Are you a Disciple of Jesus?
It's been a long time since I've blogged here...So here I go...
A couple weeks ago, at prayer meeting, we discussed about being a Disciple of Jesus...The statement below was made by Jesus to His apostles shortly before He ascended to heaven:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of hte Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
This is commonly known as "The Great Commission" found in Matthew 28:18-20 evidently the goal here is to evangelize to the world about Christ.
Definition of a Disciple:
1. The word "disciple" literally means A LEARNER
2. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT words, it denotes "one who follows another's teaching."
3. But a disciple was not only a learner, he was also AN ADHERENT
4. For this reason disciples were spoken of as IMITATORS of their teachers.
Goal:
1. Stated by Jesus himself: to be like the teacher (Luke 6:40)
2. To be Christ's disciple, is to strive to be like him!
3. According to the aposlte Paul, this coincides with God's goal in the redemption of mankind, that they be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29)
The Marks of a Disciple:
1. A Disciple is "one who abides in Jesus' words"
2. A Disciple is also "one who loves the brethren"
3. A Disciple is "one who bears much fruit"
The Cost of Being a Disciple:
1. Jesus must come FIRST
2. We must be willing to suffer for CHRIST
3. Putting it simply, we must forsake all to follow CHRIST
The Rewards of being a Disciple:
1. There is the promise of "Future Blessings"
2. There are also "Present Blessings"
The beginning of a Disciple:
1. According ot Jesus, it involves Baptism (Matthew 28:19)
2. Teaching and obedience must follow.
Conclusion:
1. Only those scripturally baptized and demonstrating the "marks" of discipleship, despite the "costs", can truly be called disciples of Jesus!
2. Only they can realistically look forward to the "rewards" of discipleship, and take consolation in the promise of Jesus.
These notes were excerpts from Pastor Nelson's notes "A Closer walk with God" ...hopefully, these notes will help you as well. This is a short summary of his notes, the condensed version=)
A couple weeks ago, at prayer meeting, we discussed about being a Disciple of Jesus...The statement below was made by Jesus to His apostles shortly before He ascended to heaven:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of hte Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
This is commonly known as "The Great Commission" found in Matthew 28:18-20 evidently the goal here is to evangelize to the world about Christ.
Definition of a Disciple:
1. The word "disciple" literally means A LEARNER
2. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT words, it denotes "one who follows another's teaching."
3. But a disciple was not only a learner, he was also AN ADHERENT
4. For this reason disciples were spoken of as IMITATORS of their teachers.
Goal:
1. Stated by Jesus himself: to be like the teacher (Luke 6:40)
2. To be Christ's disciple, is to strive to be like him!
3. According to the aposlte Paul, this coincides with God's goal in the redemption of mankind, that they be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29)
The Marks of a Disciple:
1. A Disciple is "one who abides in Jesus' words"
2. A Disciple is also "one who loves the brethren"
3. A Disciple is "one who bears much fruit"
The Cost of Being a Disciple:
1. Jesus must come FIRST
2. We must be willing to suffer for CHRIST
3. Putting it simply, we must forsake all to follow CHRIST
The Rewards of being a Disciple:
1. There is the promise of "Future Blessings"
2. There are also "Present Blessings"
The beginning of a Disciple:
1. According ot Jesus, it involves Baptism (Matthew 28:19)
2. Teaching and obedience must follow.
Conclusion:
1. Only those scripturally baptized and demonstrating the "marks" of discipleship, despite the "costs", can truly be called disciples of Jesus!
2. Only they can realistically look forward to the "rewards" of discipleship, and take consolation in the promise of Jesus.
These notes were excerpts from Pastor Nelson's notes "A Closer walk with God" ...hopefully, these notes will help you as well. This is a short summary of his notes, the condensed version=)
posted by Bonbon at 11:06 p.m.
1 Comments:
i was about to post something about being a disciple of Jesus....thanks for the reminder..
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