What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? a quick definition of disciple is "follower." It is someone who follows Jesus. That being said, there is more to being a disciple than just following. To be a true disciple of Jesus, we need to understand what Jesus expected of His disciples. And in Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus explained the expectations clearly.
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus is talking to Simon and Andrew, two men who would become His personal disciples. They would go on to follow Jesus for several years and then help lead in the early church after Jesus ascended into heaven.
While Jesus spoke to the two men, He gave them a command, and within that command Jesus highlights the expectations of what it means to be a disciple. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
In this short verse, Jesus gives us all that we need to know about becoming a disciple. We can break down what it means to be a disciple into three categories.
Follow Me
The first command that Jesus gives Simon and Andrew is to follow Him. It is simple and yet it is an important first step in our ability to be a disciple. We must first choose to follow Jesus. It is a choice that we make after hearing what Jesus has done for us. It is John 12:26 that says,
26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
To start our discipleship jounrey, we must choose to follow Him. This is not a heart decision, but rather, a head-level choice that we make once we have seen the facts of Jesus' resurrection.
And I Will Make You
Once we have made the head-level choice to follow Jesus, it is then Jesus that can make a heart-level change within us. He makes us into something new. He is the one that changes our hearts to align more with Him and His mission.
We as believers submit to His authority and it shows by our hearts being changed from our own desires and ambitions to His desires and ambitions for us.
When Jesus begins to do a work in your heart, we are able to begin doing His will and living out His commands in our day-to-day life.
Fishers of Men
It is the head-level decision that puts us on the journey of discipleship. It is then the heart-level change that moves us from a dead in our flesh and made new in His Spirit, and once we have been transformed, we can begin doing His will by making other disciples.
Jesus made it clear to all of us that we are called to make disciples. It is our responsibility to help further the Kingdom of God here on earth. The reality is that changed people can change people. Disciples are changed people and they go out and help change others to submit to Christ's authority.
Want to know more about what it means to be a disicple? Check out these additional resources!
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