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The Disciple of Christ
A disciple is simply someone who believes in Jesus and seeks to follow him in his or her daily life. Being a disciple means we have chosen to put God’s word into action by seeking to live the way Christ wants us to live. Those who followed Jesus during His ministry were known as disciples; we know they were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). In John 14:1, 6 Jesus had these comforting words and instruction for His disciples, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me ... I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Today is no different; we are Christians because we made a choice to be a disciple of Christ and follow Him.
Our salvation is free but costs all that we have. The rich young ruler asked Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” After telling Jesus all the commandments he had kept from his youth, Jesus said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess... and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:19-20, 22). Jesus also said in Luke 14:27-33, “whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple ... whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
We are constantly bombarded with obstacles that challenge our commitment to discipleship. False teaching was then and is now a deterrent to being a true disciple. Paul stated in Galatians that he was amazed at how quickly the disciples were being deceived by false teachers distorting the gospel. Luke 12:1 - Jesus said to the disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Matt. 16:5-12 - Jesus warned, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They misunderstood the application and began to discuss among themselves that they had brought no bread, then Jesus said .... “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
It is unsettling to witness a friend or family member, once grounded in truth, choose a way of life that is not in harmony with the Word. Unsettling to watch the gradual nature of the undoing in ones resolve to follow Christ. It’s discouraging because the false teaching has deceived a beloved brother or sister in Christ.
In land surveying, an essential element to boundary reconstruction is to “follow in the footsteps” of the original surveyor. The mapping along with the metes and bounds description of the land will provide information such as bearings, distances, calls for monuments, witness marks, adjoiners, etc. This data can be used by future surveyors to calculate and re-establish corners that have been lost in an effort to preserve the integrity of the original survey.
In John 1 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (1:1,14). Then later in John 8:31-32, “Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”
To be a true disciple of Christ, we must follow in His footsteps, hold fast to His word and trust in His promises.
