1022. Why You Can't Be a Disciple of Jesus (According to Jesus)

When Jesus spoke about being His disciple, it contained some pretty overwhelming requirements to even qualify for a shot at the position. It's not unusual to see the world of religion try to "Christianize" something Jesus said that was specifically intended for those to whom He was speaking ... Jewish people who were still under the Mosaic law, before the cross. It meant hating family by comparison, carrying your own cross, and giving up all possessions.

Jesus wasn't speaking to you but was showing would-be followers that they would be unable to cover the cost of what was needed. Only He could carry that cross in order to bring redemption.

Compare the rigorous conditions of being a disciple of Jesus with this:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Notice the difference between working through your dedication and commitment at trying to become more like Jesus by what you do ... compared to letting Him release you from such a burden.



   
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1021. Identifying as a Disciple (And How to Avoid It)

"Discipleship" is often a big theme inside of many church buildings. But when we are told to be disciples, what does it mean? What pops into your mind? What do you need to do to get there? Is it your level of dedication? Your commitment to God? To the church corporation? To unwavering Bible reading and prayer? Maybe you just automatically think of the twelve that followed Jesus ... and that you should do the same and "follow Him."

A disciple is defined as a student or pupil—in other words—someone who learns from another. It was a significant part of the culture in Bible times to become like the teacher. Most who consider themselves disciples today are the result of having learned tenets and dogma from their church denomination (which may or may not have much to do with the gospel).

While growing in the knowledge of the truth and learning more about God and the gospel can be a good thing to do, it does not make you who you are. It may surprise some to find out the word disciple never appears even once in any of the New Testament epistles ... indicating it is not meant to be a part of your identity in Christ.



   
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873. Followers and Disciples: Give Up All Your Possessions

We’re following up on last week’s program about the rigorous requirements Jesus laid out to the Jewish people who expressed interest in being His disciple. He told them they would need to forsake all they possessed and give it away. He told them to count the cost—because they would never be able to afford it … only Jesus could pay what was required. He told them to carry their cross—because if they truly wanted to be a disciple and be like the teacher in following His example until the end … they would need to do what He was about to do.

Of course, only Jesus would be able to carry “the” cross to bring redemption. Their dedication and commitment, their efforts at following and commandment-keeping would all fall far short. Jesus would show that the world will be better off accepting His free invitation to life and fellowship with Him—the living God, who did it all for us. The gospel is about His commitment to us.



   
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872. The Cost of Being a Disciple?

Ask a church auditorium full of people what the definition of a “disciple” is … and you’ll probably get all kinds of different answers. And this is just from the people who belong to the same denomination. Depending on what we’ve been told or taught, we have probably developed assumptions as to what a disciple is in our own minds. Sometimes we’ll even turn it from a noun into a verb. People seem to feel the need to bring a form of an old Jewish custom from a past culture into our present time because “discipleship” was in the Bible.

On this week’s program, we take a look at how the word disciple is defined in the original language. What were the requirements to be an actual disciple of Jesus to those who wished to apply for the position? Will it cost us everything like religion has taught? Are we called to be disciples of Jesus today? Here is a hint: The main word for disciple in the Greek appears about 246 times in the New Testament. But the word never appears one single time after the book of Acts. Not once was anyone identified as a disciple of Jesus in New Covenant writings.



   
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533. Carry Your Own Cross?

When we assume Jesus was always speaking to us personally, we may get the covenants confused and miss the point of the message being spoken to those who were under the law at that time. A true disciple becomes like their teacher, which would mean leaving all of their family and giving up all their possessions. It would also mean they would literally be required to carry their own cross as He would do. When Jesus said to count the cost, He was showing them they could not pay the price that would be necessary to complete the task at hand. Only Jesus could carry the one cross that would pay the price in full with His blood.