25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Introduction
Disciple is the Holy Spirit’s favorite word to describe the followers of Christ. In the gospels and in the book of Acts, it is used about 270 times to describe believers. Technically, the word disciple means “a student or a learner.” It describes a person who submits to the instruction and the authority of another. Practically speaking the word disciple is synonymous with the word “Christian.” Luke writes that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26).
What is a disciple? A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, irrespective of denominational affiliation. A disciple is a person who has come to Jesus, has personally invited him into his or her life, has experienced the forgiveness of Jesus, and is following him as Lord and Master. It is submitting yourself to all that you understand of Jesus.
Discipleship is very demanding. Jesus clearly taught his would-be followers that they must put their love for him above every other human relationship, be willing to die if necessary for his cause, and give up every possession if required, in order to be his disciples. He cautioned them (and us) to not even consider becoming a disciple until the cost had been clearly counted (Luke 14:25-33).
What is involved in discipleship? In practical terms, three words sum up the heart of discipleship. They are faithfulness, fellowship, and fruitfulness. In the gospel of John (John 8:31; 13:34-35; 15:8) we are told what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
1. To be a disciple, you must demonstrate faithfulness.
Jesus expressed this truth when he spoke to the believing Jews, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). A disciple then is one who continues in, or on a daily basis dwells in, the word of God. If you are considering becoming a disciple of Jesus, you had best know what you are getting into. Becoming a disciple is like getting married. It is relatively easy to get married. In fact, if you asked me to perform your ceremony, I would tell you exactly where to stand, what to say, and everything to do. My record time for a wedding ceremony is seven minutes flat!
But all of us know that there is more to marriage than a wedding ceremony. You do not make a vow to your husband or wife and then promptly forget the relationship. Marriage and discipleship are commitments followed by continuing relationships.
Becoming a disciple is also much like becoming a parent. It takes a relatively short time to have a baby. A few months of pregnancy and a few hours of labor, and the baby is born. But there is more to parenting than conception, development, and delivery. A lady was in the hospital to give birth to her first baby. As the labor pains became more frequent and severe, she gasped to the nurse, “Is the hard part about over?” The nurse replied, “Honey, this is the easy part. The hard part will last for the next 18 years.” Being an effective parent is a continuing relationship. It goes on as long as you live. Becoming a disciple is the same way. It is relatively easy to receive Christ, but it takes a lifetime commitment to live as a Christian disciple. Becoming a Christian is an act of commitment followed by a continuing relationship.
What does it mean to continue in Jesus’ word? It means that on a daily basis, one needs to learn and live the word of God. The aim of Bible study is not primarily to build up a reservoir of knowledge so that you can impress people with how much you know. Its purpose is that you might be conformed to the image of God’s Son. The purpose of Bible study then is not to fill your head, but to change your life.
Continuing in God’s word characterized the early Christians, Luke describes the New Testament church following Pentecost in this way: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there where added unto them about three thousand souls. They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:41-42). The apostles’ doctrine and the teachings of Jesus were the same thing. The apostles were preaching about who Jesus was, what Jesus did, and what he had said. To continue in their doctrine was to continue in Jesus’ word.
All of us have a certain lifestyle. Behind that lifestyle is our value system or our philosophy of life. Our value system or our philosophy of life determines the clothes we wear, how long our hair is, our conduct, and our attitudes in life. There are only two sources for our value system or our philosophy of life. It can come from human sources, or it can come from God. A disciple is one who has committed himself to learn and apply what God says through the scriptures.
Many people who claim to be disciples are more influenced by what man and our society says than by what God says. They watch television, read books, magazines, and the daily newspaper. As a result they are repeatedly exposed to man’s value systems. However, they need to spend time daily in God’s word so that they learn his value system and live it in their daily lives.
A disciple is a person who is tuned in on the Lord and is seeking to live for him. The other day I was riding down the Loop, listening to my radio. I always listen to KNUE 101—the easy listening station. I drove up next to a kid who had the volume on his car stereo turned very high. I say that because the windows were rattling and the whole car was shaking. When I looked at the young man behind the wheel, he appeared to be having a spastic fit. He was bouncing up and down and wiggling all around at the same time. Now why was he acting that way? It was because he was tuned in to a different station than KNUE. The station he was listening to affected his actions. A disciple is a person who is tuned in daily to the apostles’ teachings—to Jesus’ word.
If you are not learning and living out God’s word on a daily basis, how can you call yourself a disciple? You should never let a day go by without spending some time in the word of God. A disciple is a person who is daily learning and living the word of God.
2. To be a disciple, you must offer fellowship.
I do not use the word fellowship in the traditional sense of a church party with cookies and Kool-Aid. I use it in the New Testament sense of a caring and sharing community. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).
There are no soloists in the kingdom of God. To be a follower of Christ is to choose to hold hands with other Christians. It is to become a part of the body of Christ. If we are all members of his body, when one member is honored, we are all honored. And when one member of the body suffers, we all suffer. One person can’t hurt without the rest of us hurting. One person can’t rejoice without the rest of us being happy. To be a disciple involves a commitment of love to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13-27).
Some people say, “I can be a Christian without going to church.” Bunk! How can you square that with what Jesus said about loving other people? The worst thing that can be said about a Christian is, “He can’t get along with anybody,” which means that person is emotionally and spiritually sick.
To be a disciple means that I have made a commitment of love to you and to the whole body of Christ. What is love in the Christian sense? It is not to be mistaken for romantic feelings. Love is not the feeling you feel when you feel like you have never felt it before. In fact, love is not a feeling at all. Love is a commitment. Christian love is active, willing, and caring. It is a commitment of your will to what is best for someone else. This is a good definition of marital love as well as Christian love.
Love is an act of the will. I can determine to hate, ignore, or love you if I so choose. All three of these actions are actions of the will. I choose to do them or not to do them. I am not a helpless victim of the emotions of hate, indifference, or love.
My commitment to love you does not mean that I have to agree with or like you. Two people can be brothers without being identical twins. We do not have to see eye to eye in order to walk hand in hand. As Christians we are enjoined to love people whether we like them or not. The best illustration of that is the fact that I do not always like myself, but I always love myself. If you don’t like everything I do, I can sure understand that. I don’t like everything I do either. But in spite of that, I love myself.
Human nature (or something) leads many of us to limit our love to those who are “our type.” We limit our love to those whom we admire and like. In short, we like people who reflect our values and attitudes. Anyone vastly different from us is usually considered strange.
In every church I have pastored, there have been people I didn’t particularly like. If I had never seen them again, it would have been just fine with me. Usually they were people who were different from me and thus seemed a little bit strange. However, even though I didn’t like them, I loved them. I did everything I could to help them. When they called me, I was as quick to go to their aid as I was to that of my best friend. Not liking them did not keep me from loving them and seeking what was best for them.
The real achievement is in loving the unloved, the unlovely, those who may be considered by some to be unlovable and strange. As Christians we recognize that there is a concern demanded of us by Jesus that makes liking people irrelevant. A disciple then is someone who has a commitment to love other people in the church. In fact John tells us that we are to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16). You say, “I can’t do that. I don’t love other people that much.” I’m glad you have discovered that. There is nothing in the Christian life that you can do by yourself. There is only one person who can live the Christian life and his name is Jesus. He must live in you. A Christian is a person who is surrendered to and has given his life to Christ, and therefore lives the Christian life through Christ. That means that a disciple is a person who has become a channel through which the living Christ lives his life.
3. To be a disciple, you must bring fruitfulness.
Jesus said, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). The fruit Jesus refers to here is introducing other people to Christ. It is the fruit of evangelism. It is sharing Christ with others. Verse 16 makes that very clear. Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16). Note the word go. He obviously is not talking about the fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, and peace. To develop that fruit, you do not need to go anywhere. You can be a monk in a monastery and develop that kind of fruit. But if you are going to have the fruit of evangelism, then you must go.
There are four factors in producing fruit. First, there is the seed. Without seed no fruit can be produced. Second, there is the soil, which must be productive. You can’t raise a crop on the Rock of Gibraltar. The third factor is the season or the climate. You can’t grow a garden at the North Pole. The fourth factor is the sower. Even if you have good seed, productive soil, and a warm climate, it is to no avail unless somebody sows the seed.
The same four factors are important in producing spiritual fruit. The seed is the Gospel. The soil is the human heart. Some hearts are hardened and calloused against the Gospel and will not receive it. Other hearts so are cluttered with business, recreation, and social interests that the Gospel is choked out of them. However, some hearts are open and responsive to the Gospel. We are the sowers of the seed. If we will be busy planting Gospel seeds in human hearts, we must create a warm, loving climate in our churches so that the Gospel seed can be nourished. There is no substitute for fruit.
One day several cotton farmers were whiling away a winter afternoon around the pot-bellied stove. They soon became entangled in a heated discussion on the merits of their respective religions. The eldest of the farmers had been sitting quietly, just listening, when the group turned to him and demanded, “Who’s right, old Jim? Which one of these religions is the right one?”
“Well,” Jim said thoughtfully, “you know, there are three ways to get from here to the cotton gin. You can go right over the big hill. That’s shorter, but it’s a powerful climb. You can go around the east side of the hill. That’s not too far, but the road is rougher ’n tarnation. Or, you can go around the west side of the hill, which is the longest way, but the easiest. But you know,” he said, looking them squarely in the eye, “When you get there, the gin man won’t ask you how you come. He’ll just ask, ‘Man, how good is your cotton?’”
That’s the way the Lord will be. When we stand before him on Judgment Day, he is not going to ask, “How did you come? Did you come the Methodist way? The Presbyterian way? Or the Baptist way?” What he will want to know is, “How good is your cotton [your fruit]?”
Let me bring it all into focus with this question: when you die, will there be anyone who could walk up to your casket, look down into your face, and say, “Thank God I’m a Christian because of you”? Is there anyone that you have led to Christ or is there anyone who will meet you in heaven and say, “You are responsible for my being here”? Some unknown poet put it this way: “When she enters the beautiful city, and the saved all around her appear, many people around will tell her, it was you who invited me here.”
So a disciple is a person who is in the word of God on a daily basis, has a commitment to the body of Christ, and is witnessing and sharing Christ with others. Now let me ask you again, “Are you a disciple?”
After hearing this message on discipleship, a lady said to me, “I appreciated what you said about discipleship, but I discovered that I am not one.” You might feel the same way she did after hearing this. I know the lady quite well and so I replied to her, “Yes, you are a disciple, but you need to be a better one.”
There are many who have honestly and sincerely begun to follow Jesus but are still far from what they ought to be. If that’s the case with you, you don’t have to stay the way you are. You can change. You can be the disciple you ought to be.