True Discipleship

                                   

Who were Jesus disciples? Were they 12 in number or were they all who believed in him. Can we be termed as disciples of Jesus or us merely followers of Jesus? Do we have in us the determination and the zeal and the passion for taking up our cross and saying to God that we are your disciples? Are we ready to face the challenges from Satan, yet be focused on Jesus? One thing is certain when we become followers and disciples of Jesus; we would be tempted and we will get numerous escape routes to fall back and turn our back on Jesus.
A true disciple is like a true patriotic soldier who fights his enemy till the end but doesn’t succumb to the adverse conditions surrounding him simply because he keeps his “Country” first. A true disciple would keep Jesus first even though his battle with Satan continues in the day to day life.
What is the use of being a phlegmatic follower, who doesn’t have the passion and zeal to follow Jesus? It’s a waste of time and energy, simply because until the time your passion for Christ doesn’t outshine lethargy to know him you won’t be able to follow his commandments. The Bible talks about keeping God as our priority and not the second option.

Luke 9 :57-62
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

On carefully reading and analyzing what Jesus meant through these verses; we can conclude few things -

Through the first person, Jesus was trying to tell us that he had no permanent place to live. He was more like a nomad, traveling from one place to another for the purpose of spreading the Gospel. Since he was living like that he expected his true disciples to follow the same path. That doesn’t mean that the disciples shouldn’t have homes or they should live like nomads, but what Jesus meant was that we should be too attached to our houses or a particular place. If our mission is to spread his Word then we must be willing to stay at any place. We shouldn’t expect a luxurious place or a house full of modern amenities while we have undertaken the task of spreading the good news.


Through second person Jesus is telling us that following him should be the priority of humans. Whatever work is to be done, it can be done later but our main goal should be to give our maximum time to our Lord. Jesus should be pre-eminence in our life. In this example, Jesus clearly asks the son to come and follow him (What a privilege that son got), but instead of just leaving everything and following Jesus he replied that he would rather bury the dead body of his father then he would join him. To a worldly person that may seem perfectly justifiable reply however it’s not when we are serving Jesus. God wants our 100% commitment and dedication for this work then only we could call ourselves disciples of Jesus in a true sense. Jesus also addressed people who didn’t believe in him as “dead”. When he said “Let the dead bury their dead”; he pointed out towards people who still didn’t believe in him and would not have an eternal life which can only be achieved through Jesus.
Through the third person, Jesus is trying to convey that there is no need to take drums and beat them telling to everyone that you are a disciple of Jesus. Sounds, a bit strange right! Because elsewhere in the Bible it’s written to go and spread the good news.

Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creation.
Well, it is our duty and responsibility to spread the Gospel, however, we needn’t take permission for following Jesus and we needn’t go haywire telling everyone that we have started following Jesus. Let people know that we are followers of Jesus through our actions and behavior. Accepting Jesus as our savior is one of the most diligent decisions in life as the real test of a person starts after accepting him. That’s why Jesus addressed in the verse that people who are not determined enough to follow Him they have no place in his Kingdom.
Being his follower is not something which should be seen as fashion or something of showbiz but it’s the passion and zeal inside you which should drive you towards the truth that Jesus is our savior and he died because we sinned. His death was a redemption for us from our sins.
Our passion for Jesus must be so spellbound that we shouldn’t be thinking of anything else apart from doing things which are pleasing to God. Once we decide to pick up our cross and follow Jesus then nothing should come in between our journey till heaven. Yes, our goal should be in heaven with Jesus and that can happen only through him.
One should always remember that our Lord and anything relating to Jesus is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly in any way. Following him and his commandments is a privilege and should be treated in the same way. When it comes to walking in and walking with Jesus we just need to be like small kids; who hold their parent's hand and walk along with them keeping their complete trust on them. Jesus wants us to keep complete trust and faith on him and rest he says that whatever we ask in his name to our heavenly Father; he would grant us.

John 16: 23
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Have you ever thought as to why Jesus told us to pray in his name to our Heavenly Father? The answer to this question lies in the Bible itself -

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
When God loves us this much that he gave his only Son as an atonement for our sins then why wouldn’t he grant our wishes in Jesus mighty and loving name? An important point to remember is praying in accordance to the Bible and God’s desire. So, as a true disciple, our first and foremost duty is to follow Jesus with zeal and without any excuses and to pray in Jesus name. That’s how we will slowly become a true disciple of Jesus.