Session Recap:
How have you been applying what you've learned and your action plan(s)?
- If you haven't, what has hindered you?
- How do we overcome it this week?
Ask:
What does it mean to be a disciple? Is there a difference between being a Christian and being a disciple?
Explain
Teaching Time:
A disciple can be defined as a follower or a student of a teacher or leader. The word disciple, like discipline, comes from the Latin word discipulus, meaning “pupil” or “learner.” Applied to Jesus, a disciple is someone who learns from Him to live like Him — someone who, because of God’s awakening grace, conforms his or her words and ways to the words and ways of Jesus. Or, you might say, as others have put it in the past, disciples of Jesus are themselves “little Christs” (Acts 11:26). To be a disciple is to be in a relationship. It is having an intimate, and instructive relationship with a teacher. Consequently, being a disciple of Jesus Christ is being in relationship with Jesus—it is seeking to be like Jesus. A disciple follows Jesus in all things. A disciple has counted the cost of following Jesus and has decided that nothing else in this world is as attractive as life with the Lord Jesus. As a church, we say a disciple has 3 identities: a worshipper of Jesus Christ, a servant of Jesus Christ and a missionary for Jesus Christ. We will dive a little deeper into this definition in depth in the coming weeks.
Application:
Read Luke 9:23-24
- What do these verses teach us about being a disciple?
Read John 13:34-35
- .How do we recognize disciples of Jesus?
Read Matthew 4:18-22
- What exactly did Jesus say when he first called his disciples? What does it mean to “follow” someone?
Read John 8:31-47
- How do true disciples respond to Jesus’ teaching?
Read Luke 14:25-35
- What do these verses teach us about a disciple?
Where do we get it wrong?!
- Myth 1: I can be a disciple and not actually follow Jesus.
- Myth 2: I can be a disciple and not leave my old lifestyle.
- Myth 3: I can be a disciple and not love others.
- Myth 4: I can be a disciple and not be devoted to God’s Word
- Myth 5: I can be a disciple and not embrace the mission.
- Evaluate who you have been up to this point. Have you been a disciple of Jesus as you were called to be?
- What are some things you going to start doing differently?
Useful Tools