CHRISTIAN OR DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
[5-minute read]
Today’s question addresses the hard topic of whether we have made Christian discipleship an option because we prefer a customizable relationship with God that is less demanding on our commitment of time, interest and reciprocity. We are happy if we could just be tagged as ‘followers’ with the occasional catchup with God without being accused of neglecting Him.
The perennial question that believers need to ask is this: am I a Christian only in name or am I a true disciple of Jesus Christ? While the answer seems somewhat obvious, the question forces us to go beneath the image and appearance we unconsciously put up to escape from being honest with God and from admitting to ourselves the relational deficiency we have endured.
Am I a Christian because of these extrinsic reasons: I attend a church regularly, I am chummy with pastors, I have a Christian-only circle of friends, the cross pendant that I wear says that I am, the “Not perfect, just forgiven” decal I have on my car, the worship songs I play on loop, or I am at ease using Christian jargons like ‘blessed’ to replace actual descriptive verbs. Or am I seeing a shift inside me that is beginning to hate what Jesus hates and love what He loves?
What then is required of us as disciples or Christians. Jesus set it out clearly this way: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus again reiterated this in John 8:31-32, “If you obey My teaching, you are really My disciples; you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Truth are not facts, but Christ Himself. He is the truth. Knowledge of Scripture does not make anyone more mature as a Christian the way obedience does.
Unless we are living under a rock, we are likely to know at least one person who believes that no matter what the cost, the rewards for denying themselves, taking up their cross and following Jesus are immeasurable. We may love them or loathe them because of their unbending convictions. We may attribute their joyfulness to their personalities. We may play down their testimonies of God’s goodness as a matter of perspective.
Jesus sent a strong word to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25). Here is the lowdown: you are either a Christian or not. You are either a disciple or not. Is it hard to do? You bet!
Let’s examine what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus Christ:
DENY YOURSELF
This is not about blanking out your mind, emotionally detaching yourself from situations, or depriving yourself of what gives you pleasure. Rather, it is about right-sizing your desire to please God vis-à-vis how much you live to please yourself and other people on a daily basis. It is about putting your life at God’s disposal: to obey Him as a first course of action and not be led primarily by your feelings, instincts or preferences. Indeed, there is no way to deepen your relationship with God without making Him your priority – every moment of the day.
What does this even mean? Look at your calendar and see if it looks more like an events calendar rather than a life memoir in the making. How often have you planned your day by asking God what He has in mind for you, and if you don’t sense any direction from Him in ten minutes, you clear your entire day of all extracurricular activities and put all your spare time at His disposal? Has God called you to be so preoccupied that you frequently become unavailable to do what He has commanded all believers to do – “go and make disciples of all nations”?
Jesus was always mindful of what He must do and focused on imperatives rather than what seemed important in the moment (Matthew 16:21). He never filled His day with what He had the time or ability to do it but only what served God’s mission. He only did what he must do; and not simply what He could do. For this reason, when Peter used virtuous-sounding emotional logic to stop Him from what He said He must do, He soundly told off His disciple, “you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:22).
How much human concerns fill your mind and life each day? Is the Lord’s language of ‘necessity’ evident in your life as you pursue His imperatives, or are your days ruled by what ‘he wants, she wants, I want’?
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
The cross is a personal mission; it is always ‘your cross’, not ‘our cross’. Many Christians think that people who take up their cross daily are those living with sickness and hardships. They mistake the cross for difficulties and challenges that all people experience, not just Christians! Yet, if you have been spared from sickness, financial hardships, unemployment, loneliness, disappointments and hurt so far, be thankful that you are living in the very real grace of God. Don’t take it for granted.
Taking up the cross is over and above taking care of the elderly, sick ones or children in the family and other exigencies of human life. The beams of the cross represent the Christ in you and how you represent Him in every human interaction and conversation. Some of us need to re-examine our (now) old and rugged personal cross to understand its intricate construction in our lives so that we are ready to share with others who need to know what it means.
FOLLOW JESUS
His Name may appear on banners and posters but Jesus is not a location or a programme. If people around us do not see any evidence that we are following Jesus in how we live and work, then we are likely following something or someone else – even ourselves. If all we talk about is what we like or dislike, where we fancy going and what we fancy doing, it says a lot about what we live for. The world is looking for the Truth and Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). If you truly follow Jesus (and not just His benefits), others will see and follow Him, too.
Followers of Jesus leave a trail of passion and testimonies of God everywhere they go. The final words of a simple man Nokseng who was martyred for carrying his cross became a hymn that we sing till today: “I have decided to follow Jesus”.
Who are you following today? Your spouse? Your employer? Your retirement plans?
Or will you become a true disciple of Jesus Christ?
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 13 May 2023.
