Prerequisites for Christian Discipleship
Luke 9:23-26
The call of Jesus to be a disciple is a demanding call. The word “disciple” is related to the word “discipline.” A disciple is a learner and one who is teachable. A disciple is in training and following the instructions of a teacher. In our human nature we resist discipline and hardship.
The following are actual responses from comment cards given to the staff members at Bridger Wilderness Area in 1996:
Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the areas of these pests.
Please pave the trails…Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.
The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.
A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call…
Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
A MacDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.
Too many rocks on the mountain.
(Mike Neifert, Light and Life - February 1997), p. 27
If you go to a wilderness area you should expect to rough it otherwise go to Disneyland and stay in a five star hotel.
What does Jesus mean when he said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me?” Luke 9:23
“Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33
There is a cost involved in following Jesus. Luke 14, Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him and reach out in God’s love to all people. Jesus said, “From now on you’ll be fishing for people! And as soon as they landed they left everything and followed Jesus.” Luke 5:10-11
This morning I want to discuss three prerequisites or conditions to following Jesus.
I. The Prerequisite of Love
Mark 12:30-31
John 13:34-35
The call to be a disciple is similar to the invitation to become a Christian. Acts 11:26 - “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” The term “disciple” and “Christian” were interchangeable in the early church. The word “Christian” only appears three times in the New Testament: Acts 11:26, 26:28, and 1st Peter 4:16.
The prerequisites for discipleship are the same for becoming a Christian.
Jesus told his disciples to first love God with all their heart and then to love their neighbor as much as they loved themselves.
“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Mark 12:30
Jesus asked his followers to put him first and love him with all their soul, mind and strength.
To get his message across Jesus often used hyperbole and exaggeration.
Luke 14:26-27 “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes more than your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciples. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.” (NLT)
The word NLT translates “love me more” in the Greek is “hate.” Jesus is saying that we must love Him more then our own family and love our family less than we love the Lord. From experience of many years I can tell you that when you love the Lord with your entire mind, soul and strength, you in fact show adequate love to your wife and family.
We demonstrate our love for God by taking up our cross daily and following Jesus. What does it mean to take up our “cross?” Is Jesus saying, “Follow me and take up all your aches and pains. Is the cross some physical infirmity, some temperamental weakness or other problem.
Jesus voluntarily took up his cross and died in our place. To take up our cross and follow Jesus means we die out to all selfishness, and anything that takes precedence over following Jesus. The Apostle Paul knew the meaning of the cross for his life. He testified, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20
The hymn we sometimes sing describes what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou, from hence, my all shalt be:
I will follow Thee, my Savior
Thou dids’t shed Thy blood for me,
And though all the world forsake Thee,
By Thy grace I’ll follow Thee. (H.F. Lyte)
As Christ followers we are to love God with all our heart, mind and soul and our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.
Jesus said in John 13-33-34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We show our love by building up one another and helping to carry one another’s burdens.
We are to love as Jesus loved. How did Jesus love? Jesus loved others with selfless love. He loved others with forgiving love. Jesus loved with sacrificial love. He loved without expecting anything in return.
When you take the first step of loving God with all your heart, mind and soul and love others like you love yourself then Jesus will help you take additional steps.
A second prerequisite is “Obedience.”
II. The Prerequisite Obedience
John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus states emphatically that obeying the teaching of Jesus is a pre-requisite to becoming a Christian disciple.
To become a Christ follower requires meeting the condition of making Jesus Lord and Master of your life. Many want to follow Jesus on an installment plan where you can put a little down and make small monthly commitments. They want a Christian life that won’t interfere with their own personal goals and schedules. They don’t want to just be carried as a baby they want to be carry by others all their adult life. The don’t want the rigors of walking and driving across country they want the easy of hopping on an airplane and being carried wherever they want to go.
#When women were demonstrating for the right to vote earlier in 20th century, they invited men to join them in a protest march down fifth avenue in New York City. Later, after they had won the ratification of the 19th Amendment, they invited all the men who had participated in their first march to join them in a victory parade. More than 900 of the original 26 men showed up for the celebration.
We are happy to join in the celebration of victory but not put our life on the line for something risky, doubtful or controversial. The call of Jesus is clear, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
From the Biblical view it is better to run the risk of fanaticism by complete dedication to God, than to run the risk of mediocrity by 20% dedication. The prophets came to the unrighteous world and cried out: “This is the Word of the Lord.” They did not say, “This is the word of the majority.”
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples.”
The first condition of becoming a Christ Follower is Loving God with all our heart, mind and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves.
The second condition is obeying all that Jesus taught.
The third prerequisite is service.
III. The Prerequisite of Service
Matthew 4:19-20 “Jesus said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Following Jesus in service naturally comes after love and obedience. There are some teachers who teach that the more you serve the Lord the more you will be blessed and receive rewards in heaven. So if you want to be blessed and have mansions in heaven you better get busy for God.
Jesus never forced anyone into serving Him. Jesus always called for volunteers. Jesus promised eternal life but he did not promise extra rewards for extra hours of service.. On one occasion he scolded two of his disciples for asking to sit at his right hand in heaven.
Jesus said that his disciples who serve him will naturally produce fruit.
There is the inner fruit of the Holy Spirit. With Jesus in your heart your character and lifestyle reflects the fruit of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
Jesus told his disciples that if they followed him he would put them in the business of fishing for people. Whatever your personality Jesus can help you become a positive influence for the Kingdom of God. Sharing God’s love with your family and friends is the natural over-flow of a life in love with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit at work in your heart helps you to be sensitive to the felt-needs of people with whom you associate with. Paul wrote in Philemon 6 Living Bible, “And I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that come from Christ Jesus.”
In Luke 9:61 Jesus summarized the responses of several individuals to his call to discipleship. Jesus quoted them as saying: “I will follow you but…”
Luke 9:57-58 - One individual told Jesus that he would follow Jesus no matter where Jesus led him. Jesus knew what the person really was saying, “I’ll follow you as long as you provide food and lodging. I’ll follow you as long as you take care of me.”
Jesus knew the person had not thought through his impulsive declaration. Jesus responded: “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.” The scripture doesn’t say so, but the indication is that the may turned aside and did not follow Jesus.
Jesus asked a second man to be his disciple. The man agreed but said, Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” Jesus replied, “Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead.’ Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-60
We don’t know if the father had already died or if the man wanted to go home and when his father died and he collected his inheritance he then would follow Jesus. He wanted to follow Jesus when it suited his convenience. You can always find something to delay your following Jesus. There are plenty of excuses to go around for all of us.
Another man said, “Yes Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:”61-62
Jesus is saying that when a person constantly longs for the old life of sin and unrighteousness that person is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.
When the Children of Israel were delivered from Egypt and were wondering in the wilderness they longed for the food they received while in captivity. They got tired of the food provided for them by the Lord. Their longing for the live of slavery got them into trouble with the Lord.
Becoming a Christian disciple means making a clean break with the old life and sinful habits. II Cor. 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ the person becomes a new person, the old life passes away, and all things become new.”
There was a man in Germany, a village organist, who one day was practicing on the church organ, playing a piece of that master of music Mendelssohn.
The village organist was not playing it very well, and a stranger silently walked into the church and sat in the dimness of a back pew. He noted the imperfections of the organist’s performance, and when the man had ceased playing and was preparing to depart, the stranger boldly made his way to him and said, “Sir, would you allow me to play for a little?”
The man said gruffly, “Certainly not! I never allow anybody to touch the organ but myself.”
“I should be so glad if you would allow me the privilege!” Again the village organist made a gruff refusal. But after a third request to pay the village organist reluctantly agreed.
The stranger sat down, pulled out the s tops, and on that same instrument began go play. Wow! What a difference! He played the same piece, but with wonderful change. It was as if the whole church was filled with heavenly music.
The village organist asked, “Who are you?” In modesty the stranger replied, “My name is Mendelssohn.”
“What!” said the man, now with deep regret? “Did I refuse you the Master permission to play on my organ?”
Jesus gives you the invitation: Come follow me – “Love me with all your heart, mind and soul and others as you love yourselves, Obey my teachings, and serve me by reaching out in My love to others.
Will you withhold any part of your life from the master Jesus?
Let us Pray
