Call to Discipleship Overview
by Leland Earls
This may be one of the most important articles you will ever read. Most of the material is not new. Most Christians have been exposed to such teaching. However, I want to present what I believe to be a “fresh perspective,” which I hope will be helpful to you.
As we take a Scriptural look at this subject, the following outline will be followed:
1. The Perspective of Discipleship
2. The Position of Discipleship
3. The Purposes of Discipleship
4. The Priorities of Discipleship
7. The Posture of Discipleship
I hope that you will study this series on “Discipleship” a number of times. Too long the churches have lulled the people to sleep with the fake assumption that “salvation” is all that is required to guarantee one all the glories of Christ’s Kingdom, and all the fullness of the incredible joint-heirship with Christ in “His coming rulership of all the kingdoms of this world. Thank God that in His unfathomable love He has provided a simple way of deliverance from death and the provision of eternal life through Christ’s substitutional sacrifice on our behalf. But that is just the first step to the ultimate that God has for us. Otherwise WHY Jesus’ CALL to Discipleship?
All of us begin our Christian experience as “newborn babes” in Christ (I Pet. 2:2). But like any normal natural father, our Heavenly Father expects us to grow up. Only as we heed the call to be FULLY DISCIPLINED by Jesus, through His Word and Spirit, can we grow to become LIKE our Lord. “A pupil (disciple) is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Lk. 6:40, NAS version).
Although works are involved, discipleship is not a “system of works”, It is a commitment to cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus until we “know ” Him in such intimacy that His love captivates and motivates us to make Him our ALL in ALL; thus increasingly releasing His Spirit to work within.