What is the true meaning of discipleship according to Jesus?
In his book, The Greatest Words Ever Spoken, Steven Scott explains that the word discipleship simply means “discipline follower.” During His ministry, Jesus didn’t just command people to accept Him and believe in Him; He commanded them to follow Him.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” Luke 9:23.
Anyone is capable of being a disciple and follower if they are willing to take up their cross and follow Jesus. According to Steven, taking up your cross is the all-encompassing surrender of our lives to God.
“Taking up your cross means you yield your rights. You don’t have a right to happiness. You don’t have a right to a spouse that respects you and loves you. You don’t have a right to be rich. You don’t have any rights because the man who carries the cross, the only right he has is the right to suffer and the right to die.”
Jesus said that all of this self-sacrifice will be worth it in the end because he who loses his life for the sake of Jesus will find it, but he who finds his life and loses Jesus will perish.
How do we follow?
We follow God by listening for His voice in our life. It is not enough to simply hear the call of Christ in our life, we must take steps to obey it.
According to Steven, we need to refocus our attention on what it means to be a follower of Christ and we also need to teach others to do the same.
“We have made Christianity about so many things, and those things divide us, and we miss the baby.”
It is as if a new mother was concerned about the baby blanket, not the baby inside the blanket, we get caught up on the things that divide us. We forget to be like sheep and follow our Shepherd.
Key Scriptures: John 14:1-9; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Matthew 7:24-27
Featured Songs: Word of God Speak by MercyMe; Glorious Unfolding by Steven Curtis Chapman; World Changers by Matthew West
