To “be the church,” we get to love God, love people, and make disciples. In the last blog we talked about how a disciple is a friend of Jesus. Today, we look at how a disciple is also a follower of Jesus.
For us at Play. Story. Eat. ministries, this is foundational to how we operate. We believe that friends are best at inviting other friends to be followers of Jesus together. It’s not a solo sport. And make no mistake, it’s not a call to a “Treat yourself,” undisciplined life.
Let’s take a deeper look at what a disciple is and what Jesus says a follower of his really is…
What is a Disciple?
In this blog we define what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. To review from last time, we learned that a disciple is a friend of Jesus, and if they are a friend of his, they will obey his commands. In Matthew and Luke there is more information that clarifies what a disciple is.
Jesus says, "Follow me..." in Matthew 4:19 and, "If anyone would come after me..." in Luke 9:23.
A Disciple is also a Follower of Jesus
There is an open invitation from Jesus for everyone to tag along with him. “Come and hang out with me,” Jesus says. “Come be with me.” Jesus is ready and waiting to connect with us. But accepting the invitation comes with responsibilities that may seem constrictive.
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself.” Luke 9:23
Deny myself?
Well, that messes up our plans, doesn't it? We all choose activities, relationships, and vocations that we believe will meet our desires and needs. We believe they can make us happy or at least “pause” a painful reality for a while. But sometimes we can be self-deceived.
I (Bill Burrows) know I have some habits that are time wasters and even addictions. Most of these aren’t bad when I exercise restraint… But, if I’m honest, I overindulge way too often. For me the big three in my life currently are:
Sports. I'm a sports fan. Okay, I’m a fanatic. I follow the Kansas City Royals, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Missouri Tigers. I read almost every article I can find on my teams. I follow them on Twitter, and I watch 90% of their games. I don’t even want to think about how much time I invest in this.
Sugar/Comfort food. I also eat too much sugar and comfort food. It’s like I can’t live without my Pepsi with real sugar, Breyers ice cream, Captain Crunch cereal, and Kit Kat bars—not to mention double helpings of mac & cheese, French fries, and chips! After eating all this, I must sit down and…
Watch too much television! Everything from Netflix to the networks. I watch sports, movies, and series that are seven seasons long. You get the idea. These all prevent me from being a person that wholeheartedly loves God, loves people, and makes disciples.
Saying No to Myself
I have to deny myself to be a disciple of Jesus. Which means I must say no to sports, comfort food, and/or TV at least for a period of time to break the addictive habit. In moderation these activities can give me some temporary pleasure. But if I am dependent on them, something is wrong. How do you know when you’re too attached to an activity? Try to stop for a day, week, or month.
At the time of this article, I’m choosing to say no to sports and refined sugar for the next 30 days. I will definitely have withdrawals. Somebody might say, “I bet Bill’s going to watch a lot of TV this month.” In fact, I will limit my TV time instead of going cold turkey on that one.
I invite you to join me in denying yourself, even in a small way. I challenge you to say no to something for at least a day.
A Daily Denial
"If anyone would come after me...he will take up his cross daily..." Luke 9:23
Jesus came to earth on a mission from God. He took responsibility daily to carry out his orders which led to the cross.
Fishers of Men
A disciple takes the mission of loving God, loving people, and making disciples seriously. It's a daily cooperation with the son of God in the process of making you a “fisher of men.” It’s not all about us: it’s about inviting others to join us.
It's not enough to say “no” to some things. Disciples say “yes” to activities that advance the mission—habits like talking and listening to Jesus on a daily basis or having spiritual conversations with other people—especially with our friends who aren’t yet followers of Jesus.
My 30-day Commitment
In addition to my normal daily commitment, for the next 30 days, I will say no to sports and yes to reading Psalms. I will say no to refined sugar and yes to vegetables. I will say no to excessive TV and yes to spiritual conversations.
I also invite you to join me. Take up your cross by saying yes to habits that keep you on mission. Below is our Disciple Challenge tool that makes this simple, even in a small way. I challenge you to say yes to something for at least a day. When we practice saying no and saying yes, we learn to “follow the leader.”
Follow the Leader
Over time our ability to hear his voice and understand specific tasks becomes clear. As we practice spiritual discernment, choosing the best attitudes and actions over good or even bad ones becomes habitual.
But what about what I want and need to be happy? Jesus is communicating the responsibilities of a disciple so that we may experience and be filled with his joy.
“...For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:24
Jesus: “Lose Life and Save It”
If we hold tightly to those distractions and enticements of the world that we believe will bring us a happy life, we will miss out on the life of joy God has planned for us. But, if we deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him we are disciples and friends of the Good, Great, Triune God.
“Being” the church is better than just going to church! Take the next step below to be the church by training to love God, love people, and make disciples the way Jesus does.
Would you like to share this with your friends? Here’s the Follow Jesus Slideshow so you can talk about it with them!
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