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Discipleship...
Discipleship
is a wonderful privilege offered by the Lord Jesus to any who would follow Him.
It has neither status nor prestige.
It promises neither health nor wealth.
It demands much of one who would follow.
Discipleship
was Jesus’ idea. His terms were quite simple:
“Follow me”. Following
implies doing what he did, going where he went and listening to what he said.
He continues to extend His offer today.
Even though the nature of the following is different, the terms of
recruitment are the same.
Choosing
to follow him has a cost. It may
have nothing to do with money. But
it may take all the money you have. The
cost will always be measured in that which you treasure most.
But you will never be forced to pay up.
He will only ask you to comply.
Discipleship
is always a choice. It involves one
who submits his will to the will of another.
This is a voluntary submission. One
who has something to learn submits to one who has something to teach. If you choose you can leave anytime you want.
But you will find, like Peter, that Jesus is the one who has the words of
eternal life.
Discipleship
comes from the root word discipline. Discipline
involves doing that which you would otherwise not do.
It is the mind controlling the will.
It is the heart controlling the mind.
Discipleship
has as its goal the transformation of one from a self-sufficient free spirit to
a God-glorifying servant. It seeks
to raise a person’s vision from the realm of the ordinary to the sphere of the
supernatural.
Discipleship
is about relationship. A disciple
relates in two dimensions. He
relates to God as his Master. He
also relates to people as their servant. In
both relationships, the disciple is always the debtor.
He owes reverence to the Most High God.
He owes his assistance to any who need it.
His model in servant-hood is Jesus himself.
Consider…
For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many. (Mark
10:45)
Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature
God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even
death on a cross! Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. (Phil
2:5-11)
So there you have it. An
invitation to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. If that is your
desire, make yourself at home in the studies and materials from this site.
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