15 Books on Discipleship

Over the years I've read several books on discipleship. I thought I would just jot down a few that have been the most helpful. They all deal with at least some aspect of discipleship.

And here's a quick disclaimer: I may not necessarily agree with everything in each book. In fact, I know I don't agree with everything in every book listed below (except #15!). But, there is still enough value in each book that I would recommend it to you.

Hope this list is helpful! Also, they are NOT listed in any particular order.

1. The Reformed Pastor by Ricard Baxter (a must read for every pastor!)

2. and 3. Radical Together and Follow Me by David Platt

4. and 5. Apparent Privilege and reThink by Steve Wright (particularly helpful for parenting and the truth that parents are the primary disciple makers of their children)

6. One to One Bible Reading by David Helm

7. Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan K. Dodson

8. Community by Brad House (I 100% do not agree with the way the person who wrote the foreword handled his church planting situation. And I am not aware that he has since been restored biblically. So, I hesitate adding this one. Also, I don't agree always with the language of 'contextualization.' With that being said, there is still some helpful truth in this work when it comes to small groups).

9. Discipling by Mark Dever

10. Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles

11. Growing up by Robby Gallaty

12. Instruments in the Redeemers Hands by Paul David Tripp

13. and 14 The Trellis and the Vine and The Vine Project by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne (although both were great and helpful, I think you could get the most out of just reading The Vine Project).

15. The Bible - No, I didn't put that just to be cute or because I felt like I had to! But, the Bible is our sufficient means of making disciples. It's not just what we use to make disciples but it also instructs us how! So, don't leave it out of your list of discipleship books!

Why do Christians follow some Old Testemant Laws but not all?

It's Sunday night. Needless to say I don't feel mentally capable of writing an entire blogpost! However, I thought it might be helpful if I posted a recent teaching outline on an important question. Here's the question:

How do you explain to a non-believer why Christians do follow some Old Testament laws but not all? 

Before I post the link let me say a couple things. First, this isn't a manuscript, just an extended outline. Also, if you feel the need to use this or even adapt it feel free to do so but please know you should definitely be studied up on your own as this is an important subject in our day! So, with that being said, here's my answer to the above question:



Click here for teaching outline 

4 Important Lessons from Charles Spurgeon's Conversion

On January 6, 1850, a 15-year-old young man wandered into the Primitive Methodist Chapel of Colchester. A snowstorm had prevented him from attending church with his father. Apparently, the snow was so severe that the pastor of this little Methodist chapel didn't even show up that day! That young man huslted inside still carrying his burden of sin that he did not realize was soon to be lifted. "At last, a very thin-looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach." This man preached the text of Isaiah 45:22 and exhorted this teenager, one Charles Haddon Spurgeon, to look to Christ and be saved. This 'sermon' lasted all of about 10 minutes, but see how Spurgeon recounts the impact of what this man said to him that morning:

lifting up his hands, [the man] shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, "Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin' to do but to look and live." I saw at once the way of salvation. I know not what else he said,—I did not take much notice of it,—I was so possessed with that one thought. Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up, the people only looked and were healed, so it was with me. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, "Look!" what a charming word it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to Him. Oh, that somebody had told me this before, "Trust Christ, and you shall be saved." Yet it was, no doubt, all wisely ordered, and now I can say,—

 "Ever since by faith I saw the streamThy flowing wounds supply,Redeeming love has been my theme,And shall be till I die." (source)

It's probable you've heard this conversion story before as it has been written about many times and was spoken of in Spurgeon's own sermons and works quite frequently. But as I consider this wonderful story once again, I think of 4 important lessons we can take away from it to apply to our own lives and ministries today:

1. The Persistence of Godly Impressions
   
   While it is true that Spurgeon attributes his conversion to a single moment in time, January 6, 1850, it is also true that he gives credit to godly impressions that happened long before then to bring him to that point of repentance and faith on that cold snowy morning. Particularly, he gives credit to his mother's impact on his early years. She would pray for him, instruct him in the Scriptures, and implore he and his siblings to rest their souls upon Jesus.
   
   What an encouragement this is to parents and others who are faithfully and persistently sharing the gospel with others! Persistence pays off. No, we may not always witness the fruit of our labors but we can believe that it is important to impress upon those around us the truth of the gospel and implore them to seek the mercy of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Perhaps you've done this 9,999 times. But who knows whether or not the 10,000th time will be the time the sinner turns to Jesus?
   
   Truly we believe in the necessity of God's gracious calling upon a sinner's life but we also know God works through means. And years of being called to repentance and faith by his own mother prepared Spurgeon for that day when the gospel light finally broke through. Keep pressing on! Be persistent in godly impressions upon those around you. It matters.
   
2. The Providence of Great Inconvenience 
   
   I believe in the meticulous providence of God. That not a single snowflake falls but under His sovereign will and guidance. A snowstorm! How inconvenient! What work had to be stopped that day! How many souls were prevented from attending their desired place of worship that Sunday! And yet, through this great inconvenience, the greatest baptist preacher in the history of Christianity, was brought to faith in Christ.
   
   The point? Let us be ever ready to see God's hand in the everyday things in our lives. From the snowstorms to the flat tires. Have you considered whether or not you might not be placed in a certain situation for 'such a time as this (Esther 4:14)'? This poor 'shoemaker' (as Spurgeon called him) didn't wake up on that Sunday prepared to give a sermon, and yet he rose to the occasion and exhorted his hearers to look to Christ and be saved. Wow. You don't know what today holds, what the weekend holds, what next month holds. But will you be ready to rise to the occasion as God gives opportunity and in particular be ready to point sinners to Jesus?
   
   God knows no inconveniences, only plans. What might you do with the extra time you have to spend at the mechanic? Or the late day at work? Or the long line at Walmart because they only have 2 checkers working today? Let us see God's hand in these things trustusth His providence.
   
3. The Power of God-breathed Instruction
   
   Imagine it's not 1850, but January 6, 2016. Spurgeon is snowed out of his normal place of worship and wanders into an American church (I know, long journey across the Atlantic!). What does he hear? 5 steps to be a better you? A few jokes, a couple of pointed illustrations, and then some good advice? Perhaps the atmosphere is "better" structured with music and comfortable seating. Perhaps the speaking is "better" - eloquent, and more polished.
   
   But the truth is, the power of God doesn't rest in any of these things. God's power rests in His own God-breathed instruction - in His Word. The Bible. Genesis to Revelation. This primitive methodist wasn't sure what to do that morning, so he did all he knew: open the bible and spoke directly from its life-giving streams. There was no sermon preparation. No catchy title. No alliterated points. It was just the exhortation of God's own holy word.
   
   I obviously think study is important, and I'm a fan of alliteration sometimes (as you can tell!), but let us be reminded that these things aren't where God's power is found in calling sinners to repentance. Seminary has its place. But any Believer can call a person to repentance by simply using God's own God-breathed instruction. It's the Bible, folks. Read it. Know it. Use it more in everyday conversations. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Creative gospel presentations have their place. But so does simply quoting what the bible says. Opening it up at work or over lunch or coffee and showing the truth of the gospel. What training do you need to open the bible and read it? You can do this with your children. You can do this with your coworkers. You can do this with anyone who will listen! Yes, you! You can do it because the power doesn't rest in you, but in God's Word.
   
   Apologetics has its place, and I get excited too about archeological discoveries that back up the Bible. But at the end of the day, scientific facts don't change sinners' hearts. It is the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. So, stay faithful. Stay in the Book. Keep trusting that God will use it.
   
4. The Priority of Gospel Invitation
   
   If we haven't invited sinners to close with Christ, we haven't preached the gospel. We have a wonderful example in this conversion narrative of a true gospel invitation. This primitive methodist exhorted his hearers to look to Christ and be saved!
   
   He did not play 15 verses of Just As I Am. He did not have anyone close their eyes and raise their hands. He did not have anyone sign a card or even come up front. He simply invited, pleaded, and commanded his listeners to look to Christ and be saved!
   
   There are actually ministers today that believe if you don't have an 'altar call' you haven't really extended an invitation. Spurgeon would disagree. The gospel invitation isn't inviting someone to an altar but inviting them to close with Christ. The danger of an 'altar call' is organizing your whole service to build up to this 'main event.' I've actually read and heard of well-known pastors making this point. But when this happens, emotional manipulation often becomes rampant. None of us have control over who makes decisions. But we do have control over faithfully sharing Scripture and issuing heartfelt exhortations from it.
   
   What if instead of making services about the altar, the priority of the gospel invitation was attached to the exhortation from Scripture? If instead of building up to a crescendo of an 'altar call', we invited people right then to close with Christ in faith? My main point here is to not rely on the right mood or music to call sinners to repentance. Do so in your gospel exhortations! Tell them, plead with them, command them to repent and believe the gospel. To look to Christ and be saved! You can exhort that person God has put on your heart right now. You can ask them to trust Jesus today. You can text them or call them or stop by and see them. They don't need an altar. They need Jesus.
   
   

As the world continued to turn on that cold snowy January day, God was ordering each moment to graciously save Charles Haddon Spurgeon. A wretched sinner who deserved only hell and wrath, was brought to Christ as God issued His effectual call through the proclamation of His own word. Spurgeon would sadly pass away only 42 years later at the young age of 57. But any person the least bit knowledgeable of his life would say that his short life was a life well lived. He was a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season. And with a man like Spurgeon, that season isn't over yet. His life is still bearing fruit. There are still many great things we can learn from him today, including these 4 important lessons from his conversion.

To God be the glory.

The King's Golden Scepter

Esther's only hope for her life and favor with the King of Persia was if he extended to her the golden scepter which signaled her acceptance into his presence. If you know the story then you know Esther won favor in the king's sight and he did extend the scepter (Esther 5:2). 

I submit to you that a thrice Holy God is unapproachable by unworthy sinners such as ourselves. Our just due is to be in the agony of hell for all eternity for our rebellion against Him. 

And yet, the King has extended the golden scepter. God has made terms of peace for all who will lay hold of this scepter. This scepter is not a mere golden staff, but the Shepherd! It is Christ. God has extended mercy in Christ for all those who will trust His finished work on Calvary by faith. Jesus is our only suitable and all sufficient savior. By laying hold of His person and work by faith, we can be assured we have favor with God and may freely and joyfully enter His presence. Though we are sinners, Christ has taken our burden on Himself and paid our sin debt on the cross. His resurrection secured our redemption and guarantees He will receive the full reward for His suffering. Those who believe on Him will rise again with Him!

Will you lay hold of the King's golden scepter? Will you trust this gospel? Will you repent of your sin and cling to Jesus by faith?

Believer, will you rejoice in the presence of God this day? The golden scepter has been extended! By grace alone you have favor with God! Live as a child of King Jesus today...

Please Stop Supporting Affinity Churches: A Call to Behold the Glory of Biblically Healthy Churches

That's possibly my longest blog post title ever. 

It's late (early?). Maybe not the best time to publish a blog post but I have something to write about tonight and I hope you'll hear me out. 

At first you're going to think this is just another blog about 'affinity churches'. Well, it is that but it also much more. It is a plea for healthy churches across the board. I ask you to prayerfully consider what's below...

I saw another promo video over the weekend for an affinity based church in Arkansas. By 'affinity based' I mean a church plant that is strategically focused on reaching a certain affinity, connection point, group hobby, etc. 

At first I wanted to included the video in this blog but I think prudence wonout here. Here are 3 reasons I chose not to show the video.

1. I truly appreciate the person's desire in the video to see gospel change in the lives of people in Arkansas, even though from my perspective his methods are both wrong and harmful. 

2. I have no personal vendetta against this brother or some mere isolated issue with this particular affinity plant.

3. My greater concern is the movement at large and its support from our denomination as a whole and of course a special focus on Arkansas. 

I think showing the promo video might detract from the things I listed above. 

Now, with all that being said, let me discuss a few things in hopes of primarily reaching people on the fence about this issue. If I happen to also persuade a few people in the process who are already pro affinity based, then all the better. Actually, I do hope to persuade some of you involved in affinity churches. To God alone be the glory. 

I believe very strongly that it is past time we as Arkansas Baptists throw every bring we have into building healthy churches. Not just in promotional schemes but really hands to the plow serious. This earnestness will manifest itself in biblical planting of new churches, maintaining existing healthy churches, and revitalizing currently unhealthy churches. 

Here's one example. Let's see a statewide absolute no compromise movement toward healthy membership practices. I know from personal experience that it's hard for one church alone to say that only people regularly present and involved should be church members. That there shouldn't be 'inactive' rolls and that people should be met with, pleaded with, and exhorted to return to the fold. And if they won't, after much prayer and patience, they should be removed. This is a difficult task for any church on Her own. But when an entire denomination takes a stand on the issue, watch out! We can do more together than we can apart. 

Now, I know  people will say "ah, can't do something like that because: CHURCH AUTONOMY!" I whole heartily support and believe in the biblical prescription of local church autonomy. However, this (rightly) does not stop us from state wide calls for increasing evagnelism. It (rightly) doesn't stop us from state wide calls to pray for revival. It does not stop state wide calls to increase cooperative program giving. And, it rightly, shouldn't stop us from state wide calls for biblically healthy churches, which includes healthy membership practices. 

So, what is a biblically healthy church? Here are a few necessities:

1. Led by qualified pastor(s): 1 Tim. 3, Titus 1:5ff, Acts 20:28, etc

2. Ordinances (Lord's Supper and Baptism) rightly practiced: 1 Cor. 11, Matt. 28:19-20, etc

3. Biblical church discipline is practiced: 1 Cor. 5, Mt. 18:15ff, Rev. 2:20, 2 Thess 3:14, etc

4. Membership is meaningful: Eph. 4:11ff, 1 Cor. 12, Titus 2:1-10, etc

5. Regularly gathering on the Lord's Day: 1 Cor. 16:2, Acts 20:7, Rev. 1:10, etc

6. Making disciples: Mt. 28:19-20

7. Pursuing holiness and Christlikeness: 1 Peter 1:16, Colossians 3, etc

8. Committd to sound doctrine: Titus 2:1, etc

9. The gospel is understood, applied, and shared: Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 1-3, etc

10. Christ is the 'glue.' Not tradition. Not innovation. Not cowboy culture. Not hunting. Not race car driving. Not football. Not ethnicity. Not any culture, sub-culture, etc: Phil 3:8, Galatians 3:28, Col. 1:18, Rev. 5:1-10

11. Prayer is prized: Colossians 4:2, etc

12. Preaching and teaching is faithful: 2 Tim. 4:2, etc. 

I'm sure there is more to add and even more in which to go into greater detail. But it's late and that's what I've got at this juncture. 

We aren't looking for 'perfect' churches. But we are looking for churches striving for that! We should not accept unrepentantly or willfully neglecting the above in our own or sister churches. Not that we should go on any sort of witch hunt or purging endeavor. But that we should unashamedly hold forth the biblical standard as we know that it will bring the most good to us and our neighbors and the maximum glory to God. 

And if we don't think there is a biblical standard for healthy churches what does that say about our commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture? Like Jesus, who loves the church and died for her (Eph. 5:23ff), isn't going to tell us how she may be healthy? 

Behold the glory of a biblically healthy church! All of us should strive toward this. 

This brings affinity churches back to the focus. When we support planting and funding affinity based churches, we are setting a standard of health below biblical parameters. 

Why? Well, I've written a lot on this before but let me summarize a few things. 

1. The affinity model inherently sets something other than Christ as the draw. ("Come here because you will fit in because we have __________" is the general call across the board.)

2. The affinity model circumvents the beauty of gospel unity across cultural lines. 

3. The affinity model trades one problem for the same problem. (You don't like your 'old tradition' come start a new one).

(These are just a few highlights of the issues, I thought the question of affinity based churches was answered well in a one minute clip from our Q&A. Listen here from about 9:49-11:00 http://www.perryvillesbc.org/current-events/sermons/?sermon_id=108)

So, every dollar given to such an endeavor as the affinity model (or 'attractional model' - think: smoke, lasers, and guitar solos) is a dollar devoted to a church design that is less than what God would have for us. 

Am I saying the answer is 'tradional' churches? No. The answer is gospel centered, Christ saturated, God glorifying churches. And as odd as it may initially sound, our churches must care less about having a 'welcoming' environment and more about a Christ honoring environment. Frankly, a Christ honoring environment isn't going to be welcoming to everyone (if you've been paying attention to the moral decay of our society you will definitely agree). 

What I mean is this: may our main weekly gathering be structured in such a way that Christ is the center, draw, affinity, and focal point. May we stop holding out offers of 'relevancy', 'casual atmosphere', 'not your grandma's church', 'music', 'suits', 'pews', 'chairs', 'deer heads', and 'cowboy hats', as the primary draw. May we instead joyfully, convictionally, and uncompromisingly hold forth Jesus, the Lamb who was slain and is risen and ascended as King forever. 

We must - we have to - there is no question about our digging in on the fact that we need to - get more serious about biblically healthy churches as a denomination. The lostness is too great and the time is too short to accept anything less. 

Because I have had so many discussions about this with people in the past, I think the tendency will be to read this and either dismiss it as one young quack who doesn't know what he's talking about or to even get angry at me about it. But I think if you go back and prayerfully consider what I have written you will see that my desire is not to tear anyone down. My heartfelt desire is to see us come together as a denomination on this issue and to have a truly tangible emphasis toward healthy churches for the remainder 2016 and beyond, until our King returns.  

Please stop supporting affinity based church planting. Please stop supporting attractional models of churches. Please start supporting, emphasizing, and praying for biblically healthy churches across our state. 

This Lord's day is a great day to start. May the grace of God be with us in this holy endeavor.  

3 Truths on Regeneration from Titus 3

Our church recently finished a short series through the book of Titus (sermons here). In our concluding message we talked about good works and the reason we do them. One of the reasons we do them is because we have been transformed by the power of God! Paul explains how that happens in Titus 3:5:

[God our Savior] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

This passage is an important text for the doctrine of regeneration. We see the word there in our text: ‘washing of regeneration’.This word ‘regeneration’ literally means ‘to be born again.’ (Remember Jesus’s teaching to Nicodemus in John 3?).

So, what I want to do today is look at 3 Truths about Regeneration from this text:

I.   It is the Main Event

I don’t want to downplay other aspects of salvation at all! But, what I mean here is that without regeneration, without being born again, nothing else matters for the individual. In other words, you can try and be a good person. You can try and come to church. You can try and give more money in the offering plate. You can try to be baptized 153 times.

But at the end of the day, the question for you is this: Are you born again? Because if not, then in your heart you don’t really love God or the things of God. You are still in a state of disobedience and sin. You’re still in the state of Titus 3:3

foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures…

Actually, this explains a lot about the state of Christianity in the Bible Belt. This is why so many professing Christians don’t go to church, they don’t read their bibles, they don’t live separate from the world. Why? Because they haven’t really been born again! There is no desire to do the things of God because they still have a heart of stone.

II.   It is Monergistic

Now that’s a fun word isn’t it? But here’s what it means. It means that regeneration is not a work of you and God, but a work of God in you! (See also for example, 1 Peter 1:3).

In the original language the text of Titus 3:5 is emphatic that it is not our works that bring about regeneration. It’s not because we are ‘baptized’ or even because we have a thought originate within ourselves ‘Hey, I think I’ll be born again today!’ By the way, this is why Paul uses the words ‘washing’ and ‘poured out’. Not because Baptism is what regenerates us but because it is a beautiful picture of how God sends the Holy Spirit to us. God promised in Ezekiel 36:25-27 that He would cleanse us spiritually, and this text shows us that He does so through His Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us richly, not through baptism, but through Jesus Christ our Savior! (Titus 3:6)

Regeneration is possible because of the finished work of Christ. The way a person is born again is only through the heralding of the gospel – the good news of Jesus’ life, death, & resurrection for our sins! A person doesn’t walk down the sidewalk and say “I think I’ll be born again today.” No, the gospel is proclaimed either during a preaching time, or over coffee, or as you’re text messaging back and forth. And it is only through the gospel that God ‘turns on the lights’ so a person sees their wretchedness and their need for Christ and so they can close with Him in faith and repentance by grace alone (see Titus 3:7).

So, regeneration is God’s Work. However, this doesn’t mean it’s separated from a response of faith and repentance on our part. We are never told to discern the Spirit’s working. What are we told to do? Repent and believe the gospel! So, the Holy Spirit’s work is the new birth, but it is still the command of God to every person on the planet to repent and believe the gospel. What I mean is don’t say ‘I can’t be born again because the Spirit’s not working in me.’ You are not told to discern that!

I want to pause here and just issue a call to come to Christ. If you are reading this and saying ‘I want to be born again, I don’t understand how that works, what do I need to do, can God save me?’

WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IS NOT CONDEMNED!

I just want to issue a simple call: Come to Christ. See His finished work. See the goodness and loving kindness of God displayed in Christ’s bearing our sin. See His offer of mercy even now. Repent of your sin and believe the gospel. Will you have Him today?

III.   It is a Massive Overhaul

Regeneration changes us. It takes us from being foolish, disobedient, et al,  to being ready for every good work. It changes our desires, it changes our hopes, it changes our priorities.

You’re still feeling the effects of your first birth, aren’t you? If you’re reading this you are! So too with your second birth. If you've been born again, you haven't quite gotten over it!

The beauty of the gospel is not merely that God forgives sinners, which is wonderful news! But it is also that He actually changes us to want to serve Him joyfully and to be a people for Christ’s own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).

There is a lot of talk today about people being 'born this way' or 'born that way' as an excuse for living in rebellion against God. The truth of the matter is that we are all born sinners and we are all in need of a new birth. And when we are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are changed. It is a massive overhaul of all we once were and trapped in our old little kingdoms, to being transferred to the Kingdom of Light. This is not to imply that we are perfect, but by the grace of God, we are no longer who we once were (Titus 3:3). 

In Titus 3:8, Paul exhorts Titus to insist on these things. A healthy understanding of regeneration is vital to a church being ready for every good work. Why?

1)     It helps us appreciate God’s unfathomable grace - We who were disobedient and slaves to various passions. We who were deserving of hell and wrath, God has made us alive with Christ!

2)     It reminds us where good works come from – GOD! (Phil. 2:12-13)

3)     It compels us to show grace to others - Sometimes we who’ve received such grace are the first to fail to show it to others. Do not be that way!

4)     It encourages us about the power of God – If God brought us from death to life, can He not also equip us to carry out good works for His glory?

Some people say it doesn’t really matter how God saves, just that He saves. Well, praise the Lord that He does save! Hallelujah! What a Savior! But, let us also remember that the Bible does show us how God saves and furthermore Scriptures shows us that it is important for us to believe rightly about salvation. Regeneration is not the full encompassment of the word ‘salvation’ used in the Bible, but it is an important and vital aspect of salvation, and one the church would do well to understand rightly to the praise of His glorious grace!

Have you been born again? If not, will you look to Christ today as your only suitable and all sufficient savior? Will you rest in His finished work on the cross when He bore the wrath of God for sin for all those who would trust Him by faith? 

Two Non-Negotiable Requirements for being a Disciple of Jesus

Luke 5 records Jesus' calling of the very first disciples. The response of Peter, James, and John and then Levi is almost identical. We have that recorded in 5:11 and 5:28

"...they left everything and followed Him."

"And leaving everything, he rose and followed Him."

Did you catch that? Here are the two things these disciples did:

1. Left everything 

2. Followed Jesus

I understand that there are things the first disciples could literally do that we cannot. They literally hung out with the God-Man in the flesh. They walked in his very footsteps. They ate with Him. They touched Him. They spoke with Him face to face. 

That being said, the requirement of disciples today is no less of a calling. If we are to be disciples of Jesus we must leave everything and follow Him. 

Leave everything

By this, I don't mean to imply that every disciple must leave his job and become a full time evangelist or move overseas to be a foreign missionary. Let's be clear: some do need to do that. However, my point here is that the only way to be a disciple of Jesus is to leave our old way of thinking. Our old way of doing things. Our old allegiances. Our old priorities. 

Too many claim to be disciples who only acknowledge Jesus as Lord of this or that area. Many don't even acknowledge Him as Lord of their Sundays! They consider themselves disciples simply because they think themselves morally superior to others, they vote conservative, and they pay their taxes for the most part. 

But they are still in love with the world system. Their real priorities in life aren't much different than the Kardashians, except maybe a few Christianese twists and a couple of bible verses sprinkled on top, and don't forget occasionally listening to more music, KLOVE...

But the call to leave everything is surely much more radical. It is a call to leave the world system. It is a call to view things with a Kingdom perspective. It is a call to see our Father's name hallowed, HisKingdom  come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is a call to leave one way of life and to take up another. And what is that other way of life? We see it in the second requirement:

Follow Him

Disciples of Jesus aren't called to just go live in a desert monstery and await His return. They are called to leave everything and follow Him. This is life. 

If you are not following Jesus, you're not His disciple. To follow Him doesn't mean wearing a bracelet that says WWJD. There are many things Jesus did that you and I cannot do nor are we called to do. We can't turn water into wine. We can't calm storms. We can't walk on water. We can't multiply bread and fish. And we can't bear the wrath of God for anyone's sins. 

But to follow Jesus is to learn Jesus. To follow Jesus is to love Jesus. To follow Jesus is to listen to Jesus. We learn who He is and His finished work through the Scriptures. We grow to love Him more by reading the Scriptures. We understand what it means to follow Him by understanding the Scriptures. 

So we see at a basic level for one to truly follow Jesus, he must, at the very least, be acquainted with the Sacred Writings. (Which makes it curious that we have many who claim to be disciples but never have time for reading the Bible, doesn't it?) 

Of course, these sacred pages of Holy Writ tell us much more don't they? They show us that following Jesus is following Him in community. We aren't the 'persons' of Christ but the people of Christ. We follow Him together. (The local church still matters!)

And of course to follow Jesus means to actually do what He has commanded us. In fact, we don't love Jesus unless we are doing the things He has told us to do (cf. John 14:15). This includes gathering with the Saints regularly, showing humility and kindness to all people, giving of our time, talents, and treasures to Kingdom work, making more disciples, and the list goes on and on and on. 

I do not mean to suggest that our following Jesus is a mechanical system of checking boxes. It is very much relational. However, many people claim to have a relationship with Jesus when who they have a relationship with is only themselves. Their jesus approves of everything they do because he isn't the jesus of the Bible, but a mere invention of their own wicked heart. We cannot separate a relationship with Jesus from His clear teachings in Scriptire. Which by the way, all the Bible is His teaching!

It is amazing in our day of easy believism how these two basic requirements are left out of what it means to be a disciple. People can be considered a disciple of Jesus today who have not left anything and are still following the course of this world. This is impossible. 

If one is not leaving everything and not following Jesus, they are not His disciple. 

We also in Luke 5 Jesus forgives a man of his sins (5:20) and tells us He has come to call "sinners to repentance" (5:32). So, we must understand that to be a disciple is a result of God's gracious calling. He calls us to repentance and then actually forgives us of all sins! Therefore, do not think that I mean we can work our way into being a disciple! But, we must be adamant that the same call of God that has always been issued to man is the same one issued today: 

leave everything and follow Him. 

These are non-negotiables. There is no discipleship without them.