What Does a Christian Disciple Look Like?
Dear Phil,
What does a Christian disciple look like?
Richard
What does a Christian disciple look like?
Richard
Dear Richard,
Jesus’ call to discipleship stands in stark contrast to contemporary, seeker–sensitive approaches to evangelism. For the last forty years we’ve been told that we should avoid putting people off with language that will offend their sensibilities. Out with the negative; in with the positive. Out with the cross; in with the crown. Out with hell and damnation; in with health, happiness, and heaven. Out with demands for radical reorientation of a person’s life; in with “God loves you just as you are.”
But what did Jesus say to potential followers? How did He present discipleship?
Jesus demanded radical commitment. A disciple has counted the cost (Luke 14:28–33) and is ready to deny himself and sacrifice anything and everything (Luke 14:26), including his life (Luke 9:23; Matt 16:24), to follow Jesus unswervingly (Luke 9:62), and without regard to what others do or don’t do (John 21:19–22). The call Jesus issued was never a “check–itout–and–see–if–you–like–it” call.
The very radicalness of Jesus’ call, however, can be misperceived. Jesus invited little children to him (Matt 19:14). He saved the demoniac of Gerasa, but didn’t allow him to follow him. Instead, he sent him out to proclaim what God had done for him (Luke 8:38–39). In other words, the nature of the self–denial and sacrifice to which Jesus called his followers wasn’t the same in each case. Matthew, Peter, John, and Philip were called to leave their jobs, but the Thessalonians were told to keep working (1 Thess 4:11).
The least common denominator for all his disciples was Jesus’ demand of unwavering loyalty, public identification, willingness to lose one’s life, and purposeful patterning of one’s life after his.
When you survey how Jesus describes what a disciple of his does, you find that a disciple follows, learns, and serves Jesus (John 12:26; Luke 9:23; Matt 16:24; John 10:27), seeks to abide in his word (John 8:31), prays and fasts (Luke 5:33–35; Matt 9:14), identifies publicly with Jesus (Luke 9:26), suffers whatever circumstantial discomforts and deprivations following Jesus entails (Matt 8:19–22), learns to fish for men (Matt 4:19), disciples other disciples (Matt 28:19–20), receives baptism as a sign of his commitment to follow Jesus (Matt 28:19), learns to do all Christ has commanded (Matt 28:19), provides spiritual value to others (Matt 13:52), loves his fellow disciples as himself (John 13:35), bears much fruit to the Father’s glory (John 15:8), and strives to be fully trained (Luke 6:40). If required, he sells his possessions (Matt 19:21), and leaves his current vocation (Matt 9:9).
Such commitment is richly rewarded. Those who respond to Jesus’ call become part of his family (Matt 12:49), are secured by the Father’s hand (John 10:29), hear the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27), receive a hundred times as much as they sacrifice in this life (Mark 10:30), gain eternal life (John 10:28), and experience the freedom Jesus’ word provides (John 8:31–32).
In sum, a Christian disciple is a radically committed follower of Jesus who is seeking to live like Jesus in every facet of life, including making disciples of others. He/she has not arrived at full Christlikeness (Matt 10:24–25) but is marked by a desire for growth and a willingness to receive instruction and correction (Matt 16:5–12; 17:19–20).
Blessings,
Phil
Jesus’ call to discipleship stands in stark contrast to contemporary, seeker–sensitive approaches to evangelism. For the last forty years we’ve been told that we should avoid putting people off with language that will offend their sensibilities. Out with the negative; in with the positive. Out with the cross; in with the crown. Out with hell and damnation; in with health, happiness, and heaven. Out with demands for radical reorientation of a person’s life; in with “God loves you just as you are.”
But what did Jesus say to potential followers? How did He present discipleship?
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Jesus demanded radical commitment. A disciple has counted the cost (Luke 14:28–33) and is ready to deny himself and sacrifice anything and everything (Luke 14:26), including his life (Luke 9:23; Matt 16:24), to follow Jesus unswervingly (Luke 9:62), and without regard to what others do or don’t do (John 21:19–22). The call Jesus issued was never a “check–itout–and–see–if–you–like–it” call.
The very radicalness of Jesus’ call, however, can be misperceived. Jesus invited little children to him (Matt 19:14). He saved the demoniac of Gerasa, but didn’t allow him to follow him. Instead, he sent him out to proclaim what God had done for him (Luke 8:38–39). In other words, the nature of the self–denial and sacrifice to which Jesus called his followers wasn’t the same in each case. Matthew, Peter, John, and Philip were called to leave their jobs, but the Thessalonians were told to keep working (1 Thess 4:11).
The least common denominator for all his disciples was Jesus’ demand of unwavering loyalty, public identification, willingness to lose one’s life, and purposeful patterning of one’s life after his.
When you survey how Jesus describes what a disciple of his does, you find that a disciple follows, learns, and serves Jesus (John 12:26; Luke 9:23; Matt 16:24; John 10:27), seeks to abide in his word (John 8:31), prays and fasts (Luke 5:33–35; Matt 9:14), identifies publicly with Jesus (Luke 9:26), suffers whatever circumstantial discomforts and deprivations following Jesus entails (Matt 8:19–22), learns to fish for men (Matt 4:19), disciples other disciples (Matt 28:19–20), receives baptism as a sign of his commitment to follow Jesus (Matt 28:19), learns to do all Christ has commanded (Matt 28:19), provides spiritual value to others (Matt 13:52), loves his fellow disciples as himself (John 13:35), bears much fruit to the Father’s glory (John 15:8), and strives to be fully trained (Luke 6:40). If required, he sells his possessions (Matt 19:21), and leaves his current vocation (Matt 9:9).
Such commitment is richly rewarded. Those who respond to Jesus’ call become part of his family (Matt 12:49), are secured by the Father’s hand (John 10:29), hear the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27), receive a hundred times as much as they sacrifice in this life (Mark 10:30), gain eternal life (John 10:28), and experience the freedom Jesus’ word provides (John 8:31–32).
In sum, a Christian disciple is a radically committed follower of Jesus who is seeking to live like Jesus in every facet of life, including making disciples of others. He/she has not arrived at full Christlikeness (Matt 10:24–25) but is marked by a desire for growth and a willingness to receive instruction and correction (Matt 16:5–12; 17:19–20).
Blessings,
Phil