A Supreme Challenge to be a Disciple
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“And
the DISCIPLES were first called CHRISTIANS in Antioch” (Acts of the Apostles
11:26)
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Appreciation without decisions
At a Christian Conference, the speaker was hitting hard on
decisions to give ourselves and all that we have to Jesus. Several participants
came around after the message to express deep appreciation. Many wanted to make
decisions and promised to take the message seriously. They all expressed their
love for Jesus through their strong responses, passion and aspirations. But to
the extent to which we know, very few among them took bold decisions to offer
themselves and all that they have as an expression of their love for the
Master.
The story was a replay of what happened in Palestine two
millennia away. There were many small and large groups of people who were moved
by the message of the Master Designer of life. He challenged His listeners to
make eternal choices in their temporal world with their lives and resources.
They all agreed with Him. They were moved by the message and the messenger.
They forgot hunger, thirst and sleep and listened to Him for days. But almost
all of them failed to make bold decisions for Him because they were strongly
influenced by their situations, circumstances and the people who meant so much
for them. They all lived a committed life, but their surrender never measured
up to the message which moved them. Their consecration was sincere, but most
didn’t translate it into action. Their commitment was haphazard and wishful
daydreams. Sadly most of them missed the ship, made a slip and lost the
opportunity to please their Master. Their lives lost the prospect to be handled
by the nail-pierced hands of the Master Designer to make them what He wanted
them to be. They were afraid to commit themselves totally for fear of the
temporal gains that they might lose in this world. They were more committed to
pleasing their relationships and aspirations in this world than their Master.
Somehow it is like the vicinity of the old rugged cross on
the hill called Mount Calvary soon after Jesus uttered His eternal thirst for
human soul. All who followed Him till His arrest deserted Him. Nobody wanted Him.
No one cared for Him. There was none who claimed the Master to be his or her
own so as to stick their necks for Him. Everyone abandoned Him for fear of
losing their life and reputation. He was all alone in His trials, walk on the
Calvary Road and crucifixion, and even as He gasped for breath to declare that
He has finished paying for our sins with His life. Even from the cross, He
searched for the few who might come forward to express their love to Him but it
was in vain (Psalms 69:20). But no one dared to stand with Him or near His
cross because there was none who would put their lives at stake for their
Master. There were only a few women and one young man by the name John who
stood far away watching the unfolding drama at Calvary. Yet even after twenty
centuries of that sad event which took place on Golgotha, His search for human
lives which would respond to Him in true love and commitment to His cause
continues.
If the Old Rugged Cross made a difference, what is it? And
where has it impacted? How is it wedging the world and the individual life
today? Is the love of Jesus so shallow as not to influence sufficient
following? Is the temporal world around us more attractive than the eternal in
the lives of people who claim to love Jesus? If there is such a unique Master
and His unparalleled message which we claim to be influencing our conscience,
where is the kind of response it deserves? Is the cross of Christ worthy of
unique and bold decisions by God’s children? Is Calvary real in the life of a
Christian believer in today’s materialistic world? These questions demand
discussion, meditation, thinking, consideration and fitting reaction. This is
the supreme challenge in all ages. It looms large in front of our eyes and
awaits a response. Calvary love will not relent or rest unless its impact is
found in the lives of men and women who claim to have declared their allegiance
to Jesus. It demands evidence based action. It expects a loving response. Today
Jesus is searching the hearts of the redeemed to see how much we would respond
to His love demonstrated at Calvary.
A
Window to Discipleship
The Bible instructs a child of God to develop a deep desire
to become what God wants him to be. He is admonished to confess, repent and
believe in what will make him a new person. Once he becomes a new creation, he
is challenged to love, give, minister with and transform his life and to
worship his God in response to his new found faith and life. All these
challenges are embodied in the most serious, deep and sincere invitation made
by Jesus Christ to ‘Follow Him’ (Matthew 16:24). It was the greatest desire
Jesus had for all who believed on Him which He made clear to them in no
unequivocal terms. Even though this challenge is vividly and repeatedly seen in
the New Testament, it was also expressed in different, but less clear terms by
the Triune God in the Old Testament.
This profound statement of Jesus to “Follow Him” was first
heard in some corners of the hill country of Palestine two millennia ago. Its
reverberations are echoed all over the world all through the last two thousand
years. History of the Church of Jesus Christ is the sum total of the
revolutionary lives of the men and women who responded wholeheartedly to this
powerful challenge. It was His story in and through the lives of those who
responded to His call. Their lives were full of events and incidents which were
made possible only by ardent and unflinching faith in the invisible God and in
His mighty power. It was indeed the impact that these lives created through
their unreserved and unquestionable commitment in the Lord Jesus and ardent faith
in His promises, presence and power.
The Church with its unprecedented growth and expansion
during the past 2000 years is the direct result of the lives submitted to Jesus
in response to His invitation to follow Him. All that His followers did was to
follow the footsteps of the owner of the whole Universe who turned out to be
that old Carpenter of Nazareth with no place to lay His head when foxes had
their holes and birds had their nests (Matthew 8:20). His followers were never a majority at any
time in this world. Their hands and pockets were often empty, like their
Master. They were a bunch hated by the people around them, as they in turn
hated the world system. They were considered fools, unintelligent and
thoughtless fellows who seemingly forgot to amass wealth for their economic
wellbeing and that of their posterity. They willfully disregarded the
attractions of this world like possessions, positions, prominence and
popularity offered by the Vanity Fair. Their one and only goal in life was to
please their Master, the Lord Jesus. They followed Him by obeying His call of
love. They turned down the world system and all it had to offer to lure them to
go its way. They were the disciples of Jesus Christ. They were the bloodless
revolutionaries in the empire of love that Jesus Christ created in the hearts
and lives of people.
Jesus Christ didn’t attribute any value to the religiosity
of the members of the existing religions including the Jewish sects. When the
religious leaders tried to impress upon Jesus with their religious zeal, Jesus
told them that He didn’t even know them (Matthew 7:21). Instead, He searched
after the poor minority who were willing to follow Him as a mark of their
unconditional love for Him. He
identified them and identified Himself with them. He called such people to
Himself and they followed Him wherever He went. He declared that the mansion
called Church which He built through such people will stand tall and strong and
that the powers of Hades will not prevail over it (Matthew 16:18).
The Mission of Jesus was not simply to help man to enter
heaven for eternity. Jesus wanted to give man everything that he lost through
Adam. Through the historical call, Jesus gave man the privilege to come back to
have deeper fellowship with God. Man was granted the privilege to live in the
world as if he lives in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). He is given the opportunity to
follow God as he lives in this world. When the regenerate man heeds to the
challenge to follow Jesus Christ, all the privileges that man has lost through
Adam are given to him. Jesus has not envisaged a life for them in any way below
this lofty level. Such a life is not an ordinary religious life, but a life as
a DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.
Paramount Call
We see the truth about discipleship in the Great and Final
Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20. This commission is
multifaceted. It involves a series of compelling demands placed on those who
believed on His name. It consisted of (a) going to the uttermost parts of the
un-evangelized world (b) sharing the message of gospel (c) leading the unsaved
to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and (d) baptizing them that believed.
Even though these are all fundamental to Christian mission and faith, these are
not the end of Christian obedience, but the beginning of serious Christianity.
It is at this point that the most serious Christian activity of (e) disciple
making ought to begin. It is through disciple making that a Christian believer
matures into the stature of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:13). Thus we see that
disciple-making and discipleship have come to be one of the most fundamental
teachings of Christian faith. It follows from this that it is most important
for every Christian believer to become a disciple of Jesus because only a
disciple can help others to become disciples. So it becomes the most important
endeavor of a disciple to help other believers in Jesus Christ to become His
disciples through practical training and practical living as example for
others. This is how others become matured in their faith and walk after Jesus
and thus become true disciples of Jesus. Disciple-making thus becomes the most
fundamental responsibility of the individual believers and the entire Church of
Jesus Christ.
Making disciples out of all the believers is an unavoidable
responsibility of the Church which has to continue all through the Church era.
The message of Christian faith becomes complete only in practical discipleship
and disciple-making. It starts with the obedience to this mission by a person
who has become a disciple or by one who is at least on the pathway to true
discipleship. Disciple-making thus becomes the sum total and foundation of
Christian faith. The ultimate goal of all Christian ministries is
disciple-making, without which Christian mission seems incomplete and
unfulfilled. It is the most loving desire and deepest craving Jesus has that
all who believes on Him follow Him and become His disciples.
It is important to understand who was originally given the
mission of disciple-making. It was given to the disciples who later became
members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19). It follows that all who
are on the pathway of discipleship have the responsibility to make disciples of
those who are born again. It is also the responsibility of all ministering
brethren and all gifted men (evangelists, pastors and teachers – Ephesians
4:11) to help make disciples out of the believers who are under their spiritual
care. These gifted men also have the responsibility to teach and train other
believers to make disciples. Such a ministry of disciple-making was systematic
in the early church as seen in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. That was
the reason why the church grew rapidly in a qualitative and quantitative manner
during the first century A.D. When we examine the history of the Church, we can
see that wherever and whenever disciple-making loses its fervor, the Church
becomes weak and believers digress from their faith. When the church becomes
weak and falls short of disciple-making, nominal Christianity and
‘Churchianity’ gets deep-rooted in the church which paves the way to false
doctrines.
The
Antioch Disciples
If we take a look at the church at Antioch (Acts 11:19-26),
we can see the value attributed to discipleship by them. At Antioch, the
practical realities of the life of the believers were reflected in their
behavior, attitude and actions which were in line with what Jesus taught and
that which was reflected in the disciples of Jesus Christ. When the outside
world watched these attitudes and actions in the believers, they were first
recognized as disciples and as such were found to be true followers of Christ.
This is how they were called Christians for the first time in the New Testament
(Acts. 11:26). The world recognized their ‘discipleship life’ in the way they
talked, behaved and related with others around them. These attributes of
discipleship were recognized by Barnabas when he visited that church. Barnabas
saw great pouring of the grace of God at Antioch church (Acts 11:21-23) for the
first time in the New Testament. These behaviors were very much like that of
Christ about whom they had heard. Their Christ-like attributes were the
evidences by which they were recognized as ‘Disciples of Christ’ and subsequently
identified as followers of Christ. By their life, they qualified to be called
‘Disciples’ and subsequently ‘Christians’. Such recognition was the result of
the valuation of the world about the believers of Antioch. It follows from this
that those who exemplify Christ in their lives publicly are the Disciples of
Christ. In other words, it is what others see in a believer as a disciple that
makes him recognized as a Christian. This historical reality means that in
order to qualify to be recognized as Disciples of Christ or Christians, it is
inevitable that the qualities and character of Christ and His disciples are to
be visible in believers. It follows that those who profess to be Christians
ought to be recognized by others through their behavior and attitude first as
Disciples. Christ-likeness has to be inevitably seen in such believers in order
that they may be recognized by the world as Christians.
The fast pace of growth of the church in the first century
A.D. was a practical reflection of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 &
20. They obeyed this commandment and helped new believers to become disciples.
They didn’t stop with evangelizing, but went forward to teach, train and
develop the qualities of Jesus in the new believers which is the fundamental
tenet of Christianity. This shows that churches in the first century were
deeply concerned about and seriously involved in disciple-making in a very
practical way. These churches built up believers as disciples, and the world
recognized it. The world hated and despised them because of the Christ-like
qualities in them. Their story of ‘discipleship life’ is the sum and substance
of the quality of the spiritual life of the early church.
The Antioch story (Acts 11:26) leaves every Christian
believer of modern times with the challenge to examine his or her life to see
if they qualify to be recognized by the world around them contemptuously as
disciples of Jesus and thus Christians. Such a conscientious self-examination
ought to revolutionize our lives to take up the challenge of developing in them
the lifestyle of disciples of Jesus Christ and bear the reproach of the cross
in their world.
Challenge
before today’s church
The essence of New Testament Christianity is discipleship
seen as a practical reality in the lives of believers. When the Bible has given
so much importance to the subject of discipleship and disciple making, it is
pertinent to ask whether the commandment of disciple making has received a
corresponding and serious consideration in the ministries of the churches and
the ministering community in modern times. It will definitely not be an
exaggeration if the answer to this question is in the negative. But why is this
situation so? Is it because the importance of the subject of ‘Discipleship’ is
not properly understood by the evangelists, elders and teachers of the Word of
God? Is it due to their feeling of inadequacy to handle such a spiritually
demanding subject? Is it because the teachers and shepherds are unable or
unwilling to pay the price to be on the discipleship pathway? Is it because its
primacy is not assimilated by Christians today? Is it because the ministering
brethren themselves have not been trained to walk the discipleship pathway?
These questions demand sincere self-examination by all believers of the present
century. Searching for authentic answers to these questions will lead the
church to a great challenge to handle discipleship and disciple making with
greater urgency and earnestness. Christ’s loving commandment demands disciple
making as the greatest priority in New Testament Christianity.
The
Disciple’s Pathway: A seeming impossibility
When one browses around, one is able to see that all through
the last twenty centuries of New Testament Christianity, there have always been
Christians who attempted to lead the lifestyle of a disciple of Jesus.
Occasionally we meet a few young and old believers even today whose life and
commitment to Jesus Christ authenticate that true discipleship can be a living
reality in their lives. This doesn’t mean that they are perfect or that they
have arrived at the finish line to be true disciples. But they believe that it
is possible to be a true follower of Jesus Christ only to the extent of their
commitment to live practically as true disciples. Their life and testimony show
that they have seen at least a glimpse of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in
their lives (John 1:14). Their approach to the world and to the Lord reveals
the extent to which they have tasted His agape` love and how they got
themselves lost in its wonder and awe. They show the world that when they dive
deep into the ocean of His love and pick up gems of that love, they cannot but
allow themselves to be challenged by that love to live for Jesus alone as His
true disciples no matter the consequence. They prove with their lives that
discipleship is one of the indicators of their love for their Master who they
claim to be their ‘everything and all’, no matter what it costs them including
their life.
The
Counterfeit Coin
Christian life may be illustrated in many respects like a
coin, with inscriptions on both sides to authenticate its genuineness,
ownership, authority and value. The coin of Christian life has belief and
behavior to be inscribed on each side. The belief side of the coin indicates
our faith in God, His Word and our salvation experience. The behavior side
shows a Christian’s attitude and lifestyle akin to that of a disciple of Jesus
Christ. It is imperative that both these inscriptions are vivid and shining for
the world and fellow believers to see. Unless the inscriptions on both these
sides are clear to those around them, they will not recognize, accept and
receive these coins at par in Christ-like human dealings and relationships. Any
coin which doesn’t pass such a litmus test is considered a counterfeit and is
summarily rejected by the world around. The Lord Jesus also will not recognize
such haphazard lives as His disciples (Matthew 7:21). They can only be
considered as merely believers and not disciples.
In many respects, the attitude and behavior of a Christian
which do not portray the character of Jesus Christ is rejected by the world. It
is the character of Christ that the world around us expects from a Christian.
It is for this reason that Christians out to be taught about and trained as
true disciples of Jesus so that they will experience and demonstrate the
spiritual transformation that must be seen in them. Then only the Christian’s
life will visibly and vividly show the character and power of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It will then show the world that the Christian points towards the Lord
Jesus Christ in his character, behavior, attitude, lifestyle, priorities,
likes, dislikes and goals. A Christian’s life will thus be seen as one in which
Jesus Christ will be his Lord in all areas of his person. Jesus will then be
seen as his utmost priority in life which will be seen in his practical life.
If such Christ-likeness is not seen in a Christian believer, he with his faith
will be rejected because of its lack of biblical credibility. If the world
cannot see the heaven-dwelling, non-materialistic and non-worldly person in a
Christian, his kind of Christianity will be dismissed and despised by the
world. It will be identified as a
counterfeit lifestyle and will not be accepted and recognized by the world.
Christ desires that His followers be not counterfeits. He
wants them to have His image on both the believing and the behaving sides of
their lives. He wants them to keep these two sides shining bright and glorious.
He wants them to live in such a way that those who behold their lifestyle will
be able to see the image of Christ on each of them. If only the coins be
willing and submitted to Him so that the image of Christ may be inscribed on
them and be made visible to the onlookers in their practical lives, will they
be seen and recognized as His image bearers. When submitted to the Master
Designer, these lives will be inscribed with His divine nature on them. When
others read these inscriptions, they will both be attracted to Jesus to submit
their lives to Him. If not, they will try to despise, reject and discount the
fraudulent coin and its inscription. It is through such a life of a true disciple
that Christ will turn his world upside down (Acts. 17:6).
Today if we confess that we are counterfeit coins and have
been a failure in our Christian life, and go to Jesus with a solemn desire to
become His true disciples, Jesus will transform us and write His imprints on
us. This process is the essence of discipleship, for it is through it that He
will slowly but steadily change us into His likeness. Jesus today lovingly
calls us to become His dear disciples. He is asking us to follow Him, go after
Him and go with Him wherever He goes. He wants to bind us to Himself with His
chord of love. He wants His disciples to enjoy the freedom that we have in Him
as we become His slaves of love. He challenges us to be filled with the passion
of His Calvary love. He expects His love to be reflected in our practical
lives. Perhaps the world around and other Christians might call us ‘fanatics’
or ‘fools’ because of the lifestyle we exhibit as true disciples of Jesus. But
that would not bother a true disciple who is sunk in His love. He expects us to
develop such a deep thirst to become His, for Him to do whatever He wants from
us, with our lives and through us. But as we delve deep into true discipleship,
either we will be tempted to quit the discipleship life because of the great
price that we are challenged to pay to continue to be a disciple, or we will be
increasingly willing to pay even the last penny with our lives to be His true
disciples.
A Supreme Challenge
This is the supreme challenge of a Christian, to be a true
disciple and to be increasingly like the Master. It also creates the supreme
opportunity to become the best that could be made out of our life here on
earth. It poses the greatest privilege and prerogative of a Christian to be the
disciple of Jesus Christ. It demands the supreme price which is worth all that
it involves. It is a life which is a response to the supreme love that God the
Father has demonstrated on the cross of Calvary through the death of His
Son.
Discipleship is a challenge as much as it is a loving
invitation. The process of discipleship is a greater challenge. Living as a
disciple of Jesus is the greatest challenge. Continuous surrender of all that
we are and have is the greatest of all challenges. It is the supreme challenge
to find ourselves lost in the wonder and awe of the love of God demonstrated on
the cross of Calvary. It demands unconditional consecration and unflinching
sacrifice of all that remains in us, our body, mind, heart, soul, spirit,
aspirations, dreams and fascinations in life.
