Week 2 Discipleship - What It Means To Be A Disciple of Jesus Christ

If week 1 asked why discipleship must be recovered, week 2 asks the question that must not remain vague: what does it actually mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Church, this matters more than many people realize, because there is a great difference between admiring Jesus and following Jesus, between attending church and being a disciple, between speaking Christian language and living under the Lordship of Christ. So, I want to take our time this week and let the Word of God define the answer. Not trends. Not assumptions. Not religious culture. We need Christ Himself to tell us what a disciple is. This is so important because if we define discipleship wrongly, we will misunderstand the Christian life at its very foundation.  

Transcript

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Welcome to Walking in the Living Word Ministries, a weekly podcast with your host, Pastor Mike Futrel.

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Thank you for joining us for week two of Discipleship of Walking in the Living Word Ministries. You know, in week one, I asked why discipleship must be recovered. Week two asked the question that must not remain unanswered. What does it really mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Church, this matters more than many people realize because there is a great difference between admiring who Jesus is and following Jesus, between attending church and be being a disciple, between speaking Christian language and living under the lordship of Christ. So I want to take our time this week and let the word of God define the answer. That tree, that treads, that assumptions, that religious culture, we need Christ Himself to tell us what a disciple is. And let me uh say why this week is so important. If we define discipleship wrongly, we will misunderstand the Christian life at its very foundation. We will confuse conversion with just mere decision. Assume with mere outward activity, in other words, the out activity looks good, but there's no holiness appearance. You know, it just is there, but it's not inward. And church membership with uh no real spiritual foundation. So, in other words, if we get the definition wrong, we will misread people, mislead people, and we mislead churches and misunderstand what Jesus is actually calling us to be. That is why this week is not just uh terminology, it's about clarity of the gospel. It's about clarity and sanctification, clarity in pastoral ministry, and clarity in the mission of the church. We need a definition of disciple that is biblically enough to search us, theologically enough to anchor us, and pastoral enough to help us walk faithfully with Christ. So let us begin with Matthew 4.19, where Jesus says, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. That short sentence carries enormous weight. It shows that us, the disciple, begins with the uh Christ Himself. He calls, we respond. The Christian life does not begin with self-invention or self-improvement. It begins when Christ summons a person to himself. But notice that call was not just an ordinary call. Believe a few truths about me, and it is follow me. It's more deeper than that. A disciple is someone whose life comes under the direction, authority, and uh companionship of Jesus. He is not just learning ideas, he is learning a person. He's being led into a new way of life under a new Lord. And notice something else in that verse. Jesus says, I will make you. That means discipleship is not only a call to come, it is a commitment by Christ to change the one who comes. True discipleship is transformation. That's trans, you're being transformed. Jesus does not simply collect followers, he forms them. In that one sentence, Jesus shows us three dimensions of discipleship: call, change, and mission. Follow me is the call, I will make you is the change, and fishes of the men is the mission. In other words, the disciple is called by Christ, shaped by Christ, and sent by Christ. And that helps us immediately. A disciple is not just somebody who once had an emotional movement, a moment. A disciple is not merely somebody who joined the church role. A disciple is someone who has been summoned by the Savior, is being formed by the Savior, and is learning to live for the Savior's purposes in this world. Now move with me to Luke 9 23, and Jesus says, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Here the Lord makes clear that discipleship is costly. The cross is not a symbol of any convenience, it's a symbol of death, deaf to self-rule, deaf to self-justification, deaf to the illusion that we can belong to Christ while still enthroning ourselves. Yet Jesus is not calling his people into misery for misery's sake. He's calling them out of bondage into a true life. A disciple is someone who is no longer treats self as a master. He is learning to say no to pride, no to sin, no to self being exalted, and yes to the will of God. This is why discipleship will always involve repentance. It will always involve surrender. It will always involve the steady work of bringing our lives under the rule of Jesus Christ. And Jesus presses that even further in Luke 14, 23, 26 through 33, where he tells the crowds to count the cost. He's not teaching hatred in a sinful sense. He's teaching them that loyalty to him must be supreme. No earthly relationship, no personal ambition, no possession, and no private dream can sit above Christ in the heart of a true disciple. Our Lord even says that if a man does not bear the cross and come after him, he cannot be his disciple. That is strong language, but it's honest language. Jesus never baited people with a shallow invitation. He told them the truth. Discipleship is free in that sense that grace cannot be bought, but is costly in the sense that grace lays claim to the whole person. Christ does not merely ask for a religious corner of your life, he calls for lordship over all of your life. That is why John 8, 31 through 32 matters so much, Jesus says, if you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Notice the lineage there. A disciple does not flirt with truth for a season and then drift when obedience comes costly. A disciple continues, he remains, he abides under the authority of Christ's word. And the freedom Jesus speaks of is not freedom to do whatever the flesh wants, it's the freedom that comes when lies are broken, of sin is exposed, and the soul is brought under the liberating rule of the truth. So one mark of a true disciple is staying in the word of God, not being perfect, but staying there to become like Christ. Not sinless, but a settled submission to the truth of Christ. And then John 13, 34 through 35 gives us another mark that must never be overlooked. Jesus says that his disciples will be known by their love for one another. That means discipleshield is not proved by the Bible knowledge, not by gifting alone, and not by public ministry alone, but by Christ-like love. Love that forgives, love that serves, love that bears burdens, love that tells the truth without cruelty, love that remains when emotions cool and difficulties arise. The more we follow Christ, the more we should grow in that kind of love that reflects his heart. A disciple is not merely an oxidot and confession. He's being transformed in affection and conduct. If we claim to follow Jesus while remaining hard, bitter, prideful, and self-centered toward others, then something is deeply wrong in our discipleship. Then John 15, 1 through 8 takes us even deeper still. Jesus says, He is the true vine, and we are the branches. That means fruitlessness does not come from spiritual self effort alone. It comes from abiding in Christ. Apart from him, we can do nothing. Church, hear me. Discipleship is not mere behavior management. It's living in union with Christ that produces obedience, fruit, endurance, powerful dependency, and growing to be conformed to his likeness. Branches do not strain to invent invert the light. They receive life by remaining connected to the vine. In the same way, disciples do not become holy by raw willpower. They grow as they remain near Christ through his word, prayer, repentance, faith, and the fellowship of other saints. This is why discipleship must never be reduced to behavior modification. The Pharisees knew how to polish the outside. Jesus is after something much deeper. He's after the heart. To keep this week anchored in the gospel, we must also read Romans 6, 1 through 14 and Galatians 2.20. Romans 6 teaches us that believers have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection. That means the dominant of sin has been broken and a new life has begun. Galatians 2.20 says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. This is essential here, folks. We're not justified by our discipleship. We're justified by the grace through faith of Christ alone. But the same grace that justifies also sanctifies. Obedience is not how we earn union with Christ. Obedience flows from the union with Christ. Holiness is not the ladder by which we climb to grace, it's the fruit that grows because grace has already taken hold of us. A true disciple may struggle, stumble, and need correction, but he keeps returning to Christ in repentance, faith, and because his life is hidden with Christ, so do not think of discipleship as a self-salvation. Think of it as grace embedded obedience flowing from a living relationship with the risen Lord. We also see this in life of the early church. Acts 11, 26 tells us that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. And that happened in a content where Barnabas and Saul was assembled with the church and taught much people. This matters. Then in Acts 14, 21 through 22, Paul and Barnabas returned to strengthen the souls of their disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith. In other words, the early church did not view discipleship as a one-time decision and then move on. They taught, they strengthened, they exalted, they helped believers continue. That is biblical discipleship in action. It's sustained, church shaped, and true filled and pastoral. So when we ask what is a true disciple of Jesus Christ, the Bible gives us a rich answer. A disciple is called by Christ, a disciple follows Christ, a disciple denies self for Christ, a disciple continues in the word of Christ, a disciple abides in Christ, a disciple loves the people of Christ, a disciple makes other disciples. A disciple is being conformed into the likeness of Christ, and the disciples learning to live for the mission of Christ. That does not mean every believer is at the same stage of growth, but it does mean that the direction of the disciple's life is moving towards Jesus, not away from. The bent on the heart is towards obedience, not toward excuse making. The pattern is repentance and faith, not settled rebellious. And this is where the weight of the week really stands. If we reduce discipleship to a prayer once prayed, a card once signed, a church service once attended, or a religious activity once claimed, then we will fill churches with people who may know Christian language, but do not know how to walk with Christ. We will mistake exposure for transformation. We will mistake activity for maturity, and we will mistake familiarity with Jesus for a surrender to Jesus. And the result will be weak assurance, shallow holiness, fragile faith, and churches that struggle to stand in truth when the pressure rises. But if we let Jesus define a disciple, then we will call people not only to begin with him, but to continue with him, abide in him, obey him, love his people, and bear fruit for his glory until they go home to be with him. That is why this week matters so deeply. We're not merely refining a definition. We are protecting the church from confusion and calling people into the reality of life with Christ. And that means this week must become personal for each and every person. It is possible to be near Christian things without being a true disciple. It's possible to know the language of the church without knowing the life of abiding in Christ. It's possible to admire Jesus for his benefits while resisting him as Lord. That is why self-examination matters, not to drive tender believers into despair, but to help us keep us from false assurance. If there is no desire for Christ, no hunger for his word, no love for his people, no repentance over sin, and no movement towards obedience, then we should not smooth ourselves without outward appearance. We should run to Christ honestly and ask him to save, renew, and truly form us as his disciples. So let me close week two with a prayerful appeal. Teach us to follow you, deny ourselves, abide in your word, love your people, bear fruit through abiding in you, guard us from false assurance, shallow religion, outward appearance without inward transformation. Deliver us from trying to use your name without submitting to your lordship. Deepen our repentance, deepen our faith, deepen our love, deepen our obedience by the grace and in the strength you supply. And for every listener hearing this ministry, I pray the Lord to make this deeply personal for you. Ask yourself before God am I following Jesus or only admiring him? Am I abiding in his word? Am I growing in his love and his holiness and his obedience? Am I learning to deny myself and take up my cross daily? Church, this is what disciples look like. Not being perfect, but direction, not sinless performance, but a little life being shaped by grace under the Lordship of Christ. And let me say this plainly before we close. If we do not get this week right, then everything else we say about discipleship will stand on a weak foundation. We must know what a disciple is if we're going to make disciples faithfully. We must know what Jesus says if we're going to lead people honestly. We must know what marks of a true disciple are if we are going to shepherd souls carefully and in this hour. So do not let this week pass by and not learn. Let it bring you nearer to Christ. And if the Lord wills, in week three, we will ask why so many churches struggle to make disciples with depth, clarity, and consistency. Now, folks, each week is going to get a build on each other. Each week's going to get a little deeper, a little stronger, a little more soul searching. So I pray that you come each week with an open heart, an open mind, and an open Bible and a willingness to learn. So thank you for joining us with Walking in the Living Words Ministries today. And we look forward to seeing you next week when we continue our journey on discipleship.

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Thanks for joining us today on this edition of Walking in the Living Word with Pastor Mike But. We pray that you've been inspired and equipped to fulfill the plan that God has for your life. Subscribe to this podcast, here with a friend, and let's put it together.