“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
- Matthew 16:24-26

Are you a true disciple of Jesus Christ? Have you ever really considered what exactly discipleship involves? When Jesus chose men and women to follow Him, He called them His disciples. In the verse above, Jesus was giving His disciples essential information on discipleship – Denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Him. This means identifying with Jesus to the point of suffering, shame, rejection, and perhaps even death. It means to live for Jesus and His desires and not for yourself and your own desires. If this seems too radical to you, consider something else that Jesus said:

“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple... So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:27,33

Are you God-centered or self-centered? If you are living for yourself and your own pleasures, you are clearly not a disciple of Christ. Taking up your cross is not about self-promotion or self-affirmation, but about living as a God-centered and others-centered person. It is not something you put up with, but something you choose to do. To deny yourself is a choice, a determination that, no matter what, you’ll stand for Jesus. So, firstly, a disciple is a follower of Jesus. And just as He carried His cross and walked down death row, so must those who want to follow after Him. Following Jesus means following His example and forsaking all other ideas and doctrines.

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:31-32

Secondly, a disciple is a learner and full-time student of Jesus Christ. Daily prayer and Bible study are the highest priorities of a true disciple. If God Himself has magnified His word above His name (Psalm 138:2), how much more should His disciples esteem His word? Abiding in His Word is not merely the intellectual accumulation of knowledge, but the growing desire to know God deeper as well as the practical application of the truth (in His Word) to your daily life. There is a difference between reading your Bible and actually doing what it says. Knowing what Jesus said is not the same as doing what Jesus did. A disciple needs to live what he learns.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:26

Thirdly, a disciple is loyal and devoted to Jesus Christ. If you are a true disciple of Christ, you will put Jesus above all other earthly relationships and priorities. A disciple is committed to the cause of the Kingdom and won’t allow any other affection to have priority above the LORD. Just as Jesus was totally committed to doing the will of His Father, while here on earth, so His disciples should be devoted to do His will and to imitate His example... His example is love.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35

Fourthly, a disciple loves and obeys. Disciples can be identified by their love for God and for one another and by their obedience to their LORD. Love is the fundamental building block of a true disciple (1 Corinthians 13). Everything else in your Christian life flows from this principal, self-sacrificing love. If you are not daily walking in love, you do not know God, because God is love!

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – 1 John 4:7-11

Everything a disciple does should be motivated by love and should be done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Once again, Jesus is our perfect example, and because a disciple is not above his teacher (Matthew 10:24), we should follow in His footsteps and seek to glorify God.

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” – John 15:8

Lastly, a disciple bears fruit. Our heavenly Father is glorified by the spiritual fruit in our lives. If you follow after Jesus, deny yourself, take up your cross, abide in His word, make Him your priority and love your neighbor as yourself, you will bear fruit. Fruit is the natural product of a disciple of Christ.

May you be encouraged to live as a true disciple of Christ and may you bear fruit to the glory of God.

In Christ,
The Searchlight team