DISCIPLESHIP

Written by: Lekan Babatunde

Concept of Discipleship  

• Introduction
• What is Discipleship 
• Needs for Discipleship 
• Cost of Discipleship 
• Who is a Disciple 
• Mark of a Disciple

Our roads, streets and cities are full of men who are still living to please them selves (flesh) and doing the will of Satan their father. Even though some people who claim to be saved or born again are not exempted from such living. Many are still living as if Christ has not come at all (for their salvation).

There are two set of people on earth, those who are living according to the dictate of the flesh and those who are being controlled by the Spirit of God. God’s demand and expectations is that we should yield our lives completely to Him so that we can exemplify his nature and character in our daily lives and living. 
No matter who we are unless our lives gives God pleasure and glorify him, He can not have pleasure and be happy with us

The need for discipleship cannot be over emphasized, but it is a pity that much is not mentioned about or its almost gone into extinction. 
We shall be looking into this as God will grant us understanding and revelation. It is my desire that we know God one on one, having first hand experience and to continue to grow in that intimacy (discipleship relationship) with him until we see him in glory. May God help us.

Concept of Discipleship
The concept of discipleship is becoming so unpopular in Christendom, and the devil is rejoicing at a corner for this great omission. He is rejoicing because he knows that there lies the power and victory of the church in rendering acceptable services unto God. It is at the place of (discipleship) where proven men and women are raised and discipled before being sent into the ministry or before being allowed to handle or render any service unto God.

 It is also a place where quality (right and correct) men and women that fits God’s work are trained and discipled and sent to become a terror to Satan’s kingdom. Lack of Discipleship is an omission that has brought untold calamity upon the church as a whole. 

We should note that our work of evangelism is not completed until those who have been won during our evangelistic outreach are brought into discipleship or voluntarily surrendered for discipleship training. Let’s see Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:18-20.

 The emphasis is “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” and “Go and make disciples of all nations” NIV. 

This means all OUR CONVERTS MUST BE DISCIPLED. it is not first and foremost to them to become workers in the church. I also want to tell us that God is not in anyway in a hurry to use “untrained and unprepared” men who do not carry a correct life for his work. He prefers to wait pending when a usable vessel can be found who has gone through discipleship to handle His assignment.

What is Discipleship

Discipleship is a process whereby a Christian who has voluntarily surrendered him or herself to the Lord Jesus Christ is being made to become like Jesus by various exposures, activities and discipline as determined by the Lord Himself. 

The basic purpose of God in this is to get every child of God conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 8:28-29.

It is the only means designed by God to bring us unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

It is the process of reproducing or imparting the life of Jesus to His followers.

It is also a life long process that requires our consistency in following and learning from him,the Master.

The need for Discipleship 
It is God’s only means of recruiting the kind of human instruments he can use for his glory. Isa 52:11, Mk 3:14

It is the only means of reproducing and multiplying his disciples here on earth or else there will be scarcity of usable men. John 15:16. Even David said so in psalm 12:1, 

Discipleship
1.  is a means of raising vessels unto honour. 2 Tim 2:21

2. It is a means of raising vessels for revival (people who can bring the glory and presence of God down) in our land. Mk 11:1-3, 2 cor 6:16

3. It is a means of reproducing and forming God kind of life in a man. Matt 28:19.

4. It is a means of bearing the image of the heavenly. 1 cor 15:49

5. It is a means of raising matured believers and also help us to know and claim our right (privileges) in Christ Jesus Gal 4:1-7

6. It is the only means of forming (birthing) the life of Christ in man. Gal 4:19

Disciples therefore are people 

1. who can demonstrate the real power of God on earth. Mk 16:17, 3:13-15

2. who have the hope of reigning with Jesus eternally. 

That we all as believers may be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS. No more no less. Romans 8:29

The Cost of Discipleship: Luke 14:25-35

God doesn’t want us to wait for many years after our sins are forgiven before we understand what discipleship really costs. Jesus told people about the cost of discipleship as soon as they came to Him (repents of their sins). 

Discipleship has a Price Tag.

He also said that a believer who was unwilling to be a disciple was as useless to God as salt that had lost its savour (Lk. 14:35).  

These are the three minimum requirement of being a disciple

For a convert to become a disciple, he must first of all cut off any attachment to his relatives that hinders him from following the Lord (Lk. 14:26). 

Secondly, he must be willing to deny himself and put his Self-life to death daily (Lk.14:27).

Thirdly, he must give up his love for material possessions (Lk. 14:33).
A brief explanation of this will be done for further understanding

The first cost of discipleship is that we must cut off the natural, inordinate love that we have for our relatives. 

Jesus said “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk. 14:26). It’s only means that God should always be first in our affections, and not our relatives.  

Many don’t obey God because they are afraid to offend their father, mother or wife, husbands etc., The Lord demands first place in our life. And if we don’t give Him that place, we can’t be His disciples. Jesus must be Lord of all in our lives, or He will not be Lord at all.  If we can say, like the psalmist,
“Whom have I in heaven, Lord, but Thee? And besides Thee I desire nothing on earth,” then we have truly fulfilled the first condition of discipleship (Psa. 73:25).

The second cost or condition of discipleship is that we must hate our own self-life.

Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk. 14:26). More important than reading our Bible daily, or praying daily, we have to deny ourselves daily and take up our cross daily. To deny our Self is the same as to hate our own life – the life that we have inherited from Adam. To take up the cross is to put that Self-life to death. We have to hate that life first, before we can slay it.  

Our Self-life is the main enemy of the life of Christ. The Bible calls this ‘the flesh’. The flesh is a store-house of evil lusts within us that tempts us to do our own will at all times – to seek our own gain, our own honour, our own pleasure, etc. Unless we hate this “flesh”, we will never be able to follow the Lord.

 The third cost of discipleship is that we must give up all our own possessions.  

Jesus said, “No one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Lk. 14:33). Our possessions are what we possess as our own. To give them all up means that we no longer consider anything as our own. We see an illustration of this in the life of Abraham. Isaac was his own son – his possession. One day God asked him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. And Abraham laid Isaac on the altar and was ready to slay him. But God intervened and told him that the sacrifice was not necessary, because he had proved his willingness to obey (Gen.22). 

After that, Abraham recognised that even though he had Isaac in his house, he no longer possessed him as his own. Isaac now belonged to God.  
This is what it means to give up all our possessions. All that we have must be laid on the altar and given up to God.  God may allow us to use some of those things. But we cannot think of them as our own any more. This is true discipleship. 
Our possessions include our account, property, job, qualifications, gifts and talents, wife, husband, children and everything else that we value on this earth. We have to lay them all on the altar if we want to be true disciples. Only then can we love God with all our heart. 
And so we see that true discipleship involves a radical change of attitude towards: 
-our relatives and loved ones
-our self-life and  
-our possessions. 

Jesus wants the center stage in our life’s everyday.

 Who is a Disciple? 

A disciple is first of all a person who is born again because except a man is born anew he has no potential to be like Jesus. A sinner cannot grow to become a saint by training, he must be born anew. John 3:3,5
A disciple is a person who has voluntarily decided to take up Jesus’ yoke and put it upon himself. Meaning that the purpose Christ came into the world becomes his own primary purpose for living no matter his earthly profession or occupation. Matt 11:28-30.
A disciple is a person who has surrendered his life to be tied down for the Master’s use. If we so desire for God to use us then we must enter into discipleship relationship with Christ. He never use a truant, somebody he did not know. Mk 11:1-3

A disciple is a Learner

A disciple is a learner and a follower of the Lord Jesus. He is one who has made Jesus his example and seeks to conform his life to his Master’s in every possible way. Matt 4:18-20

Mark of a Disciple

Passionately Committed to Jesus Christ

God is calling you to come close and learn from Him. One of the primary indicators that you have become a disciple is when your passion shifts from worldly desires to Jesus. Luke 14:25 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

Extraordinary Love for People

Jesus modeled extraordinary love for all people, and He came to teach us how to do the same. He came to break down the barriers that separate us. We are meant to be a light to the world — demonstrating the Father’s heart so that all may be reconciled back to Him. John 13:34-35 “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

The Heart of a Servant

True greatness begins with humility. The Bible tells us that to be great, we must serve others. And humility is at the center of the heart of a servant. We must decrease so that Christ’s character may increase in us.Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

Sensitivity and Submission to the Holy Spirit

The more connected you are to the Holy Spirit, the more connected you are to God. He is the presence, power and anointing of God. When you receive Jesus as Lord, His Spirit comes to live inside of you—to cleanse you of your past and give you a new life.John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you and he will be in you.”     

Be Governed by the Authority of God’s Word
God’s Word is truth. Disciples have made a decision that they must elevate the Word above their feelings — even when it’s difficult. Acting on His instruction releases anointing over our lives and takes us to another dimension in our relationship with Him.John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Live morally pure in a polluted world

Because God is a good Father, He invites us to share in His character. As followers of Jesus, we have been forgiven and made holy. But because God is holy and we are made in His image, we’re also called to live like Him.1 Peter 1:15-16 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”                

                   

Be Evangelistically Bold

When we receive Christ, His Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us and make us bold to preach the gospel of Christ anywhere. Many people in the world are searching for someone who’s bold enough to share their faith and show them the love of the Father. Now is the time to stand out and be different — to share the great news about Jesus! Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Engages in Biblical Community (fellowship with other brethren)

God said that it is not good for man to be alone. He wired us to function best in the context of biblical community. We are the family of God through faith in Jesus, so we don’t have to run this race alone.Acts 2:42 They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread and prayed together.

Just and Generous

What we put our hope and trust in guides our thoughts and decisions. When money rules us, it removes our hearts and affections away from the Father. God isn’t interested in what we acquire for ourselves. What matters to Him is what we do that has eternal significance.Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”                     

Live your Life on Purpose:

The only way to know your purpose is to know God. God reveals his will and mind to his beloved and this make them to live a purposeful life having taken the yoke of Jesus upon them. 

Some others include that:
*They have crucified the flesh
*They seek and live for the glory of God.
*They are heavenly minded and waiting earnestly for the appearing of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Discipleship is building up our relationship with God.

In conclusion, if the foundation of our Christian life is going to be strong and be able to take the weight of our Christian life later in life, and also desired to be a proper (correct) child of God with the hope of becoming something in His hand (be use of God) and reigning eternally with him, we must voluntarily enter into this “ship” called Discipleship where all the fullness of God for our lives are embedded.

May we be blessed as we go on in life with this understanding.

Amen and amen.