Disciple of God

How do I become a Disciple of God?

The question “How do I become a disciple of God?”, is an interesting one and is answered in the following text. You do need to understand that a disciple is someone who follows and learns from a teacher.

In order to become a disciple of God, we must first understand who He is and what He desires for us. This can be accomplished through prayer, study, and reflection.

Additionally, it is important to surround ourselves with people who can help us grow in our faith journey.

When we take all of these steps, we are better equipped to become the disciples that God has called us to be!

Learning

A disciple is an individual who disciplines themself in the teachings and practices of another. In straightforward terms, they are a follower or a learner.

It is the general description of who a disciple is, but in the Christian setup, a disciple has been baptized and is willing to take up the ways of Christ and follow him.

A disciple strives to become more like Christ by keeping the commandments of God more like an apprentice seeks to become more like their master.

Many may define a disciple as simply a follower, but genuine discipleship is a state of being. True disciples of Christ live in such a way that the characteristics of Christ are a part of their being.

Invitation to Discipleship

According Apostle Peter’s invitation to discipleship, this is what he says “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and virtue knowledge, and knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience and patience Godliness and Godliness, brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness, charity.”

From this invitation, it is clear that you have to weave the spiritual tapestry for one to become a disciple of Christ.

In the Gospel, some claimed to be righteous and obedient and regarded themselves as disciples, but they did selective obedience or discipleship.

For instance, they claimed to keep the Sabbath day holy by refraining from work, yet they criticized Christ for healing on the Hold day.

Yes, they helped the poor but only with their excesses; they fasted but with the wrong faces.

They prayed but only to be seen and not from their sincere hearts. The Gospel goes ahead to quote that “they draw near to me with their lips and not with their hearts.”

Matthew 4:18-22

In Matthew 4:18-22, when Christ called his disciples, he said to them,

“follow me.”
Jesus

These humble fishermen followed Christ leaving their careers, possession, and even families.

Gospel of Luke 5:1-11

In the Gospel of Luke 5:1-11, the disciples are said to forsake all and begin the journey with Christ. It means that they had to let go of their former lives to make a choice and a commitment to follow Christ. They then agreed to become students and learners according to the rabbinical discipleship school.

So then, how do we become disciples of God?

The following are some ways of becoming a true disciple of Christ.

1)GO – According to Matthew 28:19; Matthew 28:20,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19; Matthew 28:20

To become true disciples of Christ, we have to go, come out of our comfort zones, and be an example to others of true discipleship. Christ has commanded us to go, so we have no choice other than to be active in true discipleship.

2) TEACH –Christ has said to us,

“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Jesus

As Christians, we have to teach by actions by preaching the word of God to others. We need to lead by example as others follow.

Paul wrote a letter to Timothy and Titus instructing them to teach others to help them grow in the walks of Christ. We as Christians should lead by example and that is one way of teaching sinners to go back to Godly ways. They will imitate what Christians do and it is, therefore, necessary that we will live in the right ways for the sinners to emulate us. Teaching is done in many ways by attending masses or congregations and sharing the word of God, as well as teaching our young ones to grow and follow Christ and practicing to live in the ways of Christ that others may take from us.

3) LOVE GOD – Deuteronomy 6:5 states that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with your entire mind, and with all your might. In the New Testament, when Jesus was asked what the greatest of all commandments are, he states love. Love Christ and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

To be a disciple, you must love God, and by loving him, we must follow his ways and his commandments and spread the love to our neighbors as Christ has instructed us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We love others as Christ has loved us to die on the cross.

4) STAND OUT – We as Christians should stand out from the rest and practice the ways of Christ. In Matthew 5:16,

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven .”
Matthew 5:16

Our actions and how we set ourselves apart from the rest will be a testimony to our faith.

5) DENYING OURSELVES –As Christians, we take up the task to take up the bigger purpose and help share the Gospel with others.

Christ has instructed us to take up the cross in the New Testament.

It means we are signing up to deny ourselves so much worldly pleasure and happiness to follow the ways of Christ.

In Luke 9:23,

“And he said to them all if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me .”
Luke 9:23

6) BEING FIRM IN THE WORD OF GOD –God’s word is our daily living manual. It guides us as Christians on what ways to follow, and when we are deep-rooted in His word, we can share the scriptures with others and encourage others to learn Christ and live according to His word. God uses His word as communication to us.

The word of God has all our questions regarding the ways of Christ, and thus we should stay firm Jesus states in John 8:31; John 8:32,

“If you abide in my words, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
John 8:31; John 8:32

7) FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS – Walking with others in faith helps cultivate our Faith in Christ. In Acts, it is evident that the early Christians often met to gather to preach, break bread, and fellowship. The same happens today as we gather in churches and even small groups such as prayer meetings, Bible study, and other gatherings to help each other grow in faith.

8) BE IMITATORS OF CHRIST – In 1 Corinthians 11:1,

“Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1

Our goal as Christians is to be more like Christ, follow in his ways of love, forgiveness following his commandments, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit that we are taught in the scriptures. We strive to lead Holy lives as Christ does.

9) STEADFAST – In the journey of Christian hood, we will face many challenges. How we deal with these challenges defines us as faithful Disciples of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 15:58,

“Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.’
1 Corinthians 15:58

Through the toughest of Days, God will walk us through, and he encourages us to be steadfast, and it has a reward.

Three Aspects of Discipleship

Living in Faith

Faith is in believing what we have not seen or heard. It relies entirely on something that we as Christians are compelled to embrace goodness and seek to apply in our lives. As Christians, we live by faith and live on the promises of Christ still by faith.

Walking in the Spirit

According to Ephesians 4:24, the Holy Spirit regenerates us, and rebirths us into God’s Holy Family. We bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the Bible commands us to live by the spirit and walk by nature and assures us that we as Christians will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Walking in spirit means surrendering and embracing the Lord’s proper ways trusting his power over our lives.

Resting in Grace

It means resting in God’s love and promises at all times, knowing that he will hear our prayers and he will reward us for our good deeds. Paul declares that by the grace of God, I am what I am. Grace is what Christ gives us outside condemnation.

These three aspects conclude with the true discipleship of Christ. It shows us how to walk in faith, walk in the spirit, and rest on God’s grace as true Christians.

A parting shot,

‘We are all called to be Disciples of Christ in one way or another. We pray and believe in Christ as our Lord. We should walk in the ways of light being examples to others and helping others live as Christ has instructed us to’.

As Christians, we should follow the commandments of Christ, share the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and teach even our children as Christ says let the children come to me. May we help others to be as Christ has taught us?