Becoming a Disciple

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” (John 8:31)

The subject is discipleship. The key word is “if”. you see, it is up to you whether you become a disciple or not; discipleship is more than believing--it is following; it is obeying; it is working. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:31); being saved is not the sum of discipleship, but one earmark of discipleship is seen in the verse above: “If ye continue in my Word…”, continuing in the Word of God is good evidence of discipleship.
There are six verses in the New testament that describe what it means to be a disciple, three are found in Luke, and three in John. As for now though, we must focus on this one, which may be paramount to the others, or at least lead us to practice them. Just for the record, they are: (In Luke) Luke 14: 26~Luke 14:27, and Luke 14:33 and three in John--Jn. 8:31~Jn. 13:35 and Jn 15:8. These are, however, parenthetical for now, as we want to focus on staying in the Word of God.

It is said that Michael Jordan claimed to “eat, drink, and sleep” basketball. He became great because he continued, at all times, in all ways, to focus on the game. We need this sort of tenacity concerning the Word of God. We need to eat, drink, and sleep in the Word; we need to allow it to permeate our lives in every way, and consume our thoughts and actions. Only then can we hope to be considered a true disciple. If you wish to become a disciple of Christ, this is a great place to begin, if not, that is up to you.

Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

There are several other verses to that effect:
Col. 3:1-3; Phil. 4:8; Josh. 1:8, etc.

Faith, Hope, and Charity

Faith: (Heb. 11:1)
“Seeing the unseen; doing the undoable”

Whenever the Bible speaks of faith to the Christian, it refers to the “work of faith” in our hearts, as well as a work of faith in our lives. It is speaking of a daily faith that we must walk in every day, and exercise every moment. Faith is refusing to doubt; it is walking in the assurance that God will meet all needs; defeat all obstacles; and win all our battles for us. Simplified: it is trusting in His promises.


Hope: (Rom. 11:29)
“Hope is the wish that faith delivers”

Hope is not faith; it is weaker than faith; it is not expectation, but a longing; a wishful thinking It is man’s dream apart from God’s grace. Many times we mistake hope for faith. Hope has no power; it moves no mountains--but it rides upon the wind and dissipates as a cloud; it delivers nothing. Hope only sees what faith delivers…yet we must never lose hope in the Lord, never quit dreaming.


Charity (1 Cor. 13)
“Charity is the essence of love”

Of the “big three” Charity rates the highest! Yes, even higher than faith for the Bible says “The greatest of these is charity” (1 Cor. 13:13). Charity is love’s action; it is the greatest because it gives, which is the ultimate goal of love--to give. Charity is the “giving” of love, and our God set the example--“For God so loved that He gave…” That, my friends, is the ultimate charity.

Grey Areasa

Gray Areas?

Often, when we are debating an issue, someone will challenge us with “Chapter and verse please”, but there is not always a chapter and verse for things that are right. Why don’t they ask the Holy Spirit for chapter and verse? Let me say first that there are no gray areas, not really; my Bible is written in black and white, and is as plain as black and white. Nevertheless, here are seven guidelines for us to use to determine what is right and wrong when there may not seem to be an applicable verse:

Ask yourself “How does this affect me…”
1. Spiritually?
2. Mentally? (see James 1:8)
3. Morally?
4. Emotionally?
5. Ethically?
6. Physically?
7. and Socially.?

If you are honest, you will get your answer as to whether something is wrong or right, and how important it might be to you.

This is true with standards that some claim are more preference than scriptural; Many times people say that to skirt the issue, and are most likely under conviction. You cannot fight the Holy Spirit, nor argue Him away.

Christian Service

Christians nowadays put a lot of emphasis on our own works. What I mean is that we feel that the busier we are running to and fro, and doing the things we do “for the Lord” is our service or worship to Him. My friends, worship is a personal thing; it is an intimate relationship between us and our Savior. Our service may show that we believe; it may exalt us to certain heights, and gain us favor and position, but many times, it is simply a dead end when it comes to worshipping our Lord. Perhaps this is why we sometimes “burn out” for the Lord, we are too busy working to worship!

“Worship” is defined as:
“1. To adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration.”
2. To respect; to honor; to treat with civil reverence. Etc.

This we do in our hearts, and not in our actions. Jesus said “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn. 4:24) I believe that this is what the Lord was speaking of. The key word is “adoration”; when we truly adore someone, they consume all our thoughts all the time, yet sometimes we get so busy serving the Lord, we do not take time to adore Him! Adoration is defined thusly:

“1. To worship with profound reverence; to address with exalted thoughts, by prayer and thanksgiving; to pay divine honors to; to honor as a god or as divine.
2. To love in the highest degree; to regard with the utmost esteem, affection and respect; as, the people adore their prince.” (Definitions from Webster’s Dictionary of American English, of 1828)

We worship the Lord in our “closet” rather than in our outward acts.

Fire and Light

Spurgeon once said “There must be light as well as fire. Some preachers are all light, and no fire, and others are all fire and no light; what we want is both fire and light.” We need to light the fires of zeal under God’s children, but we also need to give them something to get excited about! The zeal is fine, but it must be accompanied by wisdom; any sermon that has the fire of God also must have the practicality of man to be effective. I speak in the both senses of this thought, the sermonizer and the hearer. The sermonizer must give practical wisdom with the encouragement of zeal, while the hearer must receive zeal, and use wisdom in applying it. Both are essential to the work of the Lord, there is no true light without fire.

Some have said “Where there is smoke, there is fire”, let not our lives be filled with smoke only, but with the fire of the Lord.

The early Bird

Just this morning, as I gazed from my window, and the sun was peeking over the horizon, I chanced to see the early bird. He was magnificent! A colorful bird, he was, and industrious above all the others. This bird was hopping around on the ground as if it was hunting--and indeed, it was. Soon I saw him lower his head quickly, and latch on to a worm. The worm struggled a little, writhing, and curling itself up, trying to get away, but he was no match for the early bird; The magnificent bird began back stepping, and literally pulled the worm from his lair, and then, as if it were “all in a days work” the bird began to search again, that worm was history. It wasn’t long before he had found another, and another; soon he was out of sight, and had fattened himself with the delicacies of earth. I sat there reflecting for a moment on what I had seen, and realized that I had learned the great truth of a maxim… I discovered that, indeed it is the “early bird that catches the worm.”

The Master of Wind and Wave

Matthew 9

Isn’t it amazing that the elements, which have no scruples at all--no sense of right and wrong--no will of their own can obey the words of our Lord, when men have such a time doing it? One clearly sees that the Word of the Lord has great power; the elements have no choice but to obey, and why should they hope to do otherwise? My friends, we hold this same Word in our hands every day! What power we possess! What neglect we give to it!

The atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima told of an awesome power--so powerful that man stood in awe at its destructive force, and yet, we hold a greater power in our hands in the Bible! The Word is greater in that it creates instead of destroys. The one has the power to destroy the world, while the other has the power to create it. To make something out of nothing is by far a more awesome power than that which destroys what has been made. Japan saw devastating, unbelievable destruction when the bomb was dropped, and yet the miracle of birth is seen every day, and little is said about it. The Japanese saw death, chaos, mass destruction, while the birth of a child sees a vibrant new life; which do you suppose is the greater of the two? Yes, Jesus is Master of wind and wave, but He has yet to master the hearts of men. It seems that the elements, though having no sense at all, are wiser than the wisest of men. Don’t take the Bible for granted; let it build your life into a vibrant, new life also, by regeneration.