Discipleship - Part 1

Introduction

Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it starkly when he said, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."

I've been very focused on some quite heavy doctrines for a while (foreknowledge, predestination, divine sovereignty and human freedom, etc.) and I thought it would be good to look at something more practical for a change, so this is the first in a series of posts on the subject of Christian discipleship.

As my guide I'm using the book Discipleship by David Watson. The book was written in the early 1980s but it is still very relevant for today. It contains a great deal of spiritual wisdom and is deservedly known as a "Christian classic" though I think it is now out of print. I will be quoting, referring or alluding to Watson's book throughout this series and using its structure through the series of posts.

The Call to Discipleship

Watson's first chapter is about the fact that being a Christian is about being called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. He makes a number of interesting points about this and breaks it down into a subheadings.

1. We are called by Jesus. In Bible times, people would choose the Rabbi they wanted to follow and be a disciple of themselves. But with Jesus it is different. He chooses his disciples. Christ chooses his followers himself. At one point he said this to the disciples explicitly: "You did not choose me, but I chose you." The early part of the Gospels shows Jesus choosing the Twelve disciples.

2. We are called to Jesus. Even more remarkable than Jesus reversing normal practice by choosing his own disciples is what he called them to - namely to himself. It was normal for a rabbi's disciples to follow his teaching or even imitate his lifestyle. Certainly we do this as Christians, but incredibly Jesus' primary call is not to his teaching or his way of life but to a living relationship with himself.

As Watson says: "Everything centres round him. Discipleship means knowing him, loving him, believing in him, being committed to him." (p.23)

3. We are called to obey. Following Christ means paying the closest attention to what he says. It means doing what he wants, going where he leads, and putting our loyalty to him above all else. It also means that we learn to accept that his plan and his will for our lives is always the best for us.

4. We are called to serve. One of the most important ways we can obey Jesus is by living a life of service to others. Just as Christ served others so he calls us and sends us to serve and help others too. This is one of the most important acts of obedience to Christ we can do. Yet serving others should never be seen as an alternative to worshipping and serving God. Rather it flows out of our relationship with God. The paradox is that the more truly God-centred we are, the more we are other-people focused as well.

5. We are called to a simple life. A radical commitment to Jesus will affect every aspect of our lives, not least how we use our money and our possessions. In this respect, Christ seems to call his disciples to "live lightly" and focus their attention not on earthly treasure but in heavenly treasure. This will mean that we will see our money as a tool to be used wisely, to help and support others and to advance God's kingdom, as well as to look after the needs of ourselves, our families and our friends.

6. We are called to suffer. To become a Christian is to enlist in an army at spiritual war with the world. It is a life where the world will oppose us, misunderstand us, ridicule us and possibly mistreat us. Persecution is not something that should be unexpected, but rather anticipated. Being a Christian disciple is no easy life. It is not something to be entered into lightly or flippantly. There are serious consequences to naming Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is not for nothing that Christ exhorts his followers to "take up their cross daily" when they follow him.

7. We are called irrespective of Qualifications. The normal practice among rabbis was to only allow people they could vouch were spiritually clean or righteous. Christ turned this practice upside down. He proclaimed his mission was not for "the righteous" but for "sinners" and justified this by saying that it was not the healthy but the sick who need a doctor. Christ invites and welcomes everyone without exception to be one of his followers. All he asks is that they trust and follow him.

In the next part we will look at how disciples are brought into the family of God and called to live in community with each other (which are the subjects of chapters two and three of Watson's book).