Making Disciples for Jesus and Not for Self

Making Disciples for Jesus and Not for Self

 

Luke 9: 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

 

 Luke 14: 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

 

Note from Spirit Filled Life Bible: A disciple must subordinate all earthly relationships to loyalty to Christ. Hate does not mean to bear ill will, but to choose Christ over all others. (I once heard a Methodist minister teach error because he believed hate meant hate in this verse).

 

 Luke 14: 27 “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

 

Luke 14: 33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

 

Christians can learn from and be encouraged by motivational speakers who use the Bible and make them laugh and feel good (I am listening to one now on what is called Christian television), but they will never be prepared to take up their cross and follow Jesus. The motivational speakers will make you temporarily feel good and make him or her rich and famous while drawing you to them, but they will never make disciples in the sense of what the Lord Jesus is calling for.

 

The church needs true and mature apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11) who preach Jesus and Him crucified because they have personally denied self and taken up their cross to follow Jesus. One key way to judge ministers and see if they have denied self and taken up their cross is by how much they emphasize Jesus and Him crucified. If a minister has taken up his or her cross to follow Jesus, they can’t help but have the truth of Jesus and Him crucified at the heart and core of their minister. The motivational speakers may touch on it once in long while, but then they will get back to what makes you feel good and follow and give to them, but only those who are personally bearing their cross can really fulfill Matthew 28:18-20.

 

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the Age.” Amen.