More than anything else the church needs disciples of Jesus Christ. The church doesn’t need more decisions but more disciples. The critical need is not a greater membership but a greater discipleship. Not more aisle walking but a greater cross bearing. Not more self-esteem but more self-denial. Not more following a plan or a procedure but the following of a Person — the Lord Jesus Christ.

The only kind of person who will ever change this world for the kingdom of God is a disciple of Jesus. Jesus chose 12 men to turn the world upside down. He made them disciples. He commissioned them to go into all the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:18). The early church didn’t count bodies they counted disciples. If your life is to count for God you must be a disciple of Jesus.

What is a disciple? Can you be a Christian without being a disciple? Is discipleship a higher level of the Christian life or is discipleship the only level of the Christian life? Matthew 10:24-26 gives three marks of a disciple of Jesus. There is a fatal defect in the life of the church today and that is a lack of true discipleship. Discipleship means forsaking everything to follow Christ. If you are saved you are a disciple of Jesus. The early church always described believers as disciples. Acts 6:1 reads, “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number …” In Acts 9:1 Saul of Tarsus traveled to Damascus to persecute the church. Notice the term used to describe the believers in Antioch. “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord …” (Acts 9:1). Over and over again in the Gospels and Acts the early church members were described as disciples.

The first mark of a disciple is submission. Jesus said in Matthew 10:24, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” If you are a disciple you have surrendered and submitted your life to Jesus. A disciple is not above his teacher. He is under his teacher. A slave is not above his master. A slave is under his master.

In verse 24 Jesus used two terms to express our relationship to himself. It is a disciple/teacher relationship. It is a master/slave relationship. “A disciple is not above his teacher …” This speaks of the submission of the mind. “A slave is not above his master …” This speaks of the submission of the will. The word disciple means “student, learner, pupil, follower.” A disciple is one who follows a teacher/master and spends his entire life learning and studying and sitting at his feet.

We do not believe anything except the things Jesus taught us. We are under the authority of the Lord Jesus. Matthew Henry said, “As long as we live we are to be scholars in Christ’s school. We must sit at his feet.”

The second mark of a disciple is imitation. Jesus continued, “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like his master” (verse 25). The phrase, “It is enough for a disciple …” means that this is the supreme goal.

This is the chief pursuit of every follower of Christ. You must become more like him every day. Spiritual maturity is simply a growth in Christlikeness. Robert Murray McCheyne, the great preacher from Scotland, said, “It is not great talent whom God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.” You may be an ordinary person with ordinary gifts but if there is great likeness to Christ God will use you in an extraordinary way.

The third mark of a disciple is persecution. This is the logical result of being like Jesus. You will be treated like Jesus. If you want to be popular, you need a different teacher. If you want everyone to like you, you need a different teacher! Verse 25 reads, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household?” Beelzebub means “lord of the flies, lord of refuse, lord of dung.” It was associated with the flies that gathered on human dung. It became a term for Satan. The way people treat Jesus is the way they will treat his disciples.

In the next verse Jesus said, “Do not fear them.” How do you keep from fearing people? The solution is to fear God. When John Knox died they said, “Here lies a man who feared no man.” Jesus continued, “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (verse 26). In the final judgment, all will be made right. All of Christ’s followers will be exonerated on the last day.

Jesus died for you on the cross. Your sins were placed upon him. He died in your place. None of us have a right to our own lives. We belong to Jesus. Won’t you turn to him and become his disciple today?

Ethan Hansen (ethanchansen@gci.net) is pastor of Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.