Discipleship

Introduction

I. Who is a disciple?

II. What is discipleship?

i. The call to discipleship

ii. Discipleship begins with repentance

iii. Discipleship is following Christ progressively

III. The cost of discipleship

i. Discipleship is following the path of cross

ii. Discipleship is costly

iii. Discipleship is following the Kingdom values

iv. The reward of discipleship

IV. Discipleship is about knowing God

i. Discipleship is knowing Jesus: Regular devotion, Bible study and prayer

ii. Discipleship is becoming like Jesus: Imitating Jesus

iii. Discipleship is walking in the Holy Spirit: The spirit filled life

V. Discipleship is about life transformation

i. The first step of discipleship- Repentance

ii. Character formation: daily renewal

iii. Dying and rising in Christ

iv. Right priorities

v. True worship

vi. Doing good works

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VI. Discipleship is about living “in the world but not of the world”

i. Disciple and Money

ii. Disciple and time

iii. Disciple and spiritual disciplines

VII. Discipleship is about fellowship

i. Being part of the body of Christ the Church

iii. Loving one another

VIII. Discipleship is about making disciples

i. Witnessing & Evangelism

ii. Follow up

iii. Teaching

Conclusion

Suggested Readings:

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich., The cost of discipleship, New York: Macmillan, 1966

Bruce, A. B., The Training of the Twelve, Hyderabad: Authentic Books, 2013

Maiden, Peter., Discipleship, Secunderabad: Authentic Books, 2007

Paulose, M., Discipleship, Rameswaram: Body of Christ ministries, 2014

Sanders, Oswald., Spiritual Leadership, Chicago: Moody Pub, 1994

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 Introduction

Two thousand years ago Jesus came into this world to make disciples. He choose
the disciples to be with him and to be part of his work in the world. Today also his
mission is the same as he is interested in making disciples to be partners of what he is
doing in this world. There is only one way to be part of God’s kingdom and all that God
is doing in this world- that is to become a disciple of Jesus.

Though Jesus was surrounded by a crowd most of the times and he was involving
in public ministry of healing and delivering people of their bondages, he invested his time
and energy in the twelve chosen disciples. It was a deliberate effort on the part of Jesus to
raise disciples to carry out his mission of establishing his kingdom and bring
transformation in the world. The Scripture makes it clear that out of his many disciples he
choose twelve to be with him. Jesus had chosen them to make them into the men who
would carry out his mission to the whole world.

It is easy to follow a religion or an ideology or to follow certain rules and practice

some rituals, but to become a disciple and follow Christ one has to pay a huge price. Who
is a disciple? How do we become a disciple? What is discipleship? How does a disciple
need to live in this world? Why is discipleship important? These are the questions that we
will look into in this book.

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 I. Who is a disciple?

The word disciple comes from the Greek word ‘mathetes’ which means a learner
or pupil. A disciple is a learner, one who follows both the teaching and the teacher.

A disciple is the one who follows the master by obeying and following the
footsteps of the master. What are the distinctive marks of a disciple? How is a disciple
different from the believer? What does the life of a disciple entail?

“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send
them out to preach, and to have power to heal sickness and to cast out demons.” Mark
3:14, 15

@ a disciple stays with the master: “that they might be with Him”

@ a disciple follows the footsteps of the Lord: the disciples followed wherever the
master went…

@ a disciple is a learner of the master: the Lord taught the disciples privately…
(Luke 12:1)

@ a disciple obeys the master: the disciples obeyed the Lord in everything…

@ the goal of a disciple is to become like the master: the disciples where
transformed by being with Jesus (Acts 4;13)

@ the mission of a disciple is to preach the Kingdom: “…and that He might send
them out to preach, and to have power to heal sickness and to cast out demons.” (Mark
3:14, 15)

Jesus did not come to make people the followers of a particular religion or belief
but precisely to make disciples dedicated to follow Him. A disciple is not one who
follows a set of beliefs or doctrine and is satisfied by practicing some rituals rather he is
one who follows the footsteps of the master.

Questions to Reflect

1. Who is a disciple?

2. What are the distinctive characteristics of a disciple of Jesus?

3. Do you want to become a disciple and follow the Lord?

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 II. What is discipleship?

Discipleship could be described as the life long process of following the Lord in
becoming like him. A disciple is one who follows the master. Discipleship could then be
outlined as the task of the disciple in following the master.

Discipleship is not about following believing some doctrines and practicing some
rules and regulations of Christian life rather it is about “obedience”. Jesus in his
commission to disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 commanded them to “teach them to
obey”. Discipleship is about obedience and it is about obeying all that our master taught.
Obedience is the way to follow the master.

What does the process of discipleship involve? Discipleship basically involves all
that we do in following the footsteps of our Lord. It begins with responding to the call of
the Lord to follow him, progressively following upon the path set forward by the master
and finally becoming like the master.

i. The call to discipleship:

Who can follow Jesus as a disciple? Or how can one become a disciple of Jesus?
Discipleship begins with the call of the Lord to follow Him. The call of the Lord is open
to all the people to respond and follow Him.

“Can anything good come from Nazareth (of Galilee)” Nathanael from Cana of
Galilee asked Philip. Such was the low opinion of the Palestinians about Galilee during
the days of Jesus. Isaiah spoke about Galilee as a place of darkness (Isaiah 9:2). Galilee
was spoken of as “Galilee of Gentiles” because of its close proximity to the Gentile
population. During the days of Jesus the geographical distance of Galilee from the seats
of government and the mainline activities at Jerusalem gave the place its typical
backwardness and poverty associated with the word ‘darkness’. The dialect of the people
betrayed them in other places of Palestine because of their uncouth pronunciation.

This was the place that Jesus chose to dwell and do most of his preaching and
healing ministry. Of the twelve disciples that Jesus had chosen eleven were from Galilee.
Judas of Iscariot was the only disciple who did not belong to Galilee. To the disciples
who had been in the darkness of spiritual ignorance there had sprung up a marvelous
light. They were like the sheep gone astray in the valley of death, neglected and uncared
for.

It was after a whole night of prayer (Luke 6:12) that Jesus undertook to chose and
separate the twelve as his disciples. Though it was purely God’s guidance and counsel

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that helped Jesus in choosing the disciples yet there must have been some qualities that
made them worthy to be chosen. Why did Jesus choose these Galileans as his disciples?
What qualities did Jesus seek in these twelve?

They were dedicated followers- The first quality of the twelve disciples that comes
to our mind is their willingness to leave everything and follow the master. When Jesus
called them to follow him, some like Peter and John left their vocation of fishing,
Mathew left his well paid job of tax-collection and for sure others also left their
everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11). That is what set them apart from others.
Following the Lord must be the supreme priority of a disciple. Any vocation, relation or
possession that is held by the person must be secondary to the primary call of following
the Lord. That is what makes a person a disciple or follower of the Lord. A person can
become a disciple only when he follows the master.

They were teachable- The Galilean disciples though did not have any educational
or religious qualification to boast about they were willing to learn and they were
teachable. They were not prejudiced like the Pharisees. Most people listen to the word of
God with a prejudice and so they are not able to learn what God wants to teach. “I thank
you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise
and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your
sight.” Jesus said these words as he was filled with the joy of the Spirit when he saw the
spiritual experiences and the ministry of his disciples (Luke 10:21). One of the most
important criteria for our choice of disciples must be: Are they teachable?

They were humble- True to their humble background they had a humble nature. It
is true that they constantly bickered over who is greatest among them but they had sense
of humility throughout their life. This is clearly evident from the outspokenness of the
disciples, especially that of Peter, who unlike the Pharisaic character was straight forward
in his speech and activities. They were willing to be corrected by the Lord.

They were submissive- Jesus was submissive to his earthly parents (Luke 2:51)
and thereby set a pattern to be followed by us. A reading of the gospels makes it clear
that the disciples were submissive and obedient to Jesus in all things. We don’t see them
rebelling or questioning their master even once. Submissiveness is a very important
quality that we must seek in a disciple. If a disciple is not submissive to the master then
discipleship cannot proceed any further than class room teaching.

Jesus had a large following, but in matters of discipleship he was very particular.
In fact Jesus had other followers than the twelve (Luke 10:1) whom he appointed and

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send for his mission, but he invested his life particularly in his twelve disciples. Luke
6:13 makes it clear that Jesus had many disciples following him but he choose the twelve
out of them to be with him and send them out as apostles.

Jesus was most of the time surrounded by a crowd of people who came to him for
healing and to see his ministry. But Jesus set his focus on disciple-making and his
purpose was to train those who were ready to follow him. The twelve were special
because they had left their everything and followed the Lord in a radical way. They were
the ones with whom Jesus spend his life. However there were also other followers who
were as dedicated but came in the next level or sphere of discipleship. They were without
names but were nevertheless chosen by the Lord to follow him.

Today also Jesus is calling us to follow him? The call to be a disciple of the Lord
is open to all the people. However to follow Jesus we need to be dedicated to our master,
teachable to learn from the master and humble to follow Him.

Questions to discuss

1. What were the qualities that the disciples had?

2. Why is it important for us to be teachable to be disciples?

3. Do we have these qualities as the disciples of the Lord?

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 ii. Discipleship begins with repentance

How does a person become a disciple of Jesus? A person becomes a disciple of

Jesus when a person is born again. A person is born again by the Holy Spirit when he or
she believes in the Lord Jesus as his or her Lord and savior. This is a definite decision of
faith whereby he decides to follow the Lord of his or her life. However the experience of
being born again becomes complete only when he or she repents of his or her sins.
Repentance is a turning away from the paths of sin to follow the path of righteousness.
The first message of Jesus was about repentance as we read in Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The message and the gospel that the Apostles
preached was based upon the first step of repentance (Acts 2:38; 3:19).

Repentance is a total turning from all the previous walks of life to follow Jesus.
Without real repentance there is no real discipleship. Many people think discipleship is
all about shifting allegiance from the previous religion to the Christian religion or from
previous worship of other gods to the worship of Jesus. Many think that gospel is all
about making our life better, happy, peaceful and blessed because that is what they are
looking for in the present life. While the gospel promises all these blessedness however
the fundamental aspect about discipleship is repentance from all our sinful and worldly
ways. The story of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:14f illustrates how lack of repentance
can lead to a crisis in discipleship. this very effectively. Simon had just shifted his
allegiance from sorceries to Jesus without real repentance. He was still the same, power
hungry, money minded and with a wicked heart. That is the reason his hypocrisy was
soon found out and he received a harsh admonishment from Apostle Peter. On the other
hand the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 evidently sets forth repentance as the act whereby
one renounces the former ways of sinful life and also gives back fourfold times what has
been taken by unjust means. Zacchaeus portrayed real repentance and Jesus called him
the son of Abraham. The cost of repentance is very high as is set forth by the example of
the disciples in Ephesus when they brought together the books of magic, the price of
which totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver (one piece of silver amounted to a day’s
wages in those days) and burned them publically (Acts 19:19).

Repentance involves basically three things:-

Godly Sorrow over the sin: True repentance means that the person who repents of his sin
must be sorrowful of the sins that he or she has committed. It not a simple remorse for the
sins but a godly sorrow for the sins committed. (2 Corinthians 7:9, 10)

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Renouncing our sins or turning away from sin: From the life of Zacchaeus we can
understand that he renounced his sinful life. He was a tax collector, and as such he loved
money (as is evident from the fact that he used to take money from the people illegally).
However the fruit of his repentance is seen in the fact that he was ready to give half of his
goods to the poor. After meeting Jesus he was no more a lover of money and that is why
he was ready to share his wealth.

Restitution for the sin: He had collected money by illegal means; but after his
transformation through the presence of Jesus in his house, he was ready to make a
fourfold restitution of the money he had taken false fully. This means practically that a
disciple has to make the best of his efforts to make good the evils he has done. For
instance if he or she has not forgiven someone or has a rough relationship with some
person, then first he or she has to go and be reconciled with that person. Any sin that
comes into our mind, any false dealings that comes into our remembrance must be dealt
with to produce the fruit of repentance. In Luke 3:8-15 John the Baptist commands the
people, “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not say to yourself, ‘We have
Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham
from these stones.” (Luke 3:8) When the people ask him further about what they have to
do, John asks them to turn from their sinful lives and make restitution for the evil that
they have done. We need to understand that repentance is costly; it is not simply
confession and enjoying the grace of God. Only when restitution is made is our
repentance complete.

Repentance is not a onetime step for initiation into discipleship; rather it is a

continuous process that makes a disciple more and more like Jesus. We need to practice
repentance not as a daily ritual but as and when the Holy Spirit convicts us about our sins.

Questions to discuss

1. How does a person become a disciple?

2. Why is repentance important?

3. What does repentance involve?

4. What is the cost of repentance?

5. Have you repented from your sins? Do you bear fruits worthy of repentance?

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 iii. Discipleship is following Christ progressively

Discipleship is a progressive following of the master’s footsteps. The call to

discipleship is not a onetime decision making rather it is a life time commitment to
follow the footsteps of the master. The first disciples of Jesus followed their master
consistently, and that is what made them distinct from the other followers and the crowd.

Discipleship is a progressive following of the principles of God’s kingdom. There

is a distinctive hostility between the kingdom of God and the earthly kingdom. The
earthly kingdom is controlled by Satan, the prince of the world but God’s kingdom is
directed by the rule of God. The values and principles of both are different. Since there is
an inherent hostility between both the kingdoms, following the pattern of the kingdom of
God means we have to pay the price of forsaking the worldly values. However we have
Jesus as our example to follow. Jesus patterned his life according to the values and
principles of his kingdom. So discipleship means we follow the pattern set forward by
our Lord. One has to deny himself, take up his cross and follow the Lord progressively.

Discipleship means we imitate the Lord progressively. Following the Lord means
we imitate Christ and become like him. Sometimes I feel that we have reduced the gospel
to sin-cross-salvation formula. Does not the gospel mean the whole life of Jesus? Does
not the whole life of Jesus become a model and pattern for us to follow? We have four
gospels elaborating upon the life of Jesus but yet we know so little about Jesus and so
little we try to imitate him. The core of the gospel is undoubtedly that Jesus died on the
cross for our sins and through him we receive salvation and a new life, but gospel also
sets our way forward in becoming disciples by following the pattern of life set forward by
our master.

Are we following the Lord progressively by pursuing the kingdom life and by
imitating our Lord? Following the Lord progressively means to take up our cross and
follow him till the end of our life.

Questions for Reflection

1. What does it really mean to follow Jesus?

2. How is the kingdom of God different from the kingdom of the world?

3. Are we following the Lord by progressively and consistently following the

kingdom principles?

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 III. The cost of discipleship

The words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer are noteworthy here, “When Christ calls a man,
He bids him come and die.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The cost of discipleship, New York:
Macmillan, 1966 p 44) One has to die to one’s own self; one has to die to the world and
its principles to be able to follow the Lord radically.

i. Discipleship is following the path of cross

A study of the synoptic gospels would reveal a clear and distinctive pattern of
Jesus’ journeys and ministry. In all these three gospels, the first part of Jesus’ public
ministry was spent in the areas surrounding Galilee. After this phase Jesus took his
journey to Jerusalem where he was to suffer at the hands of the religious leaders of
Jerusalem. Luke 9:51 says, “Jesus steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”. Matthew
20:18 puts it as, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…” Again in Mark 10:33 Jesus
says “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem.” The account of the gospel of Luke gives
detailed descriptions of this journey of Jesus to Jerusalem.

During the public ministry of the Lord in Galilee, the disciples were learning the
distinctive values of the Kingdom of God. They were witnesses to the power of the Lord
as he went about healing people of their sicknesses, delivering them of demonic powers
and raising the dead to life. Towards the end of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, Peter confesses
that Jesus is Christ. However, Peter had not known the nature of the ministry of the
Messiah. He could not comprehend that as Messiah his Lord and master would have to
suffer and die. As a Jewish man Peter could not conceal his hopes and aspirations
concerning the Messiah. It was now the task of Jesus to educate his disciples about the
mission of the Messiah. This was his ultimate road of discipleship training for his
disciples. He was on his task as he took his journey of cross bearing.

The setting of the journey was perfect, as Jesus himself was leading the path to the
cross. The crowd was pressing on to him as he managed to make his way forward. Some
of them had followed just to meet their curiosity of witnessing the miracles of this
wonder working man. Some had joined on the way desiring to be followers of this ‘would
be’ Messiah, however they didn’t have the slightest idea of what this following would
mean. His disciples could hardly stay close to him but always had the nearest access to
their master. They were also excited to be on this road because their master was leading
them. I doubt whether they could comprehend what lay ahead of their journey.

The road of discipleship is not easy; it is following the Lord on his way to the
cross. Discipleship is following the path of cross, a path that our Lord himself took.

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Today we are surrounded by a Christianity which is preaching and following a grace that
is cheap and has lost its value. “Are we following an imaginary Jesus?” This is a
question raised by one of my friends which has made me think critically about the kind of
Christianity we are following today. We have preached, “Come and be blessed, be
healed, be delivered” but we have neglected to give the call “carry your cross, deny
yourself and follow Jesus”. We have preached a Jesus who keeps the people relaxed on
their couches, easy going with their own life styles, and happy with their own concerns.
We have too easily bypassed the command of Jesus to love each other because we are too
easily carried away by the tides of self love that is ruling the world. We have set aside the
commands of Jesus, to be one (of one spirit and one mind), to forgive each other, to walk
the extra mile, to share the extra tunic and so on, because these commands disturb our
status quo and alter our life style. We have made our preaching more appealing, more
humane, more polished and very motivational but made it less and less of the cross, lesser
still of the suffering and totally devoid of sincerity. We have preached and practiced the
Christian religion but the power of the gospel is yet to be explored and experienced.

Jesus prayed thus about his disciples, “I have given them your word, and the world
has hated them.” (John 17:14) Today we neither have his word, nor does the world hate
us. We harbor a crowd in our churches, a crowd that is interested in Jesus- the provider
and miracle worker but not interested in the crucified Christ.

Questions for Reflection

1. Jesus himself set a pattern before us to follow the path of cross.

2. Do we understand the price of following the Lord?

2. What kind of path we are following? Are we taking our cross and following the
Lord?

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 ii. Discipleship is costly

Following Jesus is costly. Following Jesus is not following some religion or

joining some religious sects or practicing some rituals rather it means to follow His path-
the path of cross.

Discipleship means following the Lord with the right motivation. It was during
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the journey to the cross, that he explained to his disciples the
cost of discipleship (Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-33). Luke describes about a man who came to
Jesus as he began his journey to Jerusalem saying, “Lord I will follow you wherever you
go.” The response of the Lord is really amazing as he said, “Foxes have holes and birds
of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Why did Jesus
reply in such a manner? Jesus could understand the underlying motivation of the man as
he desired to follow the Lord. The prevailing ideas of a blessed Messianic rule had almost
tempted the man to follow the Lord expecting material and political gains. He was neither
aware of the nature of Jesus’ messianic claim nor the cost involved in following this
messiah who was on his way to the cross. What kinds of people are following the Lord
today? Are the ones, who are seeking worldly blessings and living a life with worldly
values, true disciples of Jesus?

Discipleship means preaching the kingdom is our first priority. The journey of Jesus
continues with another man being given the invitation to follow him. Jesus said to him,
“Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Here was a man
acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus but the cares of this world and his family
responsibilities would not allow him to take a step forward in following the master. Jesus
replied to this, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of
God.” The answer of Jesus implied that the people who are following after the cares of
their earthly life are spiritually dead. The dead are those who are totally caught in the
circle of worldly cares. Only a person who makes a commitment with the Lord and takes
a definite step forward in following the master can preach the kingdom of God. The call
of Jesus, “Follow Me” is a call to be an active part and an instrument in what Jesus is
doing in preaching his kingdom. The call of discipleship is therefore not a circling about
in our worldly cares but a moving forward in a definite direction along with the Lord as
he preaches his kingdom. The call to discipleship therefore involves taking a bold step
forward in preaching the kingdom of God. How many of us have taken this call of
discipleship seriously? Jesus is not asking us to keep all our errands away and become a
hermit. Jesus is not asking us to keep away from our family responsibilities. Jesus is not
asking us to leave the care of our parents to others and go about preaching the gospel.
Jesus is challenging us to get out of the unending cycle of the cares of this life and join in
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the mission of preaching the kingdom of God. We can never be through the cares of this
life; we must take a step of faith putting all our cares of this world in the secondary place.
Being a disciple does not mean securing a place in heaven by repeating the prayer of
salvation and living a life in our own way. Being a disciple means joining the Lord in the
mission of his kingdom. Can we call all those who are going selfishly in pursuing their
own goals and cares of this life, disciples of the Lord? Discipleship means setting our
priorities right. Is preaching the kingdom of God our first priority?

Discipleship means complete and undaunted devotion to our Lord. As the

journey of Jesus continued another man volunteered to follow the Lord, but his heart was
with his family, so he wanted to go and bid farewell to them. Jesus said to him, “No one
having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Following Jesus means following him with complete devotion and commitment. Only a
person whose first love and devotion is Jesus can follow him.

In Luke 14:26 Jesus sets the demand of discipleship very clear. “If anyone comes
to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Was Jesus implying that we must
leave all our near and dear ones, even deny our own life and lead a life of hermit to
become his disciple? Jesus was making the cost of discipleship very specific.
Discipleship means setting our priorities very clear. Discipleship means ‘the Lord first’
and our love for our lord as supreme. To make the demands of discipleship more explicit
Jesus says, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my
disciples.” In those days a person bearing the cross meant that the sentence of death was
on him and he was on his way to be executed. To follow the Lord means death to our
own self. Unless we die to our own will, our own dreams, ambitions and passions we
cannot follow our Lord. Unless we die to our own love relations we cannot follow the
Lord in a decisive way. In comparison to our love for the Lord, all other love relations
and priorities becomes secondary, which is what it means to follow Jesus. Discipleship
does not involve excuses like ‘may be’, ‘let me see’ ‘let’s hope’, and ‘if possible’.
Discipleship is taking a decisive bold step in following the Lord progressively.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and
dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will
lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:24,
25) Jesus said these words as some of the Greeks came along with Philip and Andrew to
see Jesus. Jesus sets forward his mission as well as the mission of his disciples before
these seekers from Greek. This statement of Jesus was an amazing paradox, a paradox
that every disciples of Christ need to imbibe if they have to follow their master faithfully.
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These Greeks had expected to see a wonder working Messiah, but here is Jesus,
announcing his hour of glory, which was undoubtedly the hour of his crucifixion. That is
the paradox which Jesus announces; the hour of cross is the hour of glory, the hour of
death is the hour of rising again. Discipleship is dying and rising in Christ. Discipleship
is dying in Christ daily, dying to our own self, our flesh, our ambitions and our dreams. If
we die in Christ we will rise in Christ in triumph and victorious over sin. It is not in self
efforts that we live a victorious life but in dying and rising in Christ that we allow the
resurrection power of Christ to manifest in us. Discipleship means to be spend for the
Lord. “He was the burning and shining lamp and you were willing for a time to rejoice in
his light.” (John 5: 35) Jesus said these words about John the Baptist. Only in being spent
for our Lord we can see our life becoming fruitful. Discipleship also means that we be
devoted to the Lord to the point of death. That is the cost of discipleship that we must be
ready to pay. It is such disciples who bear fruits for the Lord in abundance. Are we ready
to pay the price to follow Jesus, the Jesus of Nazareth?

Questions to Reflection

1. Why is discipleship a costly affair?

2. What does it mean to be a radical follower of the Lord?

3. What are the demands of following our master?

4. Are we paying the price to follow the Lord?

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 iii. Discipleship is following the Kingdom values

Are we becoming the salt and light of the world (Mathew 5:13-16)? Or have we
kept the light under the bushel? Has the salt lost its saltiness? Do we bring glory to the
name of God by our good works? Don’t we snub those teachings saying that it is not
practical for us today?

The call to follow Jesus is a call to live and follow the values of the kingdom of
God. The way of the kingdom of God is in direct contradiction to the kingdom of this
world. That is the reason why following Jesus is costly and unless one dies to his own
self one cannot be a follower of Jesus.

Today many believers are living a half hearted Christian life. They are leading a
dual life as they call themselves as Christ’s follower but their sphere of life and their
values are worldly. Do we Christians take the Sermon on the Mount seriously? The
Sermon on the Mount extols the values of the Kingdom of God which are a total reversal
of the worldly values. In Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus speaks about the blessings in the
Kingdom of God. These words of blessings stand totally against the worldly standards of
blessings and prosperity. Powerful, rich, capable, influential, charismatic, happy etc. are
the accepted categories of blessedness in the world. But in the kingdom of God, the
meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure, the persecuted and insulted are called
blessed. How many of us take these blessings as our standard of blessing?

Are the values like humility, compassion, love and kindness that our Lord held
dear important for us today? Are we ready to go an extra mile for our brother? Are we
careful enough that we don’t lust after another woman even in our thoughts? Do we love
each other? Remember that our Lord never promised a life without inter-personal
conflicts, he never promised a church without inter-personal problems but he did teach us
to love each other. Yes! He promised us ‘a love’ that conquers and overcomes all our
conflicts and problems.

Let us remember that our Lord lived each of those teachings, but it was possible
for him because he took his cross daily. The cost of discipleship is high, it involves dying
to one’s own self, or else following the kingdom values will become impossible. For a
person who has died to his own self-will, following the kingdom principles is neither
impractical nor impossible.

The call to discipleship is a radical call to alter our sphere of existence and
perspectives. It is a decisive step towards adopting the kingdom life style. It does not
involve a mere weekly attendance at our church services and paying lip service during the

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times of praise and worship. It rather involves a total dedication to living like Jesus lived,
living in the values of the kingdom of God and practicing Christ’s teachings in our daily
life.

The road of discipleship may be a lonely path, a road of suffering and humiliation,
but that’s the path of cross our Lord himself took and urges us also to take. We may
become laughing stock in the world or the ‘odd one out’ but we will be called blessed by
our Lord. Yes! That is the true blessing that Jesus promises at the very outset of his
Sermon on the Mount.

What is our way forward? How do we take this task of discipleship seriously? Can
we ourselves practice such a kingdom life?

Questions for Reflection

1. Do we practice the teachings of our Lord?

2. Have we taken the Sermon on the Mount seriously enough to practice it?

3. Are we practicing the kingdom life as taught and patterned by Jesus himself?

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 iv. The reward of discipleship

What are the rewards of being a disciple of the Lord? “Whoever loses his life for
My sake will gain it.” (Matthew 10:39) The man who gives his life for Christ gains his
life. The disciple of Christ is not worried about his present life but he lives his life as a
bondservant of the master. Many times we expect earthly blessings in the form of greater
wealth, prosperity and material blessings. And we quote many Old Testament promises
and words to support our desires. However we need to understand that for a disciple of
the Kingdom of God, this world is not the home. “They are not of the world, just as I am
not of the world” (John 17:16) with these words Jesus prayed for his disciples. Jesus
prayed, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) We the disciples of the Lord are in the world
but not of the world. All this does not mean that a disciple has to live a life of poverty,
because God wants it that way. Of course that is not the point! God is a God of blessings
and God takes care of his children and he blesses them both materially as well as
spiritually. However a disciple’s ultimate reward is not material blessings and he should
not follow the Lord for those things.

Seek ye first the Kingdom… Jesus told in the sermon on the mount, “Seek ye
first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33)
The New Testament essentially teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God, while the
heavenly father provides all our needs and leads us to live victoriously. When the
Kingdom of God becomes our greatest priority and God becomes our greatest reward,
then aspirations for material blessings takes a back seat, worries turn into joy and
contentment, as tomorrow takes care of itself.

The greatest rewards of a disciple are the spiritual blessings with which God
has blessed him or her (Ephesians 1:3-14). The fact that God choose us from the
foundation of the world to receive forgiveness of sins and to be sealed with the Holy
Spirit is a truly a great blessing. God has raised us up together and made us to sit together
in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus is the greatest privilege that we can get. The
privilege of calling God “Abba father” is something which no one in the Old Testament
period could experience. “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you
that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and
to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” (Luke 10:23, 24) Jesus told these things by
seeing the blessing that the disciples of the New Testament age were experiencing. The
presence of God and a rich relationship with Him is such a great blessing, worth enough
for us to forsake all our riches and glories.

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Questions for Reflection

1. What are the rewards of a disciple?

2. What kind of blessings must a disciple seek for in this world?

3. What are the rewards that motivate you in following the Lord?

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 IV. Discipleship is about knowing God

Discipleship is not all about following some rules or principles of Christian life
but it is rather a dynamic relationship with God. In Biblical terms knowing God means to
have an intimate relationship with God. What does it mean to know God? How can we
have an intimate relationship with Him?

1. Discipleship is knowing Jesus: Regular devotion, Bible study and prayer

A mere knowledge of the biblical principles or the teachings of our Lord may not
be enough for us to imitate the life of our Lord. Paul emphatically says in Philippians
3:10, “That I may know him”. Paul counted all things but loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ. Apostle Paul knew that ultimately it was an intimate relation with
the Lord that would help Paul to press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul makes these statements in Philippians chapter 3 in the context of Judaistic

boasters who were trying to bind the Philippians’ Christians with Jewish rituals and
legalism. Paul vehemently opposes the moves of these religious leaders. According to
Paul, a disciple’s life is not about being self reliant in following some rules but in
progressively running on the track of knowing Christ. Every religion has some set of
rules and rituals to be followed by the adherents of the religion. However a disciple of
Christ is not known by the rules that he follows but by the pursuit of his resurrected
living Lord.

Philippians chapter 3 is a biographic description of Paul’s own life, and he makes

it clear that he is not perfect but he is running towards the goal. “I do not count myself to
have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and
reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13, 14) In describing about his
pursuit Paul however leaves his goal unexplained. He leaves it so because that’s what he
had been talking about in the previous section. Having come to know Christ partially,
Paul strives to know Christ perfectly. That is the essence of a disciple’s life - a striving
forward and progressive following of the master.

Our faith is not simply following some rules and traditions but experiencing the
risen Lord. The Scriptures record the fact that Jesus presented himself alive to his
disciples for 40 days after his resurrection, proving by many infallible proofs that he is
their risen savior. This presentation of Jesus as ‘risen savior’ was significant for the faith

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of the disciples to be living and dynamic. Today we also need to have a vibrant fellowship
with the risen Lord- that is the key to Christian life.

Jesus is not only a historical figure but he is our living Lord and he is interested in
a dynamic relation with each of us. In Luke 12:1f, interestingly we see that Jesus warns
his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees that is hypocrisy. Jesus knew that there
was always a chance for his disciples to end up being a hypocrite like the Pharisees. A
mere knowledge of the biblical principles would at the best make us a hypocrite which
means actor. It is only a dynamic personal relation with the Lord that will empower us in
becoming like the Lord.

The key to having and developing an intimate and dynamic relation with the Lord
is to have daily time of devotion with the Lord. Reading of God’s word, meditating upon
it and following the word will bring us close to the heart of the Lord. Reading the word of
God must lead us in meditation of some key verse or phrase that will ignite the ‘fire of
the word’ in our heart. The fire of the word will consume all the unwanted thoughts from
our life and allow us to encounter our life situations with the word of God.

Passionate pouring out our heart in prayer will enable us to feel the warmth of the
Holy Spirit and hear the voice of the Lord. In Luke 5:15, 16 we see the importance that
Jesus gave for prayer. In the midst of the growing demand of his healing touch and the
crowds calling out to him for help, Jesus frequently withdrew to lonely places to pray.
You will always watch a guitarist slipping out to play his guitar no matter how many
people would surround him or whatever works are pending for him because that is his
favorite time. Prayer was Jesus favorite time and he would slip out for prayer in the midst
of all his schedules. Matthew 14:23 also describes the eagerness that Jesus had to spend
time with his heavenly father.

It is during these times of devotion that we can really hear what the voice of the
Lord is whispering to our inner man. Furthermore we must be careful in not pushing
these times of devotion to some corners of our life. Instead these times of devotion should
result in our meditation of the word of God through the day and empower us to follow the
word in our daily routines.

The general principle of New Testament is- “the more we know Christ, the more
we become like him (Phil 3:10,11); the more we know the resurrected Lord, the more we
will be able to defeat sin by the power of resurrection (Romans 8:11); the more we know
the master, the more we honor His call and walk worthy of Him (Eph 4:1, 2) and the

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more we know the King and His glory, the more we are prepared with the wedding dress
for the great kingly banquet (Matthew 22:12)”.

Paul, towards the end of Philippians chapter 3, encourages the Philippians to

follow his example and mark those who walk in his pattern (Phil. 3:17). It was not
because Paul was perfect that he says “follow my example or imitate me”, but because
Paul had this striving for perfection and he was on the move towards the goal post. Like
an athlete on the track, whose body is bent forward, hands extended, head set to the fore
and eyes fastened on the goal never giving a backward glance, Paul boldly says “imitate
me”. It is the pursuit of the goal of knowing Christ that makes a disciple worthy of
imitating.

In becoming true disciples of our Lord, intimate and passionate relation with him
is the key. Do we know our savior intimately and passionately? Or are we looking at the
word to find out some new thoughts to preach? Are we satisfied in hearing the word of
God once a while from the pews of our churches? Or do we have the discipline of a daily
devotion with our savior?

Questions for Reflection

1. Spend quality time with the Lord in prayer and word.

2. Hear the voice of God regularly.

3. Throughout the whole day meditate upon the word that God speaks to you during your
time of devotion.

4. Don’t be an occasional reader of the word, rather read the word regularly and ask God
to reveal his will for you.

5. Aim to have a passionate relation with the master.

6. Feel the warmth and the counsel of the Holy Spirit during your times of devotion and
your daily walk.

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 2. Discipleship is becoming like Jesus: Imitating Jesus

Being a disciple does not mean merely to follow certain rules or become member
of some denomination rather it means we become like our master. Often we are shaped
and directed by the patterns of the world rather than the life of Christ. Paul in his letter to
the Ephesians urges the church to pattern their life after Christ with these words, “But
you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by
Him, as the truth is in Jesus. (Ephesians 4:20, 21)

Can we boldly say with Paul, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”? We need to pay a
huge price to be able to say so, and that is the reason why disciple-making is costly. To
model our lives after the life of Christ would mean forsaking all that we hold dear in this
world. It means cherishing those things that Jesus himself cherished and sought after – to
do the will of the father and to do the things that pleases the Father (John 4: 34) It means
forsaking the values of this world, love of fame, love of money, love of comfort and
pleasure, love of positions and so many other things which drive us away from the will of
God. It means dying to one’s own self, our ambitions and our dreams. It means asking
ourselves constantly “Am I becoming in the image of Jesus?”

The call to “Imitate me” is the key to disciple making. We all learn by observing
and that was the fundamental reason that the “word became flesh”. We also can make
disciples and teach them to obey by the way of imitation. The disciples need to learn
from our lives by carefully observing how we follow the master. This can happen only
when they stay close to us and see us following the footsteps of our master. The disciples
need to see us as a master worth following just as Jesus is. That is the way of disciple-
making.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do we have a character and personality worth imitating and following?

2. Are we imitating the worldly style of leadership or are we eager to follow the
leadership style of our master?

3. Do we take an effort in cultivating the humility of Jesus?

4. Do we have a touch of love in all our dealings?

5. Are we decisive or compromising in executing our God given purpose?

6. Are we leading a straightforward life?

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7. Are we driven by mercy and compassion?

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 3. Discipleship is walking in the Holy Spirit: The spirit filled life

The greatest blessing of the New Testament age is the presence of the Holy Spirit
in our lives. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for
if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to
you.” (John 16:7) The earliest disciples were all full of Holy Spirit and faith. (Acts 6:5).
Today also God wills that we all live a life filled in the power of the Holy Spirit. Being
filled with the Holy Spirit is more than speaking other tongues and showing other
manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit has been poured upon us primarily as
another helper (a Helper just as Jesus) to help us to live a Holy Life and give us a
concrete experience of God.

There are many aspects of what it means to walk in the Holy Spirit.

i. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out “Abba, Father”
(Romans 8:15). Furthermore the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God and heirs with Christ. Walking in the Holy Spirit means that we walk in
the assurance and comfort that we are God children, blessed with all the heavenly
blessings.

ii. Walking in the Holy Spirit means to be led by the Spirit- Apostle Paul
describes in one sentence the life of a disciple, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, these are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) This statement describes the life style of
those who are sons of God. While all disciples are to be led by the Spirit, however there
are increasing degrees of being led by the Spirit. The more fully a disciple is led by the
Holy Spirit, the more completely will the disciple be obedient to God and be conformed
to His holy standards.

iii. Bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit- Apostle Paul urges us to walk in the Spirit
bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-23) The fruit of the Holy Spirit will
be manifested in us as we yield more and more of our selves to the Holy Spirit and the
life and power of the Holy Spirit will be released in and through our life. If we yield our
lives to the flesh then the works of the flesh will be produced but if we allow the Holy
Spirit to control us then the Holy Spirit would produce His fruit. Mark the words of Paul
which he writes after saying about the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to Galatians,
“Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:23). A Spirit filled person does not need a
law to please the Lord because he fulfills the law by the Holy Spirit.

iv. Put to death the deeds of the body- Apostle Paul further says that if you are led
by the Spirit, you are not under the law (vs. 18). The person who walks in the Spirit

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fulfills the law, because he by the Spirit puts to death the deeds of the body. (Romans 8:4,
13)

v. Walking in the Spirit means to live in a way pleasing Him- It means to live
according to the Spirit and set our mind upon the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). A
disciple needs to be sharp in hearing what the Holy Spirit says. A disciple must also make
it the practice of his or her life to obey the Holy Spirit, then only he or she can please the
Spirit. If we try to please other people or our own selves then we cannot please the Holy
Spirit. As disciples of our Lord let us make it our aim to please the Holy Spirit in all that
we do.

Questions for Reflection

1. What does it mean to walk in the Holy Spirit?

2. Why do you think it is important for a disciple to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

3. What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit?

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 V. Discipleship is about life transformation

As we follow Christ progressively, we will be transformed step by step into the image of
our master. Paul writes in Romans 12:2 that we must be transformed by the renewing of
our minds. What is this transformation all about? The word transformation means a
complete change, both inward and outward. The Greek word for transformation is
metamorpho which means to change the form completely. This is the word from which
the word metamorphosis originated, a word that describes the biological process of the
becoming of a beautiful butterfly from a caterpillar. A caterpillar cannot be compared in
any way with a butterfly, but transformation is what changes a caterpillar into a butterfly.
God is interested in our complete change. Religion is interested in an outward change of
form, but discipleship is all about inward change working outward. Change can happen
by circumstances or by rigorous self-discipline but transformation can happen only by the
word and by the working of the Holy Spirit. How do we transform ourselves? What are
the steps for being transformed?

i. Continual Repentance

Repentance is the first step that brings a person into the fold of Christ’s disciples.
Repentance means to turn away from our sin. In the New Testament, the key term for
repentance is “metanoia”. It has two senses: “a change of mind” and “regret/remorse”.
Repentance is a 180 degree change in the direction of life or in other words it is a U-turn
in life’s direction for Sin to God. This turning away from sin means a decisive decision to
totally reject all known evil in our lives. Repentance is producing godly sorrow (2
Corinthians 7:8-11) about our sin and a change of heart so that we will not go into that sin
again.

Repentance and our faith in Christ bring us into a new life with Christ. However
repentance is not a onetime event, continual repentance and a constant turning to Christ
for forgiveness in renewal is to something to be followed throughout our life. In 2
Corinthians 7:9 Paul appreciates the Corinthian believers for repenting from their sins
and for showing sorrow for their sins. Revelation 2:5 and 3:3 reminds the Church to
repent of their ways.

A disciple needs to repent continually in the areas of his or her life which is not
pleasing to the Lord. God’s word is like a mirror to see our lives (James 1:23-25) and
correct ourselves. A clear conscience is a gift of God. A clear conscience is possible
when a disciple is sharp enough to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
convicts us of our sins, and that is the time for repentance.

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 In the words of Oswald Chambers conviction of sin is the most uncommon things
that ever happens to a person. It is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). He further
says, “Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned”. The
surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less
is simple sorrow for having made foolish mistakes- a reflex action cause by self-disgust.”
(Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for his highest –Dec 7)

What we need today to be true disciples is not new teaching, new ideas, more
preaching…but repentance. Jesus began his ministry by preaching “Repent for the
Kingdom of God is near” (Matthew 4:17) Jesus did not preach lofty ideals and bring
about philosophical ideas but he preached repentance, because the people around him
needed to repent. Repentance is the key to the life of a disciple.

“Repentance is the way by which a disciple renews his life, his commitment,
sheds of his former self, puts on the renewed nature in Christ and thus grows in Christ,
step by step till he reaches the image of the Savior, Christ the first born.”

In Matthew 5:23, 24 Jesus teaches that for God our heart and our relationship is
more important that our sacrifice and gifts. Before we offer our gifts to God we need to
be reconciled with our brother. Repentance involves renouncing (rejecting sin and sinful
ways) our sinful ways as well as restitution (or paying back). The Scripture commands us
to produce fruit of repentance. A disciple may fall into sin, but he or she can come back
to the Lord, ask forgiveness, and the Lord is faithful to forgive him or her (I John 2:1).
However this forgiveness demands that the disciple truly repents of his sins.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is transformation? Why is it important for a disciple?

2. Why does a disciple need to repent continually?

3. When was the last time you repented of your sins?

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ii. Character formation

In terms of discipleship, Character formation simply means to develop the

Character of Jesus. We live in a world that give so much importance to etiquettes,
manners, behavior, style and fashion but the Lord looks at our heart and he is interested
in our character. In Romans 12:1, 2 Apostle Paul exhorts us with these words, “And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…”
Character formation happens by transformation. Sometimes we give more importance to
conformity to certain rules and Christian behavior…but rarely do we give importance to
the inner transformation of our heart. It is in the transformation of our heart that real
character formation happens. Paul writes about his burden for the Church at Galatia, “My
little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.” (Galatians
4:19) Paul’s greatest burden for the Church was that the character of Jesus maybe formed
in them.

We have four gospels, all about Jesus, but yet so little we meditate upon the
character of Jesus. Jesus came into this world to demonstrate the character of God and to
demonstrate what it means to please the father. We need to imitate the character of Jesus.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Some of the Biblical characters that a disciple need to develop are Integrity,
humility, faithfulness, compassion, love and patience. A disciple has to pay a huge price
to develop these characters because the world does not value these qualities and so
sometimes it may seem unrewarding to pursue these characters.

Integrity- Integrity simply means we are truthful in our inner self. We just don’t
act out to be honest but we are honest and love truth even when no one is watching us.
Integrity is not a behavior rather it is a character that is developed in the inner self. Jesus
is the supreme example of being a person of integrity. Jesus loved righteousness and
hated evil (Hebrews 1:9). In the Old Testament we see that Joseph and Job lived a life of
integrity. Do you have a desire to live a life of integrity?

Humility- What was the most distinctive teaching of Jesus? Jesus not only taught
humility but also demonstrated a life of humility. By washing the feet of his disciples,
Jesus taught in a unique way the value and blessing of humbleness. Many times we think
that humbleness is the way to become great. We think that by becoming a servant we can
become a leader. But Jesus teaches and modeled a life of humility, a humility which was

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a blessing in itself and not the medium of becoming great. Jesus said, “If you know these
things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:17)

Faithfulness- Moses was called “faithful in the house of the Lord” (Hebrews 3:2).
God expects us to be faithful in all that He has entrusted upon us. “Moreover it is
required in stewards that one be found faithful (I Corinthians 4:2). God has made us
stewards entrusted with various responsibilities and we need to be faithful.

Compassion- Jesus was driven by love and compassion while he did his ministry
upon this world. The Bible says about the many times when Jesus was moved by
compassion to do miracles and healings. Luke 7:11-17 describes about Jesus raising the
dead son of the widow of Nain because he had compassion on her. Do we have
compassion to the people in need around us? To have compassion simply means to have
the heart of God, or to see and feel the things and God feels. Such compassion moves us
to do something for those in need around us. Jesus never did any ministry to attract
people to himself or for self glory but because he was moved by compassion.

Love- Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 11 says that even if we have all the spiritual
gifts, all knowledge, abounding in all good works and are rigorous in spiritual disciplines
but do not have love then we are nothings but clanging cymbals that signify nothing. We
are driven by selfishness and not by love. Love is the greatest virtue by which we can
display the character of God because is the Bible says that God is love. The world defines
love by the way of exchange of gifts and other things. However God’s love moves
beyond the human definition of love to that of an unconditional love. Can we think of
developing the character of God’s love? Our love is always depended upon the
recipient’s response but God’s love is not dependent upon us, it is steadfast,
unconditional and never ending- that is the amazing love of God- towards which the
Bible pulls us.

Patience- Patience is produced as a result of testing of our faith (James 1:3). It is a

character listed among the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22. Patience means to be
steadfast and hold on to our faith in the midst of greatest temptations and challenges. As a
disciple of Jesus do we have patience to overcome our challenges and to continue in our
faith against all hope?

@ Train yourself in godliness (I Timothy 4:7 & 8)- Apostle Paul asks Timothy to
train himself in godliness. Character is build up over a time of training and exercise. An
athlete who participates in games has to go through strict discipline and training. The
athlete trains himself in every way to be most effective in the actual game. The athlete

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trains both his body and mind. Paul reminds his spiritual son to focus on spiritual fitness.
Paul makes this statement with reference to those people who were focusing upon fables,
genealogies and other discussions, which according to Paul were unprofitable for a good
spiritual life. Timothy has to concentrate on those things that make him spiritual fit. In
the words of Oswald Sanders, “A great deal of prominence is given to the Holy Spirit
today and rightly so. But little importance is given to Galatians 5:22-23 about the fruit of
the Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit is not to seen merely in our emotional experience
but in an increasingly disciplined lifestyle. (Oswald J. Sanders, Spiritual Discipleship,
Chicago: Moody Pub, 1994, 103) Only by disciplined training and practicing Christian
values can a disciple pursue to develop the Character of Jesus.

Questions for Reflection

1. Why does it mean by character formation?

2. Why is character formation important?

3. What does character formation involve?

4. Do you think as a disciple of Christ you need character formation?

5. What steps do you think you need to take for your character formation?

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 iii. Setting Right priorities

What is the most important thing to you right now? This question can be answered by
looking at where you spend most of your time and what are you doing with the time that
you have. A disciple is faced with many choices all through his or her life. Setting right
priorities is very important for a disciple to make the right choices in life. The Scriptures
contain many examples of men and women who lost their blessings because of misplaced
priorities. Setting priorities means to evaluate which things are of value and which things
should be given more importance. We need to set our priorities before we face a
circumstance in which we are forced to make a choice. For a disciple following the
master and keeping a right relationship with Him should be of utmost importance. Once
the ultimate goal is set, it becomes easy to form rest of the priority statements. A few are
given below to guide you in setting up your priorities.

=>Pleasing God or humans: “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God.” (John 12:43) John made this observation about those rulers of the Jewish society
who believed in Jesus but failed to acknowledge Him. A disciple must aim to please and
honor the Lord in all the walks of his or her life. A disciple must live for the glory of God
alone.

=>Worldly blessings or Spiritual blessings: Moses choose to suffer affliction with the
people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Hebrews 11:25,
26) For Moses eternal blessings of God was of greater value. Lot also had an opportunity
to choose- but we see that in the Scriptures that his choice was based on his earthly
perspectives. He looked around and choose the best place for himself. The end of Lot was
very unlike that of Abraham whose choice was based upon spiritual blessings. A disciple
is constantly faced with choices, but we need to remember that our choice does matter.
Every choice that we make today has eternal impact…When a disciple loses his spiritual
sight and takes decisions based upon worldly perspective; the disciple like Lot will
ultimately have to part with God’s real blessings.

=>Pleasure or Gods’ purpose: Joseph is a wonderful character to be studied about his

priorities. He had everything at his disposal to share the bed with Potiphar’s wife, but he
fled away from sin. He knew that a temporary enjoyment of sinful pleasure would
disqualify him from the purpose of God for his life. Most of the youths fall into sin and
temptation because they don’t keep the eternal purpose of God in their heart and succumb
into the fleeting pleasures of sin.

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 When the will of Christ becomes our greatest priority then we will be able to live
for the glory of God. We will be ready to sacrifice our comfort, ambitions and even our
rights for the sake of our Lord.

Questions for Reflection

1. Why is setting priorities important for a disciple?

2. How do we determine the right priorities in our life?

3. What is your greatest priority in life?

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 iv. Dying and rising in Christ

How does a disciple overcome sin? How does a disciple live a holy life? In the
Old Testament, the Israelites were supposed to follow the laws in the Torah to practice
the holiness of God. In the early church, this was a huge problem before the Apostles and
a major section of the New Testament, especially the letters of Paul deal with this
situation. In addition to this situation there were many false teachers who were teaching
the early disciples their own ideas about how to live as a disciple. It is in this context that
Apostle Paul teaches about what Christian life is all about.

“Therefore if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as
though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations…If then you were
raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right
hand of God.” (Colossians 32:20 & 3:1) Paul writes these words to the Colossian church,
which was tossed by false teachers who were teaching rigorous self discipline and Jewish
legalism. So Paul writes to the Church saying that holiness is not achieved by practicing
some external disciplines but rather dying and rising in Christ. We die to sin and our
passions and rise with Christ to seek his will.

A true disciple does not depend upon his own effort to be holy rather he trusts
upon the Lord fulfill his work in him. Practically speaking as a disciple we cannot be
holy by our own efforts but if we allow Christ to live in us and fulfill his work in us, then
we can live victorious life. For instance the Bible says that we must love one another, but
practically speaking are we able to love one another? By our own efforts we cannot love,
however if we allow Christ to display his love in and through us, then we can truly love
each other.

Discipleship is all about dying to our self and allowing Christ to live in and
through us. Discipleship is not a self-effort or a walk by our own will power, rather it is a
continued surrender to the power of the Cross of Christ, so that ultimately his life is made
manifest in us. This is precisely what Paul discusses in his letter to Romans chapters 7
and 8 about the conflict between flesh and the Law and finally deliverance through the
Spirit. To allow Christ also means in practical terms to allow the Holy Spirit to manifest
the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. “For if you live according to eh flesh you will die; but if
by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) It is by
the Holy Spirit that we need to conquer the flesh and sin in our bodies.

Questions for Reflection

1. How do we practice Christian life in this world?

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2. What does it mean to die and rise in Christ?

3. How do we put to death our flesh and its works?

4. How do we manifest the life of Christ in us?

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 v. True worship

A disciple is a worshipper of God all through his or her life, no matter what the
circumstances that he or she faces. Abraham was a worshipper of God and he made altars
to the Lord in all the places where he dwelt. David was a worshipper of the Lord and he
was not ashamed to worship his Lord. Worship simply means, expressing our love and
honor to the Lord. In worship a disciple needs to offer the best to the Lord. Romans
12:1,2 encourages us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to the Lord, holy and
acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. So our whole life should be presented
before God as worship. However there are times when we have to offer praises,
thanksgiving and worship when we gather for fellowship as a church.

True worship is not a ritual- True worship is not a ritual but an outpouring of our heart
and love before our God. While people may see our outward expressions but God sees
our heart. When our life is offered before God as a living sacrifice and our heart is tuned
with God, then our worship will be naturally true and real. A reading of the Old
Testament prophetical books will inform us about what kind of worship God requires of
us. “Take away from me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your
stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty
stream.” (Amos 5:23)God hates rituals (Isaiah 1:14, 15), and what God requires from us
is a heart of truth and justice. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “God is Spirit and those
who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

True worship does not expect any reward- True worship is giving and not receiving.
Worship is acknowledging the greatness of the Lord. When a disciple worships God, he
simply honors him and glorifies him. Worship is not a means for blessings but the
outpouring of a heart that is thankful to the Lord for all his blessings. When the woman
who broke the alabaster jar of fragrant oil at the feet of Jesus and wiped the feet of Jesus
with her tears, she was displaying her thankfulness and setting before us the supreme
example of worship. Worship is actually wasting ourselves at the feet of Jesus!

Questions for Reflection

1. What is true worship? How is true worship different from ritualistic worship?

2. Why do you think worship is important for a disciple?

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 vi. Doing good works

“I don’t know about Christ, but what you did to me speaks a lot” said a blind man
to one of our brothers in Shimla. This man could not catch the bus that takes him directly
to his village and was asking for some help to catch another one. Our brother who works
as a staff at the Shimla bus terminal had come to know about his situation and brought
him to his own room, offered him lunch and gave a place to rest and finally helped him to
catch the next bus to his village. These were his words as he boarded the bus to his
village. Action speaks louder than words.

A disciple is one who is actively interested in good works. The Scripture says that
Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38). Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God’s
workmanship created for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should
walk in them. Jesus said in his sermon on the mount, “In the same way, let your light
shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father
who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

In the letter to Titus Paul urged Titus to teach the Church at Crete to devote
themselves to good works. (Titus 1:16; 2:7) Jesus is our model for doing good works.
Jesus healed the sick, empowered the downtrodden people in the Jewish society and gave
hope to many people who were living without any hope.

James emphasized upon the value of doing good works in the life of a disciple.
With these words, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit
orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
(James 1:27) James further wrote, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily
food and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do
not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also
faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.” A disciple must devote himself in
helping others in need and demonstrate his faith by positive social action.

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31; Jesus conveys the
message that riches must be shared and invested to help a poor person. In fact the sin of
the rich man was that he had enough opportunities to help Lazarus, as he was laid at his
gate. However the rich man choose not to help Lazarus rather he spend his life in selfish
and lavish living.

A disciple needs devote his or her life for good works. As far as possible a disciple
has to do works by helping others in need, by sharing their goods with those in poverty
and supporting the weak members of our society to live a life of dignity. God has not

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saved us to live a selfish life, gaining all things for our own selves, rather God has saved
us to be a channel of blessing to others regardless of their religion, class or caste.

Questions for Reflection

1. What does it mean by doing good works?

2. Why must a disciple do good works?

3. In what ways do you think you can devote to good works in the coming days?

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 VI. Discipleship is about living “in the world but not of the world”

“…they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14) Jesus in
his high priestly prayer in John chapter 17 prayed to the Father about his disciples that
though the disciples have to continue living in the world they are not of the world, and
the Father should keep them from the evil one. Jesus further asks his Father that He
sanctify them by His truth and send them into the world just as Jesus himself was send by
the Father. (John 17:17) Two things stand out in these petitions of Jesus, the first is that
the though the disciple is living in the world, he is not of the world and secondly the
disciple is to be sanctified and send to the world by the Father with a mission. These two
things define the life of a disciple as he or she lives in this world. So concretely speaking
what does all these things mean for a disciple’s life in this world?

Kingdom of God- “already but not yet”-: We must also understand that though in
the New Testament age Jesus has already inaugurated the Kingdom by his coming, yet
the Kingdom has not arrived completely as it will be realized only in the future. It is this
reality of our existence in the Kingdom of God that makes the life of a disciple
complicated. Though a disciple exists in this world yet he is part of the Kingdom of God
which will be fully established only in the future. Thus a disciple lives in conflict with
this world, but he does not withdraw from the world into an ascetic life, rather he lives
a sanctified life in the world with a mission. A disciple must not seek to gain the world
rather his aim should be to prepare himself for the coming kingdom of God.

i. Disciple and the world: “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of
the world.” (I John 2:15, 16) Simply put in, anything in the world that comes in between
you and the Lord and interferes with your love for the Lord is actually like worshipping
the Baal god or the prince of the world. A disciple of the Lord needs to check his own
self and his attitude towards the world. Though we are living in this world we actually
belong to the Kingdom of God.

ii. Disciple and Money: The Scripture clearly says that the love of money is the
root of all evil (I Timothy 6:17f) Jesus stated, “You cannot serve God and money”
(Matthew 6:24) There is saying, “Money is a good servant but a terrible master”. Money
as such is not bad when it is used as a servant, to share and do good works, but when
money becomes the master and we serve money then it is evil. Christian teachings have
oscillated between the two poles, one which sees money and wealth as evil and the other
that views money and material prosperity as God’s blessing. Is being rich the sign of

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God’s blessings and conversely is being poor the sign of God not blessing? The truth is
that when we seek the kingdom of God as our highest goal and consider God as our
greatest blessings, these things do not matter. A disciple must be thankful and share the
riches God has given him or her but a disciple must be thankful for the financial struggles
that he or she is going through. Paul says in Philippians 4:11 & 12 that I have learned to
be content in all situations. A disciple must be content in all states of life and at the same
time he or she must consider himself or herself as a steward of the material blessings that
God gives him and be willing to share them with those around in need. By sharing the
disciple stores treasure in the heaven and becomes rich towards God.

Disciple and spiritual disciplines: The New Testament does not put forward any
rituals and laws about the spiritual life of a disciple. However the New Testament
definitely puts forward some disciplines which have to be followed by the disciples
consistently throughout life. These disciplines include prayer, reading and meditating the
word of God, fasting and gathering together for fellowship in Church. These disciplines
are consistently commanded in the New Testament and have to be practiced by the
disciples to be able to grow in the Lord. A disciple of the Lord must have a regular quiet
time with God, which is a time alone with God. This is a discipline that a disciple must
practice deliberately and consistently. In the quiet time with God, a disciple simply
spends time with God in prayer, reading and meditating the word, singing and
worshipping, as the Holy Spirit leads him or her. It is these quiet times that give strength
and courage to the disciple in the midst of many challenges and temptations that
surrounds a disciple’s life.

Questions for Reflection

1. What do you understand by “living in the world but not of the world”?

2. What are the spiritual disciplines that a disciple needs to follow?

3. What should be a disciple’s attitude to money?

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 VII. Discipleship is about fellowship

Discipleship is not a lone journey, but a journey with a company of saints, all of
whom are travelling like pilgrims to the heavenly destination. Fellowship with the fellow
disciples is very important for a disciple. A piece of log with fire will quench soon if kept
alone, but if the log is part of a pile of logs then the fire will go for a longer time.
Similarly it is in fellowship that a disciple finds strength and courage to move forward in
the midst of life’s greatest challenges. It is in fellowship that a disciple receives and gives
spiritual edification for growth in spiritual maturity.

The Greek word for fellowship is “Koinoinia”, which means communion, joint
participation and signifies unity and common participation. Fellowship is actually a
mutual sharing of our heart, our joy and sorrows. Fellowship is about understanding each
other as members of the same body. Fellowship is about spending time with each other in
love and supporting each other. Fellowship is to experience and practice the divine love
of God. It is in fellowship that a disciple learns to love others in spite of their differences,
personality problems and differing temperance. It is in fellowship that a disciple is
prepared for eternity. It is in fellowship that the character, values and spirituality of a
disciple is tested and made perfect.

i. Being part of the body of Christ “the Church”:- “Now, therefore, you are no
longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19) In I Corinthians 12:12f Paul compares the Church
as the body of Christ of which we all are members. Paul further clarifies in this chapter
that though there are people with different gifts in the Church, it should not result in a
comparison rather love should bind each other in becoming the one body of Christ. The
disciple being a member of the Body of Christ must understand that as members of the
same body, they complement each other. It is in the Church that a disciple forms his or
her own identity as part of being one family. There is only one way to live our Christian
life and that is becoming a member of the body of Christ.

ii. Loving one another:- “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that
you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34, 35) Jesus never
promised a life which will be free of all interpersonal problems, difficulties, quarrels and
misunderstandings; but he did command us to love with a love that overcomes all these
hurdles in becoming the body of Christ. Love is the fetters that can bind us strong with
each other as we live together as one family of God. It is in the fellowship of the Church

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that we understand the challenge of obeying the commands of our Lord, for example the
command to love each other.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is fellowship and why is fellowship important for a disciple?

2. What does it mean to be part of the body of Christ?

3. Why is loving one another important for a disciple?

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 VIII. Discipleship is about making disciples

“As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21) Those words of Jesus
describe the mission of a disciple. Disciple making is not the sole prerogative or the task
of those who are called to be pastors, evangelist or mission leaders it is a responsibility
God has given to all the people of God. We all are called to be disciple makers and we all
can make disciples. Let us carry out the last commission of our Lord faithfully and
passionately.

We are commissioned by our Lord to make disciples by teaching them to obey all
that our Lord commanded. Only by life based teaching (teaching what we ourselves
practice) and setting examples to follow (our lives becoming teaching) we can train
disciples to obey all that our Lord commanded.

We all have our own sphere of influence as member of a society or a village, as

part of an organization or team and as part different kinds of associations (for example
the people we meet on a journey). As a disciple of Jesus God has placed us in that place
to be a witness for the Lord.

i. Witnessing & Evangelism:- Being a witness of the Lord means to share all the
wonderful things God has done in our life. The best example of a witness is the man from
Gadarenes whom Jesus had healed. He went proclaimed throughout the whole city what
great things Jesus had done for him. A disciple must be an active evangelist. “…do the
work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4: 5) Paul commands Timothy to fulfill the task of an
evangelist. Whatever work a disciple of Jesus is involved in, his prime commitment
towards the Lord’s kingdom is to be a witness and share the gospel. Every disciple must
carry some tracts with them, which comes handy to share the gospel and most of the time
becomes an occasion and a bridge to share the good news.

ii. Follow up:- “You are our glory and joy” Apostle Paul wrote these emphatic
words about the disciples in the Thessalonians church. Disciple making is not easy, it
involves a huge price to be paid, however it is the most promising and joyous investment
a servant of God can make in a lifetime. The people who show some interest in the gospel
must be followed by consistently. By following up the interested person we may be able
to win him to the Lord.

iii. Teaching them to obey:-Disciple making is a process that involves, “teaching

them to obey”. How then do we proceed in this process of disciple making? How can we
teach them to obey? Teaching a stipulated course of Biblical subjects or doctrines is not
very difficult but how about “teaching them to obey”? Jesus is the perfect example of

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disciple making, an example worth our following. The disciples of Jesus became
committed, transformed and empowered by the training that they had with Jesus. They
were all radical in following and obeying their master. How did Jesus train his disciples?
What was Jesus’ method of disciple making? Jesus’ way of disciple making was
definitely not confined to the classroom teachings rather it was life based learning. For
Jesus, disciple making was not only about teaching some principles or doctrines but it
was about investing and pouring his life into the lives of the disciples.

“John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man (Jesus)
were true.” And many believed in Him (Jesus) there (John10:41, 42). This was the
testimony that the people gave as Jesus went beyond Jordan to the place where John was
baptizing at first. What a beautiful testimony that a servant of God can ever get? We may
not be having much ability, skills, qualifications…or the anointment to bring healing and
perform miracles. But if we could bring people to the Lord and make them true and
radical disciples then that is a great ministry with which God will be pleased.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the mission of a disciple?

2. Why do you think it is important for us to make disciples?

3. What does it mean to be a witness?

4. How can we teach a new disciple to obey the teachings of the Lord?

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 Conclusion

The call of Jesus “Follow me” is what brings us to the subject of discipleship. “If
you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and
the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32, 33). Jesus said these words to the Jews who
believed him. Discipleship is all about abiding in the words of Jesus, knowing the truth
and becoming free.

Discipleship is a lifelong process whereby a person who believes in Jesus and

follows Him until he becomes like Christ. Discipleship is costly because it involves
carrying our cross in following the master. One needs to forsake all for the sake of the
Kingdom of God.

Discipleship is not following some rule of religion or practice some rituals rather it
is a dynamic relationship with God and a life in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This
relationship is possible only as a disciple deliberately spends time in the presence of the
Lord and his word.

Discipleship is about transformation which happens as a result of continual

repentance and renewal of mind. The character formation of a disciple is very important
in discipleship. A disciple needs to imitate Christ in order to develop the character of
Jesus in us.

A disciple’s sphere of existence is fellowship in the Church. It is in fellowship as a

member of the body of Christ that a disciple learns, experiences and practices the values
of Christian life.

A disciple’s mission is to multiply by making disciples of all the people. Only a

true disciple can make others a true disciple. We are called by our Lord to make disciples
of all nations and teach them obedience to all his commands.

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