A disciple is a pupil or a follower. We of course are most familiar in the Bible with the 12 disciples of Jesus, many of whom later became apostles. But there were many other disciples or followers of Jesus as well who did not have the depth of intimacy with Jesus and did the 12.
As believers, we are disciples of Jesus Christ. We are followers of Christ. The idea of discipleship involves the process of following after Christ. As a follower of Christ we have an in depth, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.
We saw that the key to discipleship is understanding and applying the principles that we have looked at the last few weeks concerning Self and The Cross. We have to understand and apply the principles that we have died with Christ and He is now our Master.
In the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus dealing with this subject of discipleship. In Luke 9:23 Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Then in Luke 14:26-27 Jesus again says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot by my disciple."
Dr. Stanford stresses the importance of understanding that for us to follow Christ, everything else must take a lower priority including ourself. When Jesus speaks of hating father, mother, borther, and sister...He is not speaking of a physical hate for those family members. The Word of God stresses over and over the need for love. What Jesus is stressing is that everything else must take a lower priority. For the believer, God is to be the first priority in our lives. Many times although we may say that He is, our actions often say different.
Dr. Stanford says, "self cannot and will not follow Him, but taking one's Cross results in death to self, and newness of life in Christ Jesus." He goes on to tell us what the Cross is not. "taking up our Cross does not mean the stoical bearing of some heavy burden, hardship, illness, distasteful situation or relationship. Enduring anything of this nature is not bearing one's Cross. Taking up the Cross may or may not involve such things, but things do not constitute our Cross."
As a believer, we must understand that this is a process that takes time. It involves the believer seeing his/her need and seeing self for what it is. "We will be ready to take up our Cross when self becomes intolerable to us, when we begin to hate our life". We take up our Cross by relying on Him and applying our position in Christ - death to self. We rest in the freedom we have in Christ.
As we are focused on Christ, resting in our position in Him, we will be following after Him rather than self. We will be practicing discipleship. Death brings forth life.
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