Choosing To Be A Disciple

13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

Lesson Connection

Once, there was a giant Christian denomination that faced a lawsuit. It came from two missionaries.

One complained that on the mission field, he’d developed digestive issues and ulcers because of the food he had to eat in the country of his calling. The lawsuit claimed that the denomination must reimburse him for what he had lost.

Another missionary complained that her many years of service in the tropical regions caused the development of skin cancer on her body. She also followed legal counsel that encouraged her to demand reparations from her church body for job-related illness.

So leaders of the denomination met to prepare a legal defense against the allegations. One of them grieved that apparently those former workers who had once claimed to be willing to give their lives for the gospel now had decided that didn’t include their stomach or their skin.

I want to pose some questions to you for your pondering today:

To what extent should a child of God be willing to give themselves for Jesus?

How much does God expect of a Christian?

How much can one learn from the examples set by Jesus’ first disciples and what He required of them?

Because the Bible uses the word disciple and shows the importance of being a disciple, we should want to be a disciple, ourselves. But sadly, as with most things a person does not understand, there are a lot of people who just ASSUME they are disciples. Just like being a good parent means more than having a child with one’s own last name, so being a disciple is more than just another label a person gains.

A question that I intend to help you answer today: How do I know that I am a disciple or not?

Certain values and actions define a person as a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

And so what we will do today is get a look at the first disciples and how Jesus taught them to help us gain a healthy sense of our roles in service to Him, see the kinds of risk He required of them, and learn what our Lord expected of those pioneers of the Kingdom.

Jesus Taught People From Peter’s Boat

One of the first things that leads someone to becoming a disciple is what’s mentioned in Luke 5:1.

A crowd had grown around Jesus, eager for one thing: to hear from God. The Word of the Lord meant so much to these people that they pressed in to see and hear Jesus.

I want you to notice: they had pushed aside other things from their day and were even pushing other people out of the way because they were hungry for the Word of God.

So this spiritual hunger they had actually began to push Jesus into a place of physical danger. And He found a solution. Rather than let the mob push Him into the water, He actually rose above it. Using the most advanced sound system they had, Jesus spoke from the boat to the crowd gathered around Him on the sloped bank.

So if this was like the first from of amphitheater, then Simon Peter was the first soundman! He was keeping the boat at the right distance for everyone to hear. You might say that he was using his workplace for ministry!

The Scriptures Draw Those Who Desire to Know God

Now, regarding the Bible, If I say that a person should “press in to the Word of God,” that may not actually create the right motivation. Reading the Bible out of guilt or a sense of duty doesn’t compare to being drawn to it by spiritual hunger and a love for the God of the Word.

You need to ask the question today, “Am I drawn to the Scriptures or driven to them by obligation?”

No one told these people that they had to come to hear Jesus. They wanted to.

And - this is very important - if a person struggles with the desire to hear from the Lord through Scripture and prayer, that person simply needs to revisit the wonder of who He is!

When the Word of God (Jesus) spoke about the Word of God (the Scriptures), the message came alive. The closer we are to the Lord, the more the Bible will live when we read it!

Peter Recognized Jesus Was Lord

When Jesus spoke, He didn’t come speaking random facts and regurgitated information. The message He spoke brought transformation. It would not be enough for Him to speak, but He came with power for real needs.

He moved from speaking to addressing Peter’s failure: not catching fish on the nightshift. And the solution Jesus gave him was to send Peter back out to fish.

Immediately, Peter started explaining how fruitless his efforts to catch fish had already been, but then something changed in his response. When Jesus asked him to cast his nets again, peter agreed, even though he felt it was a little ridiculous to try by that time.

But when he did as he was instructed, Peter was shocked. The illusive fish suddenly showed up in massive numbers! And you have to understand - Peter was an EXPERT fisherman. He had been embarrassed at the job he had done. But he went from being embarrassed to being amazed!

All of a sudden Jesus had shown Himself as more powerful than Peter at his own specialty!

I’m reminded of a certain scripture today:

Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV

27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Peter had to confess: “This fishing is too hard for me - but it’s not too hard for HIM!” And maybe he even asked the question “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?!”

Once you grasp that same question in our own lives, our faith is going to start the ball rolling on things that we never thought we’d see!

And the thing about it is - Peter didn’t have to be able to make fish appear for this to happen! He just had to do what he was told!

And I can’t heal blind eyes! I can’t break the bonds of sin! I can’t deliver someone from depression… BUT IF I’LL JUST DO WHAT I CAN DO… IF I’LL JUST DO WHAT I’VE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO… THERE IS NOT ANYTHING THAT’S TOO HARD FOR THE LORD!!!!!

Somebody you need to stop looking at what you can’t do and start looking at what you can do.

So when Peter realized that he was unworthy of this new passenger, he told Him to get off the boat. Now, this might seem a bit ridiculous of him, but it was really just that there was so much going on in the moment that it revealed Peter’s inadequacy at handling his own emotions and responding correctly to the work of the Lord.

How we respond to Jesus MATTERS.

Peter did get one thing right, though… he called Jesus “Lord.”

Peter, James, and John Left Everything to Follow Jesus

Even though it was a bit rude, Jesus didn’t take offense at Peter’s response. He was preparing Peter for a new trade: fisher of men.

Peter wasn’t the only one overwhelmed in that moment. So were Andrew, James, and John, his business partners. To them and to disciples today, even, Jesus says:

Luke 5:10 NLT

10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

And here’s what comes next… are you ready?

Peter, James, John, and Andrew show us how to do discipleship correctly: forsake all things.

They left it all on the beach. They walked away from an income that landed them above most wage earners in Israel. They left behind a social identity, an established business reputation, a stable financial future...

I’m just repeating becoming a disciple right out of scripture. There are some who would have you think becoming a disciple means you are about to receive a BMW.

I wonder… what it is that you have left behind in your pursuit of Jesus?

I Must Leave Some Things Behind to Follow Jesus

Today, still, Jesus calls His disciples to forsake all.

When He called the fishermen, He did not say, “What would you like to give up for Me?” He simply said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). He chose for them to leave everything behind.

There are many people who will not truly serve the Lord until they have let go of their comfort zone. I hope you’re hearing me today...

Anyone who loves something more than the Lord will not become all God wants that person to be.

The story is told of a husband and wife who began attending church together. The husband’s heart softened, and he opened himself up to being filled with the Spirit of God. His wife, too, began to desire this experience and wanted to experience the change she saw in her husband. But, she never really had a breakthrough into the presence of the Lord. Her husband and the Pastor gathered to pray about this barrier she was facing. The Lord spoke to the Pastor and told him the woman loved something more than God..... her horse.

The woman’s husband was disappointed to hear this. “She will never give up that horse,” he confided. And she didn’t. Then the horse became ill and lay down in the field with no medical explanation. Day and night she would sit with the horse, trying to nurse it back to health. But after a few days, the horse died. When the wife had recovered from the shock and grief, the Lord filled her with His Spirit.

I believe that sometimes the Lord will remove the things His followers will not give to Him.

Jonathon Blake left behind working out at the gym.

What is it that the Lord might be calling you to forsake? I’ve left behind some things, myself.

There are thousands of churches you’re never going to hear this in, BUT IT’S BIBLE!

And hear me - what you leave behind might seem like a lot… but what they got to see and be a part of BECAUSE of what they left behind… WAS GLORIOUS!!!

Jesus Called People From All Walks of Life

In that day, much like our day, rulers of certain regions would set up workers to collect customs or taxes for them.

A tax collector of that time often had a booth near a market, on a road, or near a port. The fishermen often had to pay the tax or custom dues on the fish they brought in to sell. Not only did people hate paying those taxes, but they also viewed their fellow Jews who took their money as sellouts to the government.

Now, in the area of Capernaum, a man named Levi (Matthew) sat in his customs booth (Luke 5:27). Jesus called this man to come and follow Him. Once again, we’re seeing Jesus interrupting someone while he was working.

Could it be that Jesus looks for people who are busy at work?

A lazy disciple is not a disciple. A true disciple must have discipline.

And so, Matthew left it all (Luke 5:28). He followed Jesus and fell in stride with Peter, Andrew, James, and John, those who had once hated paying the fees Matthew collected from them.

Jesus will often call disciples together who have to overcome clashes with each other. And we cannot experience the full power of the gospel unless we learn to do life with people whose personalities clash with ours.

If you can’t live with them down here… you won’t be able to up there!

The power of Jesus helps us overcome old hatreds, wounds, and prejudices. The one who loved His enemies even while dying now lives in us to love our enemies through us.

There might be someone here who could say that God has helped you have patience with and love people you once had difficulty loving.

Jesus Is No Respecter of Persons

Now, all of a sudden, the religious establishment started whining about Jesus spending time with these outsiders. And when they did this, He explained to them His values.

He explained that healthy people don’t need a physician, but only those who are sick (Luke 5:30-31). In other words, he’s there for the people who are in need of help.

Let me clue you in on something: this church is here for people who need help. Some of them are outcasts. Some of them a lot of people are more comfortable running them down around other people than they are trying to witness to them.

I GET TIRED OF HEARING GOSSIP. GOSSIP REEKS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jesus is no respecter of persons! First we follow Jesus - then we begin serving others. And if, as believers, we settle into the comfort zone of close friends in the faith, we will shut out those people who need our faith the most.

Jesus seeks for and loves all people, and He offers salvation to “whosoever will.”

Jesus Is Calling All Who Will Hear to Follow Him

Something else Jesus explained to the “religious elite”: He had not come to focus on those who had their lives together or ever those who felt they had it all together. He came to transform those who were (1) hungry, (2) those who were hurting, and (3) those who kept making the wrong moral choices (Luke 5:32).

Hello?

We must remember that this is our purpose. As a matter of fact… before you go running someone down our having a nice little chat about how bad a mess they’re in, ask:

Are they hungry?

Are they hurting?

Are they making the wrong moral choices?

And if the answer to any of those questions is yes, Jesus wants you to reach out to them.

There Is Purpose Behind Every Calling

Jesus Did Not Call His Select Group of Twelve Until After a Night of Prayer

Now, Jesus chose a select group of twelve people. But it’s interesting how He chose them.

In prayer, the Spirit can shape a person’s mind and understanding. After an all-night prayer time, Jesus called His disciples, identifying twelve of them as apostles...

Luke 6:12–13 NKJV

12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

And the truth is: Jesus is still calling disciples today. First He calls us to follow Him. Then He commissions some to represent Him in a public capacity.

God Has a Specific Calling for Each of Us

It’s interesting to me that Jesus chose twelve and “named” them apostles. Often in Scripture, the Lord will change someone’s name to reflect the person’s new identity (Jacob’s name was changed to Israel).

We often talk about our calling. Your calling is your spiritual identity. And God has a specific calling for each of us.

There is one particular notable change in one of the apostles. Luke 6:14 says:

Luke 6:14 NKJV

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

The name Peter means “the Rock.” And his calling and identity were later confirmed when Jesus addressed peter in Matthew 16:18:

Matthew 16:18 KJV 1900

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The “rock” of Matthew 16:18 is directly tied to the revelation of who Jesus is. And Jesus confirmed Peter’s calling to declare who Jesus was and to carry the keys of salvation to the world. He did JUST THAT on the Day of Pentecost when Peter preached.

God has a specific calling for each of us. Yours may be different than mine. But God has called all of us to preach the gospel to every creature using the gifts and callings He has given to us.

I Will Respond to Jesus and Follow Him as His Disciple

Most importantly, what does Jesus call you?

He doesn’t call you according to your past labels. The Lord didn’t just name His disciples to help their self-esteem. Their names held meaning for others who met them after their close encounters with Jesus.

Simon may have appeared to be shaky or impulsive, but Jesus taught the others to view him as Peter, “the Rock.”

Jesus gives each of us a new identity; then, He commissions each of us to a new role. And - listen to me - we cannot live up to our purpose if we refuse to see ourselves the way He sees us.

Insecurity has to be left behind.

What do you think Jesus sees when He looks at you?

Conclusion

Internalizing the Message

Abram had to accept the name the Lord gave him: Abraham, “Father of a Multitude.” To accept his new identity was to accept by faith what the Lord saw him as, because at that point he had no children.

It’s easy to believe in how great God is. But it’s a new level of faith to believe what He says about us as individuals. Faith in God is believing Him enough to trust what He sees in us and what He plans to do through us.

Abraham had to leave behind the city that was familiar to go on to the city whose builder and maker was God. Disciples are willing to leave everything behind - whether piles of fish, piles of money, or religious cliques - to be close to Jesus. The closer we draw to Him, the more clearly we will hear His plan for our lives.

Peter began working for the Lord with just a boat ride. Then Peter’s faith got stretched far beyond what he believed Jesus could do through his vessel. Later Jesus called Peter to be His representative. Then He gave Peter the message to preach at Pentecost. It begins with the small things - a boat ride.

Disciples are not just classroom students. Disciples are trained for a mission like military soldiers. Our commander has given us everything we need for life and godliness, giving us His own nature...

2 Peter 1:3–4 NKJV

3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We simply must lean in to the identity He has shared with us by His Spirit and in His Name. That’s called holiness, by the way!

Jesus is calling.

Are you responding to His call? Do you believe what He says? Leave behind the old life. Live the identity He has given you!

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