Are You A Disciple?

Obeying the gospel calls for us to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Being a disciple of Jesus is a life-long commitment. Even though baptism is necessary to become a Christian being a disciple is a lifelong commitment that begins even before someone is baptized. A disciple is someone who is learning the ends and outs of what is required of the Master. They are learning the disciplines of what they are committing to. This learning process can begin before someone is baptized.

Furthermore, I would hope that understanding what Jesus requires of someone is something that is considered before their baptism. As a learning disciple of Jesus, the ultimate outcome is that they are baptized and committed to the further disciplines of Christianity. A baptized disciple of Jesus continues to learn what is required to be faithful unto death even after their baptism. Jesus teaches that a disciple of His will face challenges and must remain disciplined to the end.

Matthew 24:9-13 – Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Being a disciple of Jesus is someone who has counted the cost and continues to count the cost for the rest of their lives.

Luke 14:26-33 – If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

Jesus provides so much in these illustrations. Counting the cost means that we can recognize and agree to the terms outlined by the Master. In following Jesus, we cannot keep following our own desires. We cannot follow Him and the way of the world at the same time. Being a disciple of Jesus means that we may lose relationships, ambitions, material possessions, or even as some have, lose their lives. Jesus concludes His point here, saying that we cannot be His disciples if we are unwilling to give everything else up.

Being a disciple is a process that demands commitment and an understanding of what we must give up as we are learning to follow Jesus.

Where are you in your discipleship?

Are you still learning what it means to be committed?

Are you ready to be committed to the Master and be disciplined by Him?

Are you ready to be baptized?

Are you willing to continue to count the cost and be committed to Him for the rest of your life?