In our post last week, we kicked off a discussion on discipleship; one of those terms that gets used a fair amount in church circles but can get a bit challenging when someone asks you to explain what it means, in your own words, to a friend.
In our previous post, we laid the groundwork and provided some basic principles and definitions. If you’d like to read or re-read the full post before continuing, you may do so via this link.
Here, we’ll begin to build the structure for practicing and learning to become all that God has called us to be and finding the fulfillment that comes through living out God’s purpose for our lives.
Foundationally, discipleship is a conscious effort to follow Jesus and to learn to apply the principles He teaches in our daily lives.
Broadly, discipleship is a word to describe a continuous journey of spiritual growth.
A disciple is someone who believes Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, intentionally learns from Him and strives to be more like Him.
The first two things we’ve learned so far about becoming a genuine disciple of Jesus are:
- You must learn to love Him more than you love anyone or anything else in this world.
No one and no other thing must be more important in your life than your relationship with Jesus. If you are truly His disciple, you will seek Him first in all your decisions and you must place Him first in all of your priorities.
- You must take up your cross (that is, die to yourself) and follow Him.
Today, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day the cross represented a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion (see John 19:17). Bearing a cross meant one was about to die, and that one would face ridicule and disgrace along the way.
But what does the taking up of our cross really mean in today’s world? Can you say you are ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Are you sure? Consider these questions:
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your closest friends?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your reputation?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?
These potential losses for us have been made real for some others in the world today. While we may or may not actually face this type of persecution for following Jesus, notice the phrasing of the questions: “Are you willing?” Again, following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but the disciple of Christ must be willing to suffer loss. Are you willing to take up your cross? If faced with a choice—Jesus’ way or the comforts of this life—which do you choose?
I’ve spent some additional time again on this point, because it is so often misconstrued in our present culture. Discipleship and Christianity are related but not synonymous terms. Commitment to Christ along with being His disciple means taking up your cross daily; being willing to give up your hopes, dreams, possessions, and even your very life if need be, for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). It will, quite literally, cost you the whole world. Indeed, all the worldly things that possess you. But the eternal reward will be worth it. And remember, that as Jesus calls His disciples to “take up your cross and follow Me,” He, too, bore a cross. Our Lord led the way by/through His own example.
With these two attributes of genuine discipleship as a reminder, for the purposes of this post, I pray that the third attribute of a true disciple of Jesus may continue to spur our conviction.
- The disciple must turn the title deed of their life over to Jesus.
Wait, what? What does this mean? The Bible teaches that our bodies are not our own. (1 Cor 6:19-20). In our first post, we talked about not just stepping forward in faith, but stepping up and moving forward in our faith by genuinely placing Jesus, as the Lord of our life. Many of us may be good with accepting Him as Savior but are we willing to turn every aspect of our life over to Him and His Lordship? Are we truly willing to hear, apply and follow everything He might ask us to do? Are we willing to make the necessary changes it will take to truly be His disciple and represent Him as light in our darkened world? Luke 14, verse 33 says, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
I recognize that on first look, that may sound pretty extreme. But here, Jesus is simply reminding us that we’re not really the primary owners, especially of any of our material things. We’re managers, caretakers and stewards. Jesus’ admonition doesn’t mean that we are to get rid of all our stuff. But it’s important to remember, nothing that any of us has acquired has been gotten without Him being aware and knowing. Anything any of us has, can be taken away in an instant. Everything that we have, will one day be passed on. We can’t take it with us. Everything belongs to God. Therefore, we need to begin to look at everything we have as existing to, in some way, honor Him; that we are to be grateful and thankful to Him for it. And if there is something in our possession (or spirit) with which we cannot do that, then we should seriously consider what it’s doing in our lives and potentially even consider getting rid of it. It’s not a sin to have things but we’ve got to be willing to surrender our claims to our things. As said another way, “it’s not a sin to have things, but it may be a sin if your things have you.”
- A disciple must impact their culture.
Verse 34 of Luke 14 says, “34Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”
Our friends at gotquestions.org talk about it in this way: “Good salt was not something to be taken for granted in New Testament times. It required considerable effort to separate the sand and other impurities from the salt obtained from the Dead Sea. The distinctive mark of discipleship represented by salt, is our allegiance in pointing to Jesus and the gospel. To fulfill the great commission and help make Him known.”
Have you ever tasted salt that didn’t have any flavor? Probably not, right? What good is salt without its saltiness? So, this is a good analogy for us to put some thought and energy behind if we really want to be Jesus’ disciples.
We typically don’t think much about it. But again, in Jesus’ day, salt was a much bigger deal. It possessed many valued qualities. In addition to its taste and being used to flavor food, salt became such a valuable commodity that it was sometimes used to pay a worker his wages. (Hence the phrase we’ve come to know as, “He isn’t worth his salt.”)
Also, if you think about it; salt has impact. It makes a difference. A little bit of salt can go a long way. Have you ever tried it on watermelon or maybe cantaloupe? It really adds flavor. In addition to seasoning food, salt is sometimes used to melt ice in places that have winter weather as it begins to accumulate on city sidewalks, roads and bridges. Just as salt can help melt an icy road or walkway, the impactful Christian disciple, filled with the love of Jesus, can help warm and soften the heart of a friend, co-worker, family member or even an enemy when applied patiently and correctly.
Before refrigeration, as we know it today, salt was also used as a preservative to slow or stop the rotting process, particularly in meat and other food. In the same way, we can slow or even stop the spread of evil. A disciple of Christ may speak up to defend truth and what’s right; in the marketplace, a classroom, their neighborhood or even in their friend group – wherever they may find themselves in our culture when they hear something that’s just wrong, and lovingly seek to correct it. Not only are we called to stop the spread of evil and seek to stop bad things from happening, but we’re also called to speak out for the most important thing by pointing people to Jesus Christ. One way to do this is to you share your story of how a relationship with Him has impacted your life. It’s impossible for anyone to refute the truth of what you’ve been through nor how you’ve seen Him in it.
Another imitable attribute of salt for the disciple, is that it stimulates thirst. (Think movie-theater popcorn and how they salt it so much that after eating a few kernels at your seat, you’re so thirsty that you feel compelled to go back the concession stand and shell out the additional $25 for a ridiculously sized drink.) This is the kind of thirst disciples are called to stimulate in others around us. We are literally called “to make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19-20) But you can’t begin to make a disciple unless you are one. A true disciple will stimulate even a non-believer’s interest by our attitudes and demeanors, our example, the way we live our lives, our testimonies and support. We can literally lead others to learn to become followers of our Lord and Savior just as, at one point, we ourselves were led. One of the greatest compliments that can be paid, is when a non-believer asks a Christian, “What is it about you that’s different?” Or, even better, “How can I get what you have?” You’re doing your job as a disciple when you create thirst in another.
In verse 34 of Luke 14, in essence, the point Jesus is making with this salt analogy is that we’re not going to be very effective as “almost-Christians” or “sort-of disciples.” What good is someone who claims to be a believer and follower of Jesus but has no impact whatsoever upon their culture? A true disciple recognizes that the experiences they’ve had helps to create their story. And their story can have a dynamic impact upon the people around them. Jesus is using this literary tool of comparison to make sure you understand, you have value. Your life experiences have made you valuable and your life can make a difference in other’s lives. Don’t squander the opportunity. It’s another things Jesus calls us to when He says, “Follow me.”
And this brings us to our 5th and final point for this post.
- Disciples produce fruit.
When you diligently follow Jesus and His teachings and seek to be obedient to them as you apply them throughout your life, an abundance of good things begin to happen. One of those things is referred to as producing (or bearing) fruit. Jesus, himself, speaks about this in John 15, verses 4 – 9. He uses the illustration of a vine (Himself) in relation to its branches (His disciples) and says that unless we remain attached to him, we will produce nothing. More than a metaphor, however, for disciples of Jesus, this is a call to action.
Things that need power to operate, must have a power source. Brilliant, eh?
But a similar truth exists in things that produce fruit. Trees and vines that aren’t regularly watered and fed with healthy nutrients, eventually shrivel up and die, producing no fruit. Healthy trees and vines produce the best and most fruit. Matthew 7, verses 17-20 similarly remind us, “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
If we’re going to be disciples and produce good fruit, we must stay connected to Jesus, our loving vine and provision. Being, remaining in and applying God’s Word to our lives leads to fruitful discipleship. This cannot be overstated so it is also something we’ll dig deeper into in a future post and describe more about what that means and looks like.
It’s also important to know and remember; bearing fruit isn’t just about what you do, it’s also about how you do it. James 3:17 teaches, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Our discipleship in Christ naturally produces fruit made up of each of these savored characteristics.
Fruit is produced as we learn from those before us and as we teach others who are also stepping up and moving forward in their faith behind us. Here again, being a disciple while making disciples at the same time produces good fruit.
Some practical examples of fruit that disciples produce may include the visible changes that others can see in us;
- Learning to respond vs. react.
- Listening and learning to ask good questions of others versus just always telling them what we think they need to hear.
- Taking the high road when Satan or others press to have us speak or act poorly
- Seeking the good and positive in all things instead of regularly peppering our speech and thoughts with negativity.
- Asking and learning what genuine love requires of us, especially where culture spews and encourages only rudeness or hatred.
- Doing or saying something kind for others without having any ulterior motive or expecting anything in return. What other examples come to your mind?
Bearing fruit as Jesus’ disciples will enrich not only your own life but the lives of everyone around you.
I pray that you are inspired and encouraged by these 5 steps toward discipleship, remembering that it doesn’t happen all at once but as a continuous, life-long process.
A process that we get better and better at, the more we practice and work through it.
Discipleship is our calling and great gift as we find the fulfillment of living in God’s purpose for our lives. I treasure that we’ve been giving the opportunity to practice and grow in it together.
Right here with you,
Terry