What the Bible says about Discipleship
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Jesus takes the opportunity of this miracle to call His disciples into a Teacher - student relationship with Him. He figuratively catches Peter in His net before commanding him to "catch men" for the Kingdom of God. Immediately, Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave their boats and nets behind and follow Him. They now understand that Jesus is more than capable of supplying their every need.
We are to apply this lesson in our own lives. When Christ speaks, it is always about obedience to God's way of life. In this case, His teaching affected the disciples' livelihoods. Worship and work form major parts of our lives, too, and in both we must consistently maintain righteousness.
Had Peter failed to obey Christ's command, he would have failed to experience both the miracle and the resulting blessing. No one serves God without being compensated for his service. When we serve, sacrifice, testify, or stand for Him, He will suitably reward our efforts. When God asks us to invest our time, effort, talent, or anything else, we must not resent the opportunity. No one pays dividends on an investment as abundantly as God does - "good measure, pressed down, and running over will be put into your bosom" (Luke 6:38).
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Great Catch of FishRelated Topics: Blessing | Blessings | Disciple | Disciples, Making | Disciples, Role of | Disciples, The | Discipleship | Discipleship, Cost of | Dragging imagery | Fish as Metaphor | Fishers of Men | Jesus Christ's Miracles | Miracles | Miracles and Faith | Miracles of Jesus Christ | Obedience | Obeying | Sacrifice | Sacrificial Attitude | Sacrificial Giving
Self-renunciation is an indispensable condition of following Christ, required for accurately counting the true cost of allegiance to Him. This condition of full and selfless service to God demands our hearts and minds, not just our bodies. In Luke 14:25-33, two parables and an exhortation urge us to forsake all that we have as a mandatory condition to becoming Christ's disciples. One main lesson is emphasized in these scriptures: the nature and influence of true discipleship.
Three times (verses 26, 27, 33) the commanding assertion is "cannot be My disciple." One who faithfully follows Christ must be prepared to hate—or more accurately, "love less"—his father, mother, wife, and children, as well as his own life. Loyalty to Jesus Christ and God the Father must be above even the highest loyalties of earthly love, that is, all our love of self must be subordinate to our love for God, who must be first in our life.
Martin G. Collins
Parables of Counting the Cost
That which costs nothing is not worth anything. When King David needed to build an altar to the Lord, he would not accept the free gift of the threshing floor because it cost him nothing (II Samuel 24:21-25). To David, a sacrifice was worthless if it cost the offerer nothing. The discipleship to which Christ calls us means a life of surrender to God's will and sacrifice for His cause. If we count the cost of a full submission to Christ's claim on us, we also must count on His grace and help to become one with Him. His disciples do not make the journey to His Kingdom for free—it costs them their lives.
The costliness of commitment to God's will is seen in the example of Jesus. He requires nothing of us that He Himself has not done. Christ lived with the humiliation and agony that often accompanies living according to the will of God. Both the Father and the Son counted the cost before proceeding with their plan for the salvation of humanity. In being sent into the world, Jesus knew ahead of time what it would take to accomplish the divine goal. He left His Father's house to build His church so that the gates of Hades could never prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
Martin G. Collins
Parables of Counting the Cost
Jesus demands submission to Him above everything else in life, including the self. If we think that is not costly, we need to think again! Discipleship can cost a person his relationship with the family he was born into, his livelihood, and even at times his life. At issue is how much we value the life our Savior gave to pay for our sins, as well as the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. Is our treasure in heaven, or are our hearts still bound to earth and its ways?
John W. Ritenbaugh
Leadership and Covenants (Part Three)Related Topics: Discipleship | Discipleship, Cost of | Leadership and Covenants | Where Our Treasure Is
Undertaking discipleship involves the entirety of a person's life - all the time, everywhere. It is the issue in the Bible: whether we will show by our lives that we are loyal to the Kingdom of God.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Revelation 2-3 and Works
Abide means "to continue in" or "to remain in." Thus, "If you remain or continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed." A disciple is a learner. Jesus is telling us that a person who merely begins walking down the road of Christianity is not really a disciple. A true disciple is one who not only begins but also continues on the way and abides in it.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Awesome Cost of SalvationRelated Topics: Abiding in Christ | Abiding in God | Abiding in God's Word | Disciple | Disciples, Role of | Disciples, The | Discipleship | Discipleship, Cost of
He says a similar thing in John 18:37: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." Those who hear the voice of Christ, those who hear His truth, will then submit to it. That is what will separate them from the world.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Truth (Part 1)Related Topics: Abiding in Christ | Abiding in God | Abiding in God's Word | Disciple | Disciples, Role of | Disciples, The | Discipleship | Discipleship, Cost of | Hearing God's Word | Hearing the Gospel | Submission to God | Submission to God's Will | Truth | Truth, Love of | Truth, Seeking | Truth, Struggle for
Find more Bible verses about Discipleship:
Discipleship {Nave's}