I have a topic that came to my mind recently. The topic is being a disciple.
This is what I learned:
It’s not enough just to believe in Jesus; we need to become His disciples.
This is what Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As you can see from the verses, we have to become disciples. That’s what Jesus expects from us. He doesn’t want us to just believe in Him. He wants us to become His disciples.
What does it mean to become a disciple?
Here are three characteristics of being a disciple:
1. You are willing to follow your Master.
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)
The first characteristic of being a disciple is that you follow Jesus. You follow in His footsteps. You try to do the things that He would do.
This requires you to deny yourself and take your cross, which means that you must be willing to suffer.
2. You are willing to learn from your Master.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29)
A disciple learns from his Master. They don’t think that they already know enough. Instead, they realize that they still have a lot to learn. They are eager to learn.
How can we apply this? By meditating on God’s Word daily and doing it. That’s how we learn from the Master.
3. You make progress.
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40)
Good disciples don’t just learn; they make progress. They get better over time. This verse says that the disciple when fully trained will become like his teacher. It means that we should become more and more like Jesus, our Teacher.
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Applying these three things isn’t easy, but let’s learn to become good disciples.
