Week 5, DAY 3

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter) 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:35 - 51 (ESV)
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I think we can take some of what we have read about in the past couple of days and apply it to our lives as to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. What does a disciple of Christ look like? Does he/she have a certain look, or attitude about them? Is there a Christian disciple mold that we all fit into? I don’t think so. Christians are called to be disciples; we are called to be learners, students of His word and followers of the master, Jesus Christ. This means our faith must be proactive and not passive. This means we must continually grow in faith. I have been a believer for nearly 30 years, I have read the Bible numerous times, I had Bible training, I have read more books than I can imagine, and I have served in pastoral ministry for nearly 25 years and I am still growing, and I am still learning daily. We MUST continue to grow in faith and not allow our relationship with Jesus Christ to go stagnant.

Discipleship takes a lot of discipline and a lot of work. Here are three points as to what the life of a disciple can look like according to John 1:35 – 51.

1. The journey of the disciple involves abandoning and trust…Come and follow. Every disciple of Jesus gave up something to follow him. In most cases it was their livelihood. Some left their families (I don’t think they deserted them, but they took time away from family to follow and walk with Jesus.) In their abandonment they had to put complete trust in Jesus to meet their needs and to give them assurance that they were doing the right thing. They had to trust that their abandonment was for the Kingdom of God. What does this look like for you? I can’t say, but I can say we must be willing to respond to Jesus when He calls and be willing to drop everything if that’s what he requires and then trust He will provide along the way.
2. The work of the disciple involves sharing and introducing others to Jesus…Come and meet. The first thing Philip and Andrew after do they commit to Jesus is go and tell someone else about Him. Disciples accept the call to go out and introducing others to Jesus. Jesus wants to be shared and not kept secret. If you have the light of the World in you, then you should share this light with others. Sharing and introducing does not mean you need to be obnoxious and force the Gospel down people’s throats, nor does it mean that you have to become the person that everyone walks away from when you enter the room because you are so vocal about your faith. Sharing and introducing can be as simple as befriending non-believers or as complex as setting up evangelistic crusades and everything in between. You need to find what works best for you.
3. The life of a disciple includes a seat belt… Come and see. Discipleship is a wild ride! Jesus said “You will see heaven opened…” so we must prepare ourselves to see great and mighty works. Sometimes these great and mighty works may involve persecution and suffering, other times it may involve peace and joy, and it may include times of miracles and wonders, so buckle up because it’s going to be a wild ride.