Three Faces Of A Disciple

THREE FACES OF A DISCIPLE

MARK 12:28-31

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

I.                   LOVE GOD

A.   SPIRIT: OUR GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS

B.   MIND: OUR INTELLECT, WILL AND EMOTION

C.   BODY: OUR STRENGTH AND THE FACULTY OF OUR FIVE SENSES

II.                LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

A.   GO TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE IN NEED, AS THE GOOD SAMARITAN WENT TO WHERE THE INJURED MAN WAS AND HELPED HIM (LUKE 10:25-37)

B.     ACCEPT PEOPLE AS THEY ARE WITHOUT PASSING JUDMENT ON THEM, JUST AS GOD HAS ACCEPTED US WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (ROMANS 15:7 “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.”)

C.   MOVE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND MEET PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT FROM YOU SO THAT YOU CAN LEARN TO APPRECIATE THE DIVERSITY OF GOD’S CREATION IN US

1.     MOVE OUT OF THE CHURCH AND INTO THE WORLD AND BECOME A FRIEND OF SINNERS AS JESUS WAS

2.     JESUS WENT TO THE HOME OF ZACCHAEUS FIRST, THEN HE MINISTERED SALVATION TO HIM (LUKE 19:1-10)

III.             LOVE YOURSELF

A.   WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LOVE OTHERS IF WE DO NOT LOVE OURSELVES (VERSE 31)

1.     Jesus is not calling for self-centeredness or self preoccupation

2.     Nor is he advocating the modern-day gospel of self esteem, which asserts that the answer to all human suffering consists of a good dose of self-esteem.

B.   PERHAPS WHAT JESUS CALLS FOR IS AN ACCURATE SENSE OF SELF-AWARENESS. AND, AFTER ALL, WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH OURSELVES?

1.     DENY YOURSELF (LUKE 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”)

2.     DEDICATE YOUSELF (ROMANS 12:1, 2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”)

3.     DISCIPLINE YOURSELF (I CORINTHIANS 9:24-27 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”)

4.     DEVELOP YOURSELF (II TIMOTHY 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”)

5.     DIE TO YOURSELF (GALATIANS 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”)

Keep your faith in Christ simple. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). He gives us three powerful principles to be world-changers: Love the Lord your God, love your neighbor, and love yourself.