The Abundant Life of Discipleship

How would you define a disciples of Jesus Christ? Do you think a disciple of Jesus could differ from someone who attends church regularly?

Would you consider yourself a disciple of Christ? Do you think a lifestyle of discipleship is a fulfilling and satisfying lifestyle? What are some of the things that hinder us from pursuing a lifestyle of discipleship? What if anything would we have to give up in order to pursue biblical discipleship? Are there any rewards for engaging in a lifestyle of discipleship for a lifetime? Can a person claim to be a believer in Jesus Christ and not be His disciple? Can one be an authentic disciple of Jesus apart from being involved in full time vocational ministry? How would a person go about pursuing genuine discipleship in our particular time and context?

The next two studies in our vital spiritual health series will examine the theme of biblical discipleship. This is the kind of lifestyle commanded by our Lord Jesus and demonstrated by the ancient church. Acts 2:43-46 records ‘And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

Now I don’t believe this passage instructs all believers at all times to sell their possessions and live in Christian communes. The example of the ancient church however is to be noted for how it revealed their attitude toward following of the Lord. Having become believers in our Lord the ancient church began to reorient their entire lives around the expansion of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and proclamation of His gospel. The example of how they did this is the use their finances and time, two our most precious resources. Though our expression of discipleship may be different or intention must be the same.

The next two studies will examine biblical discipleship from the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 16.

A disciple is an active follower of Jesus Christ. One who follows Him in regular, heartfelt worship, a diligent obedient walk and humble yet bold witness of the gospel. Furthermore a disciple is one who makes major and minor decisions based on how they extend God‘s rule and agenda. Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Christ’s call to discipleship which is a call to complete freedom and ultimate fulfillment.
Living this way will be impossible if you don’t have a biblical perspective on existence. If you’re perspective on life is confined only to this present existence then you will pour your energy, efforts and soul into it to achieve the maximum amount of happiness, security, pleasure and comfort before you check out. Now if this is the only life you’ll ever live then that attitude makes perfect sense.
However, if Jesus is right and I believe He is there are two very good reasons not to pour yourself into finding lasting, holistic satisfaction in this life.
First, real life isn’t found in pursuing a lifestyle built around wealth, comfort, fame and pleasure and ease. According to Jesus real life is found in a lifestyle of lifetime service to Him. That is how Jesus Himself lived (see Mt. 15:29-31).
Second, this is not the only existence you’ll live. There is a life to come, one in which there will be no more pain, death, grief, oppression, need or anything else that makes this life so troublesome.

How do we begin to experience this life that Jesus spoke of?

The abundant life of discipleship begins when we agree, accept and are willing to live by Peter’s confession of the Person of Jesus Christ. He is not just another holy man whose teachings have some merit for those who want a measure of spirituality in their lives.

He is the messiah or Christ. That is He is the anointed servant of God spoken of by the prophets.
He is the One who will destroy all that is evil, wicked and deviant from God’s word and will. Gen. 3.
He is the One given the ruler ship over God’s creation. Ps. 2
He is the focus of all of God’s saving and restorative activity in the universe. Gen. 3, 12 ,and Ps. 118:22.
He is the One who will re-establish true worship among all of God’s people. Isa. 2
He will establish and eternal kingdom of righteousness, peace and justice. Isa. 9
He will bring an end to ethnic tension, strife, violence and hatred as people from all ethnic groups rally to Him to find true identity, dignity and destiny. Isa. 11; Ps. 72.
He is the one who commands our eternal worship, loyal obedience and faithful love. Dan. 7.
He is the one who gives full, vibrant, soul satisfying life to all who are thirsty for it. Isa. 55.

If you believe Jesus is who He claimed to be, God’s special chosen servant, the one who is the eternal Son of God then you have no other choice than to follow Him wholeheartedly.

What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? Well, it means much more than intellectually agreeing with some of His moral teachings.

The abundant life of discipleship calls for us to deny ourselves. This statement is made in reaction to what Peter, motivated by Satan said. Satan only has in mind the things of this world. He deceives men to only think about self pleasure, self focus, fleeting fame, wealth, comfort and convenience. Satan’s program is about gaining and using power oppressively, wealth selfishly and pleasure foolishly. To deny ourselves means to deny the world’s and our own natural desire to live self-centered, self-focused lives.
This call to be an active follower of Christ does not necessarily mean taking a vow of poverty and living a monkish, hermit like lifestyle. Unlike his cousin John the Baptist Jesus was not an ascetic. He did not live out in the desert, but lived and served in large population centers.
Christ call’s us to deny, i.e. to renounce any claims to ownership of our rights, privileges, time, talents, wealth, self-focused ambitions, agendas and selves.
You don’t have the privilege of doing what you want to do, live life according to your own terms and make life decisions based solely on how those decisions benefit you.
You don’t have right to determine the use of your time and money. These resources are given to you by God to be used in wise ways so that the gospel of His Son is spread in your neighborhood and community.
You can’t allow your ambitions and dreams to overpower and overshadow your call to pursue Christ’s agenda.

The abundant life of discipleship moves us to go beyond a passive Christianity whose main role is to assist me in my pursuit of the prosperity, comfort, convenience, fame and pleasure so prevalent in our society.
A disciple of Christ is one who doesn’t view faith in Christ as the ticket to fulfill their own private agenda.
Nor is a disciple one who wishes to add a dab of religion to a lifestyle built around our cultural idols of wealth, prosperity and comfort.

What are some steps we can take to begin denying ourselves so that our lives will be liberated to follow the call of the gospel?

1. Examine your schedule and see if you can put three to five hours in meaningful service.
2. Can you open your home for some kind of ongoing service?
3. Are there ways your family can serve in a ministry together?
4. What gifts, talents and abilities do you have that we can utilize in our efforts to impact this community with the gospel? Are you willing to put them to use?
5. Are you willing to take a position behind the scenes and do the grunt work that is so necessary to our service, fellowship and witness?
6. While at work or school are you willing to begin praying for the salvation of your peers and asking God to give you opportunities to share the gospel with them?

Christ’s call to discipleship is a lifestyle change. Thus, if you’re married you’ll have to talk and pray with your spouse and children regarding how this will affect your life.

The abundant life of discipleship is Christ’s call to be His active follower and adopt a gospel driven agenda in which I’m always aware of acting as His witness in any situation He places me in.
Christ’s call to be His active follower means that I look for and pursue ways to spread His gospel and expand His kingdom in my own sphere of influence.
It means recognizing that how I live, how I serve and how I speak can be used by God to witness of the gospel of new life found in Jesus Christ.
It means that I will make major and minor life decisions based on how they facilitate my witness of the gospel.
For example, it may mean buying a home for much less than you can afford so that you’ll have more to invest in the spread of the gospel
It means that I’ll view my home as a place of ministry. A place to offer hospitality to God’s people, or a springboard to get to know my neighbors in hopes that God will give me an opportunity to declare the gospel to them.
It means that I may choose a neighborhood for the specific reason of being able to be of service there in some way. (this could be a urban or suburban neighborhood)

His call to discipleship begins with learning about His word, His ways, His Person and work.
We cannot share and declare Christ to our families, friends, co-workers, school mates or anyone else if our knowledge of Him is slim and superficial.
Christ own work with His disciples begin with a three year intensive internship.
The disciples patterned their ministry after Christ by making the consistent teaching of Scripture the chief characteristic of their service to the people of God.

This is not an easy call. We live in a culture dedicated to self-indulgence not self-denial. We live with a sinful human nature, one that is bent against the will and things of God. We struggle against Satan, the very one who influenced Peter to rebuke the Lord. Satan, would like nothing more than for us to keep our religion intact while pursuing the things of this world.

However, we also have the Lord Jesus Christ our perfect example of one who denied Himself for us.
Jesus denied Himself the full privileges of His deity and became a real human being subject to human weaknesses for you. Heb. 2.
Jesus adopted a gospel driven mindset and constantly set Himself to do the will of His Father.
Jesus demonstrated that a lifestyle of service is more satisfying and fulfilling than a lifestyle of self-indulgence.
Jesus denied Himself to the extent of denying His own life. His love for you was so great that He didn’t consider His own life so precious and so dear as to not give it up for you.

Questions for reflection:

1. Is your lifestyle currently characterized by regular heartfelt worship with God’s people, a genuine desire obey God’s word and an active witness of the gospel?

2. Who do you think Christ is?

3. Does your life bear witness that He is God’s chosen One who has been given the rule of the entire universe or just another good teacher who had some wise insightful things to say about life and spirituality?

4. Is He the one who has command over your life, time, money and agenda or the one who helps you bring some religion in your life to balance it out?

5. Do you believe He is the only one who can give you the real, fulfilling life that you crave for?

6. Are you pursuing things, people, a career, lifestyle or anything else that may prevent you from actively following our Lord?

7. What if anything do you have to deny in order to follow the Lord actively?

8. Do you view Christianity mainly as a way to help you deal with the pain, difficulty and stress of everyday life?

9. Would you be willing to follow the Lord if you knew it meant your life would become more difficult?

10. Do you have a major or minor life decision to make soon? What factors are you weighing in making that decision? How much will the furtherance of the gospel play in making your decision?

To Him Who Loves Us...
Pastor Lance