United Methodist Membership Vows and the Life of Christian Discipleship

“Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been
doing, and they will do even greater things than these….”

John 14:12, NIV

Introduction

We, the people called United Methodists, are called to make disciples of Jesus
Christ for the transformation of the world. We believe that the gospel of Jesus
Christ carries a solitary message about the love of God for all God’s children.
Jesus’ life and work on earth perfectly revealed the fantastic love of God that
changes people’s lives. As Christ’s disciples, we have a tas’ to advance the
gospel and empower others to join us.

Near the end of his life, John Wesley wrote:

My fear is not that our great movement, known as the Methodists, will
eventually cease to exist or one day die from the earth. My fear is that our
people will become content to live without the fire, the power, the
excitement, the supernatural element that makes us great.

Even more today, we need the fire, the power, the excitement, and the
supernatural elements that will make Methodism alive, vital, and significant
as it continues to participate in the mission of God.

The vitality and greatness of our United Methodist denomination depend on

our commitment to fulfilling the mission of equipping world-changing
disciples of Jesus Christ. They then become agents of God’s transformative
work in the world.
We should not lose our focus on our mission: disciple-making. Transforming
the world. Ultimately, discipleship and transformation are the work of God.
We can do this work and do even greater things if we believe and obey Jesus,
the Christ, who is our strength, leader, and Lord and Savior!

Our Calling to Follow the Way, Life, and Truth of Jesus

Following Jesus in daily living in a broken world requires our most profound
devotion to God and a great measure of trust in God It demands total
submission to God’s presence and power and complete obedience to God’s
will and directions.

To take this step of following Jesus means living our lives toward abiding with
God and trusting God’s goodness and righteousness. To follow Jesus is to
know who he is. Jesus himself asked his disciples this question, “Who do
people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13, NIV) And the disciples
responded, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah, and still others,
Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matt. 16:14, NIV). We get the impression
that Jesus was not only interested in knowing what people said about him,
but he also wanted to know what his friends said about who he was. We can
be assured that Jesus still wants to know our answer to this question for us
modern disciples of Christ.

Who is Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is?

Douglas Ruffle, the chief editor of Lay Planting in Today’s World: Engaging All
People with Jesus’ Love, gives a beautiful description of Jesus’ life. He writes:

[Jesus] lived an extraordinary life to the fullest more than 2,000 years ago.
Born into a poor family under the poorest of circumstances, his mother gave
birth to him in a place among animals-a stable or cave-in a little of town of
Palestine. His parents fled his birthplace, living as refugees in a foreign land
for fear of death from the ruling leader. They returned to another small town,
which was despised by many. He learned the craft of carpentry and observed
the religious life of a Jew. As an adult, he began to teach and preach in the
towns and countryside around thirty years of age.

He was called "rabbi" by his followers. He invited hearers to receive God’s

coming governance of the world and to live by the principles and values of
that realm. The followers who gathered around him and learned at his feet
were ordinary people who had worked ordinary regular jobs. He healed the
sick; he ate with people who were ridiculed and despised by members of
society. He broke barriers of race, culture, and religion to be fully present to
and relate to men and women, some of whom were considered “sinners” by
others from the community. He brought life out of death for a young girl and
raised an older man from the dead. He despised the desecration of God’s
holy temple by those who would turn it into a sales bazaar. When entering
the most important city of the region where he lived, he was celebrated as
the one promised by God. One of his closest followers, a man named Simon
Peter, confessed to him that he was the Messiah, the long-awaited redeemer
of Israel.

And yet, Simon Peter and his other followers abandoned him when he was
arrested and tried by the rulers in the city. His followers hid whipped and a
crown of thorns pushed on his head. While he was

He was forced to carry a heavy, wooden cross through the city; he was spat
upon and ridiculed and then hung on the cross he had carried; spikes pierced
through his hands and feet, and he was placed between two common
criminals. Three days after he died on the cross, some women followers said
that he was raised from the dead and continued to live and appear among
those who had been closest to him. This Aramaic-speaking Jew never
published writings; yet, because of the testimony of those who knew him-
their writings, their teaching, their preaching this one became the most
influential person in Western history and-some would say the world. Art,
music, literature, and architecture extol him. Many followers died for him.
They affirmed, with the psalmist, that “Your constant love is better than life
itself” (Psalm 63:3 GNT). 64 Today his followers count in the billions.
Our response to the question “Who is Jesus?” leads us to ask another
question, “Why Jesus?” As Christ’s disciples, our response to “Why Jesus?”
helps us discover and live our life’s purpose. The apostle Paul captured the
essence of knowing and following Jesus when he wrote these words: “It is my
eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but
that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in
my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is
gain”65 (Philippians 1:20-21, NRSV). Our answer to “Why Jesus?” reveals why
we believe and obey Christ.

Robby Gallaty, the senior pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga,

Tennessee, writes, “If you want to be a true disciple of Jesus, you must learn
to know the Man. We must know the [Jesus] before we can go on the mission
to which we have been called. 56

Because we know why we believe and obey Jesus, we live our lives according
to his will and righteousness. This is also our motivation to invite others to
understand and follow Christ and join us on our discipleship journey in the
Christian community.

Reflection Questions

1. Who is Jesus for you in your life? Why do you need Christ?

2. What is your compelling reason to follow Jesus today? Why?

3. What lessons can you learn about following Jesus from these passages?

Matthew 16:24-26 (cost of discipleship)

Philippians 2:5-11 (imitating Christ’s humility)