Luke14:25] Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, [26] “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (a lesser love)[27] Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Self denial, a willingness to obey, serve one another andsuffer-perhaps even die-for his sake, hating one’s own life)[28] For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and (count the cost,) whether he has enough to complete it? [29] Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, [30] saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.' (Only those willingto carefully assess the cost and invest all they have in His Kingdom were worthy to enter.)
Mark 8:38 If whoever Is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. (those who reject the demands of discipleship prove themselves to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and the truth He taught thus not redeemed from sin at all)
Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate; (Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him. Salvation is by Grace, but it is not easy. It calls for knowledge of the truth, repentance, submission to Christ as LORD and a willingness to obey His will and word)
A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who is committed to Jesus Christ, His mission, and His church. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I willingly commit myself to the following.
1. I commit myself to the person of Jesus Christ…
By repenting and believing in the Gospel.
By answering the call of discipleship-to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Him.
By publicly professing Him as Savior and Lord through water baptism.
“ the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15)
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up His cross, and follow me “(Mark 8:34)
“ that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). For the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38)
2. I commit myself to the mission of Jesus Christ
By praying fervently.
By giving regularly.
By serving faithfully.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.
“You shall love the Lord your God with your heart, you shall love your neighbor as yourselfLMark 12:30-31)
“ The fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplish much” (James 5:16)
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My House, and I will. Open the windows of heaven, and pour out blessing until it overflows” (Malachi 3:10)
“ whoever wishes to be great among you shall be servant” (Mark 10:43)
3. I commit myself to the church of Jesus Christ
By attending regularly
By acting in love toward the other members.
By refusing to gossip.
By being a faithful steward of God’s gifts, time, and money.
By following the leaders as they follow the Lord.
“ Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together “ (Hebrews 10:24-25)
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God?) 1Peter 4:10)
“For there was not a needy person among them” (Acts4:34)
“Obey your leaders and submit to them: for they keep watch over souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you: (Hebrews13:17)
The belief that does not save is the belief that does not change the person who believes. Jesus said that if you believe in Him, you would be changed
The Saints
