WEDNESDAY
January 2
Requirements of Discipleship
From our study thus far, we can discern a few conditions for discipleship.
First, discipleship in the New Testament began with Jesus' call to people to follow Him. A response from those called was essential. Thus, willingness to follow must have been a requirement of discipleship.
Second, willingness had to be based on something concrete, on something the disciple saw as valuable. Did those called discern something in Jesus they had not previously seen in anyone else? If so, they exercised faith in Him to follow willingly.
The third requirement of discipleship is a natural outgrowth of the first two. Willingness to follow and faith to believe must have led to a positive response to His call to discipleship. Without a positive response there could be no discipleship.
A positive response and willingness to follow are ineffective unless put into active reality through obedience. Jesus invited each person initially called to follow Him, and they did so immediately. This means that they were obedient and that obedience was a requirement for discipleship. No willfully disobedient person can be a successful follower of the Master.
Also, in the case of the disciples, their response to the call implied a total break with the past. They left their jobs, their families, and their possessions to follow Jesus, and they heeded the call to love these things less than they loved the Master. Being a disciple doesn't necessarily mean that we have to do all those things, only that we be willing to, if needed.
What other requirements of discipleship can you find in the following texts? Matt. 16:24, 25; Mark 8:34, 35; Luke 9:23. What is the basic message that Jesus is giving to us here? How can you apply this principle in your own life?
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