GATEWAY

1.0       Introduction

Jesus Christ in the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) Pointed lifestyle for His disciples. He explained that His disciples should live the kingdom lifestyle even though they are still in the World (Matthew 5; 13-16). A disciple whose life portrays none of the father’s character is like a covered lamp; it is useless. A disciple’s life should shine and be seen as a city set on a hill. We should guard the motives of our hearts and consider the effects our public and private actions have on the spread of the Gospel and the image people form of God our father. We are His disciples are expected to reveal Jesus’ lifestyle to the World. In this write-up, we will consider the meaning of some the key words i.e Cost, Benefit, Christ, and Disciple, How to become Christ Disciple, and  Cost of Being a Christ Disciple.

2.0            Definition of Terms

2.1       Cost: In Production, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce some things and hence is not available for use anymore.

Cost is the price paid or required for acquiring, Producing or maintaining something usually measured in money, time or energy or sacrifice, loss expense or expenditure (Dictionary.com).

2.2       Benefit:Benefit simply means a good or helpful result or effect.

It is an advantage or profit gained from something or somebody, a payment or gift as one made to help someone or given by an agency. The company offers its employees a pension plan, free health insurance.

2.3       Christ: in Christianity, the Christ is a title for the Saviour and redeemer who would bring Salvation to the Jewish and the Gentiles (Wikipedia.org.). Christ: the word Christ in Greek means Messiah, which means the anointed one (Dictionary.com).

  2.4       Disciple: In Christianity, the term disciple primarily refers to students of Jesus Christ and is found in the New Testament only in the Gospels and Acts (Wikipedia.0rg.). It can also be one who embraces and assists in spreading the teaching of another (Free Dictionary.com), (Matthew 9:14).

The term Disciple and the Concept of Discipleship: The word disciple in Greek is ‘Mathetes’ which refers generally to any ‘Student’ ‘Pupil’ Apprentice’’ or Adherent’; as opposed to a ‘Teacher’. In the ancient World, however, it is most often associated with people who were devoted followers of a great religious leader or teacher of Philosophy.

3.0       Cost of Being a Christ Disciple

Jesus’ call to Discipleship is an all or nothing summons, reaching into every area of our lives. It involves giving Him pre-eminence over the closet of our human relationships and over the desires we have for our lives. In short, it involves becoming His servant in the World and giving our lives till the end. Paradoxically, we give up that which we cannot lose. If we don’t, we lose all in the end (Matthew 16:25).

The Cross was an instrument of death and well known to the Jews. The suffering was intolerable. But Jesus says we are to take it up and follow Him. This will, in the nature of the case, involve self-denial. The one who picked up the cross beam of His Cross was headed down a one-way street never to return.

In Luke 9:23-24; ‘'He said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his Cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.’’

A fellow Christian once said to me in a joking manner, "I don't mind being a servant of Jesus Christ, I just don't want to be treated like one." His words have come back to me many times as I have sought to live out my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. On occasion I find myself wanting to be a disciple of Christ but on my own terms. This setting of pre-conditions for discipleship was familiar to Jesus during his ministry. He said to one man, "Follow me," only to hear in response, "Permit me first to go and bury my father." Another man told Jesus, "I will follow you, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home" (Luke 9:57-62). True discipleship, however, has no pre-conditions. Having placed our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, as 1 Corinthians says, "our life is no longer our own; we have been bought with a price." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who gave up his life daily on behalf of the German people during the time of the Nazis, and finally died for his faith at the end of a rope in a Nazi prison, once said, "When Christ calls a man, bids him come and die." The concept of discipleship has been greatly watered down in our modern age. From time to time it is helpful to review the true definition of discipleship as it is found in the Scripture. Let us turn to Luke 9:18-27 to find the answer to our question, "How does one become a disciple of Jesus Christ?" Between verses 17-18, according to the other gospels, our Lord 1) blocked the people's attempt to make him king by sending his disciples back to Capernaum by boat while he went up the mountain to pray; 2) joined his disciples by walking some 3-4 miles on the surface of the waters of Lake Galilee during a storm. They became afraid and thought he was a ghost; Peter wanted to join him, but lost faith and almost drowned. Then as the Lord got into the boat, Mark 6:51-52 says, "...the wind stopped and they were astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." 3) after Jesus landed in Gennesaret he continued his healing ministry; 4) he followed with a discourse on the true Bread of Life, in the synagogue of Capernaum (John 6:22-59), which resulted in many disciples leaving him. Next, he had a confrontation with the Pharisees over the tradition of ceremonial defilement; 5) then the Lord and his disciples went northwest to the cities of Tyre and Sidon and ministered to a Gentile woman whose daughter was possessed by demons; 6) he then returned to the eastern shores of the lake in the district of Decapolis, where the hearts of the Gentiles had been prepared by the ministry of the former demoniac named "Legion." There he healed many sick Gentiles and miraculously fed another crowd of 4,000; 6) he returned by boat to the north coast of the Sea of Galilee, was confronted by the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians, and he used that opportunity to teach his disciples to "beware of the leaven (teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matt. 16:12); 8) they then returned to Bethsaida, where Jesus healed a blind man, and finally, they all headed north to Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was aware that the Pharisees in Jerusalem were seeking to kill him at Passover, so he did not attend the third feast in April of the end of his second year of ministry, but remained in Northern Galilee and Decapolis (John 7:1-9). He gathered his disciples around him once again. At this meeting he wanted them to clearly understand who he was and why he had to die on the cross, be buried and raised again on the third day. He also wanted them to know what he considered to be the marks of genuine discipleship. The future of his gospel would depend on their being faithful to follow him even unto death. As we turn to Luke 9:18-27 today, let this passage challenge our own commitment to Jesus Christ in our generation. Let us make sure that when we invite men and women to become disciples of our Lord, we do not present some watered-down version of what Jesus asks of each of his true followers.

 4.0      How to become a disciple of Jesus Christ

1. Believe He is "The Christ of God", Luke 9:18-20 and it came about that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying "Who do the multitudes say that I am?" And they answered and said, ""John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again." And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." disciples did not understand that Jesus was about to go to the cross to become a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Now it was Peter's turn to answer, and by the power of spiritual revelation he replied, "The Christ of God" (The Son of the living God, Matt. 16:16). He was saying, "You are the Lord's anointed, as prophesied by the prophets of old. You are the promised prophet; priest and king come to deliver us from our sins and our enemies." John would later write of Jesus' incarnation, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full]of grace and truth" (John 1:14). According to Matthew, Jesus said to Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that your are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The cults and the world religions have not been given this revelation and thus they continue to deny our Lord's incarnation. Here is what they say of the Lord Jesus: "Jesus is the human man and Christ is the divine ideal"; "Christ himself was nothing more than a medium high order"; "Jesus was not Jehovah God"; "Jesus is among the spirit children of Elohim, the firstborn was and is Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, to whom all others are juniors"; "Christ is considered to be one of a long line of 'masters' who had themselves realized divinity"; "Jesus is the Son of God, but not God the Son or God himself." The apostle Peter, however, here was given a divine revelation from our heavenly Father as to the truth of Jesus' person: He was "The Christ of God." God incarnate! How do you become a disciple of Jesus? You must believe in your heart that Jesus is the Christ of God, the very Son of the one and only living God, God come in the flesh. "...there is salvation in one one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

II. Take up your cross daily, Luke 9:21-23. But He warned them, and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. The reason Jesus warned his disciples to not tell anyone was that at this time he was at the peak of his popularity with the common people. They wanted to take him by force and make him their king. If that happened, he would be forced to set up an earthy political kingdom and many of his followers would be unbelievers who would resist denying themselves, taking up their cross, and losing their lives to follow him. The leaders of Israel and the majority of the Jewish people chose to not believe that he was the Son of God in spite of his person, message and miracles.

III The disciple of Jesus Christ must put his Master above those nearest and dearest to him. “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” (Luke 14:26 ). We should all understand that Jesus did not mean by this that we cannot love God and family at the same time—that we can only love God while hating those nearest and dearest to us. The Scriptures speak too plainly elsewhere of our obligations to our families, husbands, wives and children. What our Lord means is that our love for Him must have precedence over any other. Our attachment to Him must be greater than any other. While husbands are to love their wives (Ephesians 5:25), they are to love the Saviour more. No human relationship should be more intimate, no human bond more inseparable than that between the disciple and his Master. We in America can hardly grasp the potential threat that family ties pose to true discipleship. In the days of the New Testament as well as down through church history, individuals have been confronted with the ultimatum to choose either Jesus or family, but not both. Many Christians have been totally disowned and disinherited because of their faith in Christ, the Saviour. Several years ago when I was teaching school, I had a little Jewish girl as a student. More than anything else in the world she dreaded telling her parents of her new faith. She was a handicapped child and to be put out by her family would seemingly be disastrous. Not only is our relationship to Christ to have priority over family ties, our union with Him is to have precedence over all human relationship. Friendship (or identification) with Christ will inevitably result in enmity with the world “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). The disciple of Christ may not desire persecution, but he can depend on it. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25).

IV. The disciple of the Lord Jesus must value following Jesus Christ above life itself: The basic instinct to preserve life is inherent in all of creation. Discipleship demands a devotion to the Lord Jesus that surpasses the instinct to preserve our own life. The history of the church sufficiently proves that this requirement has resulted in the death of countless Christians through the centuries.

V. The disciple of Jesus Christ must place his commitment to Christ above material possessions:   I have the distinct impression that we are now beginning to arrive at the real crunch for those of us who are complacent, affluent, “So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33 ). Simply put, I must love God more than I love money and what it can buy. The story of the rich young ruler illustrates this requirement of discipleship. He wanted to be a disciple of our Lord (and therefore obtain the fringe benefit of eternal life), but not at the cost of his material possessions. I do not think that the Bible teaches that one can become a Christian only after disposing of his material assets. It is the attitude behind our affluence that is the crucial factor. Oftentimes the poor are more materialistic than the rich, for they assign too much importance to material things. The desire to have money and material goods is what is sinful. In biblical terms, “The love of money (not the possession of it) is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Timothy 6:10 ).

 5.0       Principle of Being a Disciple

            1.         We must all have a master, and none is gentler than the Saviour. The Scriptures make it clear that we are the slaves of whatever it is that controls us (Romans 6:16). Some are the slaves of the body and its appetites. Others submit to a religious system. Our Lord described those enslaved in the Judaism of their time as ‘weary and heavy-laden’ (Matthew 11:28). It is hard to think of a more fitting description. Ultimately, if we are not the servants of Jesus Christ we are slaves to sin and to Satan (Romans 6:16). What a cruel taskmaster he is in contrast, our Lord is ‘gentle and humble in heart’ (Matthew 11:29).

2.         Although the demands of discipleship are great, He never requires of us anything which He does not enable us to do. We have seen that the requirements for discipleship are rigorous. How, then, can Jesus speak of His burden as ‘light’ and His yoke as ‘easy’? Why is the way of the Jewish scribes and Pharisees hard and their burden heavy? It is because they demand much and do not give so much as one bit of help (Matthew 23:4). But what our Lord expects, He enables us to do. This is the crucial difference. Let us not think about the demands of discipleship without also contemplating the dynamic enablement which He provides to meet them.

3.         It is only to His disciples that our Lord reveals His innermost thoughts and most intimate secrets. While our Lord spoke plainly to His disciples of His purposes, these were carefully concealed from the masses. “And He was not speaking to them without parables; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples” (Mark 4:34 ).

4.         Our rewards as disciples are based not on the magnitude of our actions, but on their motive. Many, in my opinion, shy away from discipleship because they sense that they have little or nothing to contribute, and hence, that their rewards will be few. We have already established the principle that God does not choose us on the basis of our potential contribution. He chooses the foolish things of this world (1Corinthians 1:26-31). The basis for our rewards as disciples is defined in the Gospel of Matthew: “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly, I say to you he shall not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40-42 ).

6.0       Implications and Application

The relevance of these things is almost too obvious to mention, but let me reiterate some areas of application. First, we should neither under emphasize nor overemphasize the demands of discipleship. Many who discover what is involved in true discipleship will avoid it, as did the rich young ruler. But if we thoughtfully consider the rewards of following Jesus, along with the alternatives to it, we should quickly conclude that there is no other way, there is no better way, there is no easier way, than His way.

Second, we should see the folly of those who suppose that they are getting the ‘best of both worlds’ when they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and then walk far behind in daily life. The theory is that by straddling the spiritual fence we can enjoy the blessings of heaven while also soaking up the pleasures of sin for the present. Discipleship is not to be understood only as the sacrifice of pleasant joys for future rewards. Discipleship is God’s provision for a purposeful and pleasurable life in the present, as well as a blissful eternity in the presence of God, His angels, and the saints. No one but the disciple of our Lord is living life to the maximum. Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Is He the most important person in your life? If not, you are being cheated out of life at its fullest. Have you considered the cost of discipleship, as well as its rewards? If you do, you will conclude that the way of discipleship is not a way; it is the way. May God grant that we may become His disciples by His grace.216 Cf. Matthew 19:16-22 ; Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-33 .217 “The type of ministry that is here in mind starts by stressing, in an evangelistic context, the difference that becoming a Christian will make. Not only will it bring a man forgiveness of sins, peace of conscience, and fellowship with God as his Father; it will also mean that through the power of the indwelling Spirit, he will be able to overcome the sins that previously mastered him, and the light and leading that God will give him will enable him to find a way through problems of guidance, self-fulfilment, personal relations, heart’s desire, and such like, which had hitherto defeated him completely. Now, put like that, in general terms, these great assurances are scriptural and true—praise God, they are! But it is possible so to stress them, and so to play down the rougher side of the Christian life—the daily chastening, the endless way with sin and Satan, the periodic walk in darkness—as to give the impression that normal Christian living is a perfect bed of roses, a state of affairs in which everything in the garden is lovely all the time, and problems no longer exist—or, if they come, they have only to be taken to the throne of grace, and they will melt away at once. This is to suggest that the world, the flesh, and the devil, will give a man no serious trouble once he is a Christian; nor will his circumstances and personal relationships ever be a problem to him; nor will he ever be a problem to himself. Such suggestions are mischievous, however, because they are false.” J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1975), p. 222. 218 I must comment here that some, in the name of Christian commitment to Christ, have neglected or forsaken their family responsibilities, and with considerable harm, while sincerely supposing that they were obeying our Lord’s instructions in this passage. This text, as all others, must be interpreted and applied in the light of all other Scriptures on this point. When the Lord has highest priority in our lives, we find that our family obligations are taken more seriously, too. We obey Him by loving our wives as He loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). We submit to our husbands as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). We obey parents and honuor them (Ephesians 6:1,2 ). We deal lovingly with our children (Ephesians 6:4). 219 R. T. France, I Came to Set the Earth on Fire (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1976), p. 64.220.

 7.0       The Benefits of Being a Disciple:

i.      Disciples get a little bit closer to Jesus than the crowds of people (Matthew 5:1).

ii.        Disciples get to follow Jesus where He goes. The uncommitted can’t. (Matthew 8:23).

iii.      Disciples get to watch crazy situations that Jesus gets invited into and see what He does (Matthew 9:18-26).

iv.      Disciples get authority from Jesus to heal the sick and cast out demons (Matthew 10:1).

v.        Disciples get to become like their Master (Matthew 10:25). Note, not everyone likes this.

vi.      Disciples are defended by Jesus when accusers come and He finds no fault in them (Matthew 12:1-7).

vii.     Disciples are invited to become Jesus’ family (Matthew 12:46-50).

viii.    Disciples are close enough to ask questions. It’s been granted to them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:10-11).

ix.      Disciples get to combine classic truth with God’s new revelation in a way that honuors the Kingdom (Matthew 13:52).

x.        Disciples get to see Jesus revealed in all His glory (Matthew 17:1-8).

xi.      Disciples get Jesus’ perspective in their confusing situations (Matthew 17:14-21).

xii.     Disciples are told the truth, even when they aren’t looking for it (Matthew 18:1-6).

8.0       Conclusion

Having looked at the list, I have to ask the question: “Why aren’t there more disciples out there?!” Now, admittedly Jesus does these things on His schedule, not ours. But for many the answer is the cost seems too high. Based on everything found      here, I cannot help but follow up this list with a quote from C.S. Lewis’ book, The Weight of Glory: If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half- hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.