A modern-day disciple is someone who can look at their situation no matter how dimly lit or

hopeless it seems, but still chooses to trust God anyways, taking Him at His word.

1. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?

God Has Called Us to Fruitfulness
I had been a Christian for around three years when I married my wife, Sandy, in the United
States at age 26. We had many dreams of what we wanted to do for Christ in those early
years. We decided to abandon a comfortable life in the United States and trust God to lead
us. We left America and returned to my hometown of Harwich, England, and I continued
working with my father on his commercial fishing boat, the Why Worry. It was a very lucrative
job, but money was no longer something I lived for; I wanted to lead people to the One who
had changed my life and gave me meaning—the Lord Jesus. Within weeks of returning to
work as a commercial fisherman catching Dover Soles, Cod, Plaice, and Flounders, I was
frustrated because out on the North Sea off the East Coast of England, there was no one to
talk to about Christ. I knew I couldn't continue my former lifestyle; something more burned in
my heart, and the Lord spoke to me from Matthew 4:19 about leaving my nets to work on His
net. Our dream as a couple to be fruitful needed a step of faith, so it was hard for me to one
day tell my father that I had to leave my life at sea. It can be scary to step out into new
things, but the Lord is faithful to lead and guide. I look back at that decision and thank God
for His tender urging to step out of the boat of comfortableness. The initial call of Christ to
His Disciples is clear: “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19).
If you believe in Christ, it is because the Father has drawn you to Himself. We like to think
that we had a big hand in it, and of course, if you are a believer, you have responded to His
call. Your seeking heart drew you to the Lord Jesus, but God worked in your life to awaken
you to seek Him. He is the One who has started the work in you, and He is also the One who
will bring it to its fulfillment. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent
Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:64). God loved us so much that
He called us into a relationship with Himself. H.A. Ironside described it well when he
postulated that when we come to the gates of heaven, on the outside of the door, we would
read, “Whosoever will, let him come” (Revelation 22:17), but when we enter and turn around,
on the inside of the gates is inscribed “Chosen…in Him before the foundation of the world”
(Ephesians 1:4).
Many people come to Christ but have not been told the whole package. We live in a day of
easy “believe-ism,” where the message is just to come to Christ and simply believe. I think
salvation in Christ is simple enough that even a child with limited knowledge can believe and
put their faith in the Lord Jesus. However, even though the message is simple, the Christian
life is not easy. There is more to it than that. Many people are attracted to Christ because of
what they can get out of it and have little thought of God’s plan for our lives. How should we
now live, and what should our lives look like if we are to live for Him? Don’t get me wrong,
Jesus did come to give us life and life more abundantly, but there is something that He
wants of us—total commitment to Him and His Kingdom. Eternal lives are at stake, and He
needs all of us to offer our lives to Him and no longer live for ourselves.
Living this kind of life may sound impossible, but the exciting part is that He is the One who
also enables us to make this possible. He said, “Come to me” – this is our choice… “And I
will make you”… this is His work… fishers of men! He can live through us, with us, and in us
to create a richer, more meaningful, and more far-reaching life than we could ever
accomplish by living for ourselves. Evans Hopkins once said, "True Christianity is an all-out
commitment to the living Christ…The Savior is not looking for fans but followers—followers
who will go with Him to death if necessary." We are to live the same way Jesus lived and
bear fruit for God for the rest of our lives on earth.
Jesus used the analogy of a Vine and branches. He said the Vine was a picture of Himself,
and the branches were a picture of the life and vitality of the Vine flowing to His people, the
Church. The branches would produce fruit—the fruit of changed lives:
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my
disciples (John 15:8).
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and
bear fruit—fruit that will last (John 15:16).
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19a).
Do you think a modern-day disciple differs from the life of a disciple of Christ in New
Testament times? Discuss similarities or differences.
What is a Disciple?

Dis ·ci·ple (dis-'ī-pəl) n. 1.a. One who embraces and assists in spreading the
teachings of another.
The Greek word for ‘disciple’ (‘mathetes’) was used before the time of Christ to denote a
'follower' or 'student' of a particular teacher or philosopher. The disciple was responsible for
putting the Master’s teaching into practice as well as passing his teaching along to
others. Disciples are called to champion the cause, reproduce the skills, and propagate their
teacher's words and lessons. They receive their teacher's flame, carry the torch, and pass
the same fire to others to run with it.
The early believers in Jesus were referred to as Nazarenes but called themselves followers
of “the Way,” referring most likely to Isaiah 40:3, “Prepare the Way of the Lord!" They were
first called Christians, or "little Christs," in Antioch of Syria, where Paul and Barnabas taught
in the Gentile Church.

From ancient times, the word 'disciple' has been used to describe passionate students loyal
to their teacher. The master models to the disciple how he is to live and how he is to pass on
the master’s teaching. A.W. Tozer once said:
The new Christian is like a man who has learned to drive in a country where the
traffic moves on the left side of the highway and suddenly finds himself in another
country and is forced to drive on the right. He must unlearn his old habit, learn a new
one, and, more seriously than all, learn in heavy traffic.
As a result of their involvement with their Master, disciples of Jesus learn a new way of
thinking and behaving. They exhibit a new way of life. They embody their Master’s
disciplines. What does the word discipline mean?
Dis ·ci·pline ('dis-ə-plən) n. 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or
pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
With this in mind, we can summarize the concepts found in the Greek word 'mathetes'
translated into the English word disciple:
A disciple is a:
F- FOLLOWER
L- LEARNER
A- APPRENTICE
M- MULTIPLYING MENTOREE
E- EXAMPLE

You Cannot Be a Follower of Christ on Your Own Terms.

Jesus calls His followers to a relationship of uncompromising trust and obedience. Some
found His conditions too demanding and went away sorrowing (Luke 18:23); others were
attracted to His teaching, miracles, and the winsomeness of His person but wanted to follow
Him on their terms. Christ was uncompromising in His discipleship call:
57“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you
wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another man, “Follow
me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to
him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of
God.” 61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say
goodbye to my family." 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and
looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:57-62; See also Matthew
8:18-22).
Jesus' words here are firm and solemn. His answers to both of these men contain a
challenge. What is that challenge?
Our self-life/flesh tends to find many reasons we should not follow the Lord wholeheartedly.
Likely, the man who wanted to bury his father before following Christ had not yet had his
father die! The man was asking permission from Jesus to delay following him, perhaps to get
his father's inheritance and then follow. Jesus replied to let the spiritually dead bury the
physically dead. These men mentioned in the above Scripture showed they had not yet
grasped the urgency and importance of saving lives to which Jesus was calling them. Many
want to wait until conditions are perfect before following wholeheartedly. If we do not put
Christ and His kingdom first in our hearts, there will always be a reason to hold back. To truly
follow Him, we must be whole-hearted. Christ and His Kingdom's purposes must be our top
priority in life.
The Lord Jesus is drafting all of His children into His army. We are conscripts, not
volunteers. We are summoned to feast on the knowledge of Christ, our Commander in Chief.
All believers are called into His army, but many find excuses to avoid full commitment to the
cause of Christ. Jesus spoke a parable about the tendency we have to make excuses and
put off the call to discipleship:
16“Jesus replied: ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many
guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been
invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18But they all alike began to make
excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please
excuse me.’ 19Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way
to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t
come.’ 21The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of
the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and
 alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22‘Sir,’
the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23Then the
master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come
in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited
will get a taste of my banquet’” (Luke 14:16-24).
As an Englishman, I became a Christian while searching for meaning while visiting America
in the summer of 1977, three years before meeting Sandy. I had a compelling experience of
the love of God for me that turned my life around. When I returned to England, I managed to
stay away from the drug culture that had consumed my life for several years. God kept me
from giving in to temptation, but within several months, I became aware that the glow of my
love for Christ was not the same as in the early days of my walk. Life became boring, which
left me empty. I sensed the Lord telling me to leave and go to Israel to see some friends I
had met when I became a Christian. It was risky to leave all that I had, and I battled inwardly,
wondering what I would do there. I wanted something more from my life than being a seat
warmer in a half-hearted local church. I didn't know what I could do or how God would use
me, but it didn't seem like I was growing spiritually in the little church in my comfortable
hometown. Within five months of giving my life to Christ, I sold everything I had, bought an
air ticket that lasted six months and flew off to Israel. I resolved to follow the Lord's leading
wherever He led me. The choice I made back then has shaped my life to this day. I have
never regretted following the Lord’s leading. It was through that decision that I met those
who shaped my young life in Christ. He has continued to lead me to this day. I want to stay
sensitive to His voice and tender to His leadership.
Can you think of common excuses today that people make to avoid following God and
choosing a life of discipleship? Are there any roadblocks you find in your life that challenge
you from living a life of discipleship? Share if you are able.
Marriage, family, and business are essential to God, but they are never legitimate excuses to
dodge the call of discipleship. Through discipleship, God will bring blessings to your spouse,
your children, and your work life. Jesus elevates the meaning of ‘discipleship’ to the process
of being restored to the image of God by following Him through death to self and
uncompromising obedience to live for Him in the power of a new life in Christ.
25“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26‘If
anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and
children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my
disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be
my disciple’” (Luke 14:25-27).
The Call to Discipleship is a call to have all other loves purified by our higher and prior
commitment to Christ.
Jesus is saying that we must admit that our natural dedication and affection are infinitely
inferior to the devotion and affection that God can express through us when our lives are
fully yielded to Him. We cannot love our father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters, or
ourselves correctly unless we forsake our own love and receive God's love for our parents,
spouse, children, siblings, and ourselves. When Jesus calls a man or a woman to follow him,
it is a call to “come, die and live.”
The saying is true: “The Christian life is not difficult. It is impossible. The only one who can
live it is Christ.” The rich young ruler learned that “what is impossible with man is possible
with God” (Luke 18:27). The disciples understood that rich people have a difficult time
entering the kingdom of God. Jesus said that without coming into the substitutionary work of
Christ, it couldn’t be done.
The sooner we come to grips with this truth, the better: It takes Christ’s LIFE to be Christ-
like. When Christianity fails to be the outliving of the indwelling Christ, it is fraudulent.
We Must Count the Cost
28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate
the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation
and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow
began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31Or suppose a king is about to go to war
against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with
ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If
he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will
ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up
everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:28-33).
If we could only visualize all that Christ gives us in return for the life we exchange with Him, it
would seem a minimal sacrifice on our part. He promises to provide us with life in
abundance. C.S. Lewis once said, “Christ does not ask everyone to give up everything for
Him, but He does expect them to be willing to give up everything.” Jesus' call is
uncompromising; it is discipleship at all costs, and discipleship costs all. The good news is
that Jesus gives us the “all” that discipleship requires. He gave ALL that He was in dying for
us on the Cross. He rose from the dead, ascended to the Father, and now gives ALL He is
through His indwelling Holy Spirit.
How can we fulfill our commitment to Christ? Like the tower builder, we must admit our
human inadequacy, declare bankruptcy, and appeal to the mercy of a higher court. The
verdict is that resources are available from outside ourselves to finish the work He started
when He called you to follow Him. In the words of Major Ian Thomas, “All that He is is all that
I have. I can never have more and need never have less.”
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
There is nothing casual about discipleship. Jesus calls for a radical commitment in which
nothing or no one takes God's place of priority in our affections and loyalty. A disciple is
wholly devoted to pursuing an ongoing relationship of obedience and commitment to Christ.
The goal is for us to know Him and become like Him; as we become like Him, we will make
Him known. When we fully surrender to God, His grace can work in ways we could not
imagine!
Our surrender to God is an act of our will. You must first trust God fully to surrender to Him
entirely. Ask God which areas of your life you need to trust Him more. Ask for His help in
actively putting your trust in His ability to sustain and protect you. “For I know the plans I
have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). He has the best in mind for your life and knows
your needs even better than you do. Take time in prayer to identify those things that would
hold you back from becoming a fully committed follower of Christ. Be aware of your greatest
fears as well as your strongest temptations. Then, present these things to Him and ask Him
to take rulership over them.
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you whenever these things cloud your decision-making or
challenge your first commitment to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will come when invited, as
He is the one who "comes alongside" us to show the way of God more perfectly. You must
also fill your mind with the Word of God, which will influence your decision-making and
desires. God's Word is creative. Television, the Internet, and other media are so prevalent in
our lives that exposure must be controlled. We need to recognize and choose what will be
 the loudest voices, so to speak, in our lives. Whatever we decide to give our time to,
whatever influences our thoughts, will doubtless affect our minds and, therefore, our will.
We must also acknowledge that it will change our lives to surrender fully. To deliberately
consider what this means is to "count the cost." Whereas God’s grace is always sufficient, to
count the cost means we must have a ‘reality check.'

q. To be a follower of Christ is not comfortable.

r. To be a follower of Christ means that you will experience hardship, rejection, persecution,
and first-hand experience of spiritual warfare.
s. To be a follower of Christ means there will be times you feel broken-hearted and sometimes
'broke.'
t. Being a follower of Christ means facing all kinds of pressure and opinions and wading
through controversy.
u. There will be days as a follower of Christ when you feel like quitting but must persevere by
faith.
v. To be a follower of Christ means that you will share in His sufferings if you desire to also
share in His glory. You must be willing to be the outcast.
q. To be a follower of Christ means the more you love, the less you may be loved in return
(See 2 Corinthians 12:15).[1]
Following Christ will cost you. You must risk all the consequences of obedience to the One
called Faithful and True, but following Christ is worth it all. The benefits are numerous:
q. An ever-increasing glorious future. “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the
heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel
12:3).
r. There will be a close communion with Christ and fellowship in His joy and suffering. Jesus
said, “I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made
known to you” (John 15:15).
s. You will impact those around you as you become an example for others. “Come, follow me,”
Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matt. 4:19). C. T. Studd, the great
missionary to China, understood the challenge well. He wrote, "Some people want to live
within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission a yard from the gate of hell."
t. Fruit and rewards in this lifetime. “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left
home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke
18:29-30).
u. Eternal Rewards are yet to be revealed! “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and
what no human mind has conceived; the things God has prepared for those who love him” (1
Corinthians 2:9).
The choice is before all of us whether to follow or not to follow Christ. Our response will
change not only our lives but also the lives of those around us. There is a well-known
Christmas movie that depicts this so well. It is called It’s a Wonderful Life. This film has come
to be regarded as a classic and a staple of Christmas television worldwide. The American
Film Institute has recognized the movie as one of the 100 best American films ever made,
placing it number one on its list of the most inspirational American films ever. Philip Van
Doren Stern wrote the original story, The Greatest Gift, in November 1939. After being
unsuccessful in publishing the story, he made it into a Christmas card and mailed 200 copies
to family and friends in December 1943. It was not until the story came to the attention of
RKO producer David Hempstead that it became the movie we know today. He showed it
to Cary Grant's Hollywood agent; the rest is history. For those who do not know the story, it
is about George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve involves the
intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. Clarence shows George all the lives he
has touched, his contributions to his community, and how different it would be had he never
been born. The two stories are told simultaneously, and the viewer can compare these two
lives: a life lived with others in mind and a life lived entirely for self. Although it may be on the
extreme end of the scale, we all make similar choices in reality. Imagine for a moment two
movies are being made, both about your life. One would depict the story of your life as a
disciple of Jesus Christ, and another about a life lived for yourself, a life of your choosing.
Imagine how they may differ, the lives that would be affected, and the rewards earned or
lost. All of our lives resound for eternity in one way or another. In which movie will you
choose to star in? You will invest your life in making one or the other.
Prayer: “Father, I surrender myself into your loving arms. Please grant me the grace to live
for you. Give me the hunger always to be a learner, a follower. Keep calling me onwards to
walk with You in this life, to trust and obey."
Written by David MacAdam and Keith Thomas
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.groupbiblestudy.com

THEME: “ABOVE & BEYOND”

TOPIC: HALLMARKS OF DISCIPLESHIP

TEACHER: PASTOR L.E. OLEKANMA

OUTLINE

i. CONCEPT OF DISCIPLESHIP
ii. CONDITION OF DISCIPLESHIP
iii. COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
iv. CHARACTERISTICS OF DISCIPLESHIP
v. CONCERNS ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP