One day as Jesus and His disciples were walking along the road, a man boasted to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go!” In the answer Jesus gave to Him, I find the following three requirements of discipleship:
1. Mobility. A big part of discipleship is following Jesus. Bill Hybels refers to a mature disciple as a “fully-devoted follower.” Disciples follow Jesus wherever He leads. Following Jesus is rarely easy and often comes with a price, but it is part of being a disciple.
“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:37-38
2. Availability. As disciples, we sometimes want to place conditions on what God is calling us to do, but that is not God’s way. He asks for total, unconditional surrender to His will.
“He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'” Luke 9:59-60
3. Reliability. We can always come up with an excuse for not obeying God, but God uses those who follow Him by faith. He uses those who are reliable and consistent.
“Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’ Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'” Luke 9:61-62
Great outline. Important disciple traits. Now you can go to bed!