Discipleship is the process of making a disciple.
A disciple is one who adheres to the teaching of Jesus and assists in spreading the teachings of Jesus.
It only follows then that before a disciple can spread the teachings that he must first know the teachings of Jesus. And, unless the disciple is guilty of not practicing what he teaches, the disciple must adhere to the teachings.
So, a disciple of Jesus should begin by studying the teachings of Jesus. He should study the teaching for the express purpose of applying them to his life. So, this is more than just learning them. This is about adhering to them.
Where To Start?
Two of the Gospels provide great starting points – Matthew and Luke. Mark and John are good also, but they do not provide as good of a systematic approach. Matthew and Luke provide the teachings in such a format that someone could go through many of the teachings of Jesus one-by-one.
Matthew 5-7
Matthew 5-7 contains what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. These chapters provide a bullet approach to many of the teachings of Jesus. There is enough in these three chapters to keep a disciple occupied learning, practicing, and incorporating them into his life.
Sure, you can read the chapters quickly. If you have been a Christian for some time, you probably will be familiar with many of the teachings. But we are talking about living these teachings out in your life to the point they become second nature.
An Easy Example
"Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one."
Matthew 5:37
As an easy example: Do you only answer with “yes” or “no”? Jesus teaches saying anything more is from the evil one.
Think about this further. Jesus is addressing oaths, making promises, and the such. Why should you ever have to say, “I promise…”? Shouldn’t you just be able to tell someone you will do something and that be enough? Like you can promise anything. You can’t really.
Go further. Why do we say things like, “in all honesty…” or “truthfully,…”? This implies at other times you are not being honest or truthful.
Yes, I got it. These are just phrases of our society. What do they imply about our society then?
Remember: Jesus isn’t calling you to be part of society. Jesus is calling you to follow him.
Watch yourself this week. See how many times phrases like these come into your mind or you have to resist saying them. Pay attention to how many times you hear other people say such phrases. It is really a remarkable experiment.
A Difficult Example
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you,"
Matthew 5:44
Matthew 5:44 teaches us that we are to pray for those who mistreat you. How often do you do that? No, really. When was the last time you prayed specifically for someone that has mistreated you?
We don’t hesitate to pray for our families, our church, and our health. If you have a practice of prayer, you probably do that every day.
Jesus did, however, specifically tell us to pray for those who mistreat us. Seems like that should be part of our daily prayer also.
So, as a disciple learning and adhering to the teachings of Jesus, this would be something I would work toward until it becomes second nature for me.
What’s The Point?
The point is that we can find numerous teachings of Jesus that while we may know them we might not actually follow them.
Imagine if you took just one of the teachings of Jesus and worked on it until you got it down pat. Perhaps your small group could made a commitment to do just one of the teachings .
There is plenty of room for growth in discipleship. Jesus did not intend for us to merely be knowledgeable about his teachings. Jesus intended for us to follow them.
The more we follow them, the more like Jesus we become.
The more like Jesus we become, the more at peace we are with ourselves.
