What It Means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ

[Today’s post has been graciously provided by Scott Williquette of First Baptist Church of Rockford, Illinois.]

In the Gospels our Savior reveals what it means to be His disciple. In spite of the clarity and force of His words; however, they are often ignored today.  The demands of discipleship are tremendous. They are astronomical. Jesus doesn’t want some or most.  He wants all. According to Jesus, anything less than all, than everything, is not worthy of Him and places one’s relationship with Him in question.

If you have placed repentant faith in Jesus Christ you are His disciple. You gave yourself to Him in order to be like Him and to please Him. As you read these four passages and their ramifications for daily life, do so prayerfully. Compare your present commitment to Jesus with what He says it ought to be. Dedicate yourself to truly and faithfully following the One who gave Himself for you.

Jesus’ Disciples Renounce Ownership over Their Lives; they Are Dead to All But Jesus.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)

• Since I am called to a life of self-denial and death, I will no longer see my time, abilities, money and possessions as mine.  I will reckon all I have as God’s.
• Since I am called to a life of self-denial and death, I will budget my time and energy in such a way that I can significantly serve the Lord in His church and invest myself in those who are in bondage to sin.    Continue at Paul Tautges

Elders—The Church’s Lead Disciple-Makers

[Ed. Note: For more articles like this, check out the latest 9Marks Journal on Discipling in the Church.]

Are you an elder in your church? Then you should be one of the church’s lead disciplers. You knew that this was a key part of an elder’s job description, right?

Let me back up just to make sure it is clear. If I had to pick one image to best explain an elder’s job in the local church, the choice would be a no-brainer: the New Testament predominantly portrays elders as shepherds. Both Paul and Peter urged elders to shepherd their flocks (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). The writer of Hebrews called believers to submit to their leaders who “keep watch” over them “as men who must give an account” (Heb. 13:17). Peter said that elders serve as under-shepherds of the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4). Many of an elder’s duties—including teaching the Word, guarding against heresy, modeling godliness, pursuing wayward believers, overseeing church affairs, and praying for members—can be summed up within the simple picture of a shepherd tending sheep.

But what’s the goal of shepherding?

Elders shepherd church members in order to help those members grow up in Christ. Elders tend the flock in such a way that believers develop from spiritual infancy to full-grown Christ-likeness. Overseers labor in hope that the sheep will move beyond a needy, self-focused, toddler Christianity to an adulthood of serving Jesus and leading others to Jesus.

Paul identified Christian maturity as the reason Jesus gave various leaders to the church, including pastors (i.e., shepherds):

It was he who gave some to be…pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:11-13)   Continue at Jeramie Rinne

New 9Marks eJournal

There’s a new 9Marks ejournal available focusing on making disciples in the local church.  From Leeman’s introduction to the issue:

Discipling is not a program. It is not a podcast preacher. It is not a one-size-fits-all information transfer.

It is life-on-life loving in word and deed.

Jesus told us to make disciples, which means it is a basic part of the Christian life. But we are not always sure how to get a handle on it, or what it looks like.

If you are a pastor or elder, you should be leading the way in discipling younger individuals in the faith. Your instruction and example should be helping to cultivate a culture of discipleship in your church. Does that sound intimidating? If it does, are you sure you are called to be an elder?

The contents:

Pastors Who Make Disciples

The Heart of a Disciple-Making Pastor
By Bobby Jamieson
What is the essential quality of a disciple-making pastor? Rejoicing in others’ ministry. Read more >

Discipling: More than a Podcast Preacher
By Jonathan Dodson
Podcast sermons can never replace in-person spiritual fathers. Here’s how to recover a relationally mediated gospel. Read more >

Elders—The Church’s Lead Disciple-Makers
By Jeramie Rinne
The goal of shepherding is the maturity of the members. Therefore, elders should be the church’s lead disciple-makers. Read more >

Continue at 9marks

Christ the Desire of All Nations by John Flavel (1628-1691)

“And the desire of all nations shall come.” Haggai 2:7.

The first chapter of Haggai is mainly spent in reproving the negligence of the Jews, who, being discouraged from time to time, had delayed the rebuilding of the temple. In the meantime they employed their care and cost in building and adorning their own houses: but, at last, being persuaded to set about the work, they met with this discouragement, that such was the poverty of the present time, that the second structure would not match the magnificence and splendor of the first. In Solomon’s days the nation was wealthy, but now it was drained; so that there would be no comparison between the second and the first. To this great discouragement the prophet applies this relief: that whatsoever should be lacking in external pomp and glory, should be more than recompensed by the presence of Jesus Christ in this second temple. For Christ, “the desire of all nations,” he says, shall come into it. Which, by the way, may give us this useful note: The presence of Jesus Christ gives a more real and excellent glory to the places of his worship, than any external beauty or outward ornaments whatsoever can bestow upon them. Our eyes, like the disciples, are apt to be dazzled with the sparkling stones of the temple, and, in the meantime, to neglect and overlook that which gives it the greatest honour and beauty.

But to return. In these words we have both the description of Christ, and an arrow pointing at the time of his incarnation: he is called “the desire of all nations,” and the time of his coming in the flesh is clearly implied to be during the time of the second temple. Where, by the way, we find a valid reason to stand amazed at and bemoan the blindness of the Jews. They admit the truth of this prophecy and are not able to deny the destruction of the second temple, many hundred years past, yet will not be brought to acknowledge the incarnation of the true Messiah.  Keep Reading >>>

The Apostolic Preaching of the Gospel

God’s love for the world was demonstrated by the giving of His Son so that all who believe in Him will in no way perish, but instead, have everlasting life.

The majority of American evangelism is reduced to “God Loves You and has a wonderful plan for your life.” But was the love of God even part of the Gospel that the Apostles preached in the Book of Acts?

What was the emphasis in the evangelistic preaching of the Apostles as recorded in the book of Acts? Does the record of Acts support the notion that the central focus of Christianity is one’s love relationship with God and personal life enhancement? Or did these disciples of Christ focus on something else?

The list below includes every instance of evangelistic preaching in the book of Acts, a summary of content, and an analysis of emphasis (©1999 Gregory Koukl. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only. For more information, contact Stand to Reason at 1438 East 33rd St., Signal Hill, CA 90755
(800) 2-REASON (562) 595-7333).   Continue Reading >>>