Volume 12 Number 39
The
Characteristics of a Disciple!
Four Simple Questions to Ask As We Follow in the Footsteps of Jesus!
Sometimes its better to simplify.
Following Jesus is so simple that a little child can do it. Wise and scholarly Christians over the ages have written volumes on following Jesus. The bookshelves are covered with books and studies and models and plans for the Christian life, but the essence of following Jesus can be stated very simply.
We
had a wonderful conversation this week at the Board of Directors. We were considering, “How can we help
everyone in the
I think the answer to the second question is found in the answer to the first! When we live as disciples, we impact the world with Jesus’ love.
Each week we confess, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord…” Martine Luther explained our confession of faith in Jesus this way: ”I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.”
Simplified, it reads, “I believe that Jesus Christ… is my Lord!” Jesus is your Lord when you follow where He leads, when you do as He directs. And His directions were, well, quite simple, really.
In the Great Commission He calls all of His followers to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28). And in the Great Commandment, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22).
Our
discussion at the Board centered around four simple discipleship questions that
relate to these two instructions of our Lord.
Care to take a quiz? These are
four markers, four simple discipleship mile markers that each of us should ask
continually to evaluate our walk as disciples of Jesus. A positive response to all four questions by
a significant number of our Christian family will indicate that we at
By the way, before we go any further, I should mention that less than a majority of us were able to answer “Yes!” to all four, and our best guess was that there really are only a handful of our members who probably could. But we think the four questions might be a good place for us to begin as we encourage one another to a life of discipleship. Here they are!
Spiritual Maturity!
The
first question flows from the Great Commission to make disciples of all
nations. It asks whether I myself am a
growing disciples of the Lord Jesus and would go
something like this: “Am I growing week
by week and year by year in my understanding of my calling to live for Jesus
Christ, and am I faithfully responding to what Jesus is teaching me?”
It’s interesting to read the things that St. Peter wrote in his letters near the end of his life and compare them to the Peter we know about from the Gospels of Jesus. During his days with Jesus, Peter grew by leaps and bounds in his understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus.
But the remarkable thing is that his growth as a disciple was a lifelong journey. Even through his early days recorded in the book of Acts, we can see that Peter was learning and growing and discovering new facets of life as a follower of Jesus all the time.
Psalm
1 describes a disciple as a tree planted by streams of water, always bringing
forth fruit in season, and never wilting under the heat. We’re always drawing strength from the
Are you growing in your faith? Do you have a regular, strategic, goal focused plan for spiritual development and growth that involves the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, meditation, prayer, sacrifice, the sacraments and the other resources God has given us for our growth? Can you identify a new learning that God has given you recently about following Jesus, a learning that have caused a change in your behavior as you seek to follow Him more closely?
If not, we want you to discover such a life of discovery of the wonders of extraordinary service.
Worship!
The second question stems from the Savior’s calling in the Great Commandment to love the Lord with all your heart. It asks, “Do I have a weekly life of worship where I am renewed in the grace of God’s undeserved kindness, where I express my joy and thanks to my Father in heaven for all He has done, and where I celebrate my intimate bond with believers in heaven and on earth who worship with me?”
There’s a joke about the old German fellow who loved his wife so much that he almost told her. When we love someone, we do find ways to express that love. A consistent and regular life of worship with other members of the body of Christ is our first way of both experiencing and expressing our love relationship with God.
Our Lord initiated this relationship, and He initiates our worship with all that He says and gives us in word and sacrament. A disciple of Jesus responds with a life of praise.
Fellowship!
Jesus continued, “And love your neighbor as yourself.” The next discipleship question asks, “Am I building close relationships of trust and openness with other members of my church family, relationships where we give and receive Christ’s love in significant and practical ways?”
Jesus knew that like logs on the fire that grow cold when they roll away from the pile, we would need each other. Our faith is always personal, but never private. An extraordinary servant, a disciple of Jesus, knows that we need each other and seeks out relationships that are mutually beneficial as we walk with Jesus in faith.
Ministry!
Finally, a disciple of Jesus responds to His call to “Go!” Our fourth question asks, “Am I serving God according to my gifts and passions in my community or my church in such a way that the love of Christ is shared with others?” There are thousands ways to serve Jesus. Each of His followers is committed to find one or more of those ways.
I hope this little evaluation tool is encouraging to you. I’d love to discuss your score and how we can help you add another “Yes!” response. God bless your journey of faith and discipleship!