in his diary, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”. After their death, his widow and others went back to the Auca Indian and preached Christ to them. We are told that an entire village confessed Christ as saviour including the man who confessed to killing Elliot. Missionaries are regularly sealing their testimony with their lives.

The Lord demands for true discipleship with readiness to follow and serve Jesus.

4.     The Consequences Of True Discipleship

Many souls are brought into the Kingdom. The Church is expanded and multiplied (Acts 8:4-8)

5.     The Compensation Of True Disciples

True disciple have a lot of divine promises awaiting them (Mark 10:28-30)

6.     Cumbrances To True Discipleship (Luke 9:57-62)

"Lord, ...me first"!!!!

(i) Love for earthly Comforts

(ii) Precedence of a Job or Occupation

(iii) Priority of Family ties

 

As someone had said, "when we think of forsaking all, we think we would starve" this is a fallacy. "If Christians forsook all, who will fund Christian work?" This is another fallacy that assumes that we must create wealth in other for Christian work to progress. The Lord will always use His disciple and others to fund His work. James Hudson Taylor, said, "God's work done in God's way will not lack God's supply"

 

If we believe that Christ is coming again will we not put our money and resources in use for Christ and the Gospel rather than reserve them for use by the anti-Christ and his disciples on earth?

Do you know what it means to sell what you have? (Luke 18:22-25).

In the parable of the unjust steward, Jesus pointed out to us how wise the children of this world can be for their effort to provide for their future, even using unjust means to achieve their aim. If they can do it for something that does not pay, how much more should we use all in our means for the full propagation of the gospel. This is what Jesus meant by making friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, and laying our treasures in heaven.