You are a Disciple of Christ

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Mike

(I recommend you follow this study in order starting with Path to Discipleship.)

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 (NIV)

If you’ve followed along with this series of posts on discipleship, you should have a clear understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. You should know that discipleship is not a part time job or seasonal employment. A disciple is someone who has been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and now lives a life dedicated to following Jesus. Discipleship is not a series of steps or a list of activities you check off – discipleship is a completely new life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Once you plant yourself firmly on the path to discipleship and your heart has been established in dedicated service to God, you are a disciple of Christ.

Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?

Are you committed to studying the Word of God?

Do you have an active prayer life?

Do you have regular fellowship with other believers?

Do you share your faith at every opportunity?

Are you serving God by serving others?

If you can answer yes to all of the questions above, you are a disciple of Christ. If you are dedicated to maintaining a yes answer to all of the above questions for the rest of your life, you are a disciple of Christ.

As a disciple of Christ, your service to God by serving others should be an ever-present part of your life. Day by day, week after week, you should be finding new ways to serve God. As a disciple of Christ, you should be guiding others toward Jesus, you should be leading people to Christ, and you should be nurturing new disciples.

The work of a disciple of Christ is never ending. As a disciple, you are no longer a part time Christian who visits church once a week and then goes back to the world. You have now established yourself firmly as a dedicated follower of Jesus. Rather than being pushed around by this world, you have now chosen to follow the path God places before you – a path dedicated to sharing God’s love with the world.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 (NIV)

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context. Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations. In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon. Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.