One of the requirements in discipleship is that you would have to leave all. Many do not like to hear that when they come into Christ, all that they were ceases to exist. Whatever you were before you became born again, all ended at the cross, anything beyond the cross is called a New Life. Hence, the new life you now have in Christ demands a leaving of all you once were before you came.
A disciple doesn’t have a life of his own anymore, for he has left all that he has to follow after the Master. A new identity is given in discipleship, not derived from what or who you were, but from the moment you accepted the call to follow. When Jesus called Peter to follow him, he gave a new identity, that he would become a fisher of men (Matt 4.19).
Many are called Christians but only a few are called Disciples in our world today. But it wasn’t so from the beginning. In the early Church, people were saved into becoming a disciple. In the Book of Acts, it is recorded that “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (11.27). That is, they weren’t known as ‘Christians’ but as ‘Disciples’. Hence, you weren’t saved to be called a Christian, you were saved to become a Disciple.
The twelve disciples of Jesus all had something that they were doing, but when they received the call, they left all they were doing and followed Jesus. At one point Peter said to the Master “we have left everything to follow you!” (Mark 10.28). Being a disciple is not a halfhearted journey, it’s either you are one or not, there is no standing in the middle, no compromise.
You cannot hold onto that which you once had before approaching the cross and expect to carry it up after death. All that you once were, died the moment you surrendered at the cross, you rose a new man, with a new identity. God’s dealings with us at the cross will determine that which we cannot carry over after death.
Whatever dealings that may be, let it be settled in your heart that God demands all from you now that you are born again. Jesus said to a man who showed interest in following but wanted to go home to bid farewell to his family “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9.62).
As touching the matter of our service to God, looking back is unprofitable. If you have left all to become a disciple, do not desire to take back that which you have already forsaken. Giving up all that you own, as I mentioned earlier is one of the requirements of discipleship.
A disciple doesn’t hold with a strong grip whatever that he has because even that can be demanded of Him by the Master. God’s dealings with us as disciples can be found in our various local assemblies. Service to God’s kingdom is never in isolation from His Church. The way to serve is by committing yourself to His Church and the authority He has placed therein. Hence, becoming a disciple of Christ is found in our yielding to the authority in the Church.
You cannot be a disciple of yourself or disciple yourself. You have to submit to a local assembly and the authority that God has placed there. When God called Moses, Moses had Joshua who assisted him and later took over from him. Jesus had twelve disciples to who he entrusted the work into their care and those twelve led others. Elisha needed Elijah to fulfill his purpose. When Paul began his ministry, he had Timothy and Erastus who were his main helpers (disciples) amongst others.
Christ has given to His Church ministry gifts to disciple the saints for the work of ministry.
Eromose R. Moses is a minister at Edify Ministry, the author of Before You Say – I Do and Life as a Teenager – The Foundation. His writings are devoted to building young people to leading a successful life in relationships, personal development and fellowship with God.
Well said 👏👏