A Question Of Discipleship

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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In a book I recently read an atheist wrote about what it would take to convert him to Christianity. Among his conditions he listed that he would be ready to convert if he were able to see a genuine miracle. Of course, God is not interested in our conditions of whether or not we wish to claim the salvation He offers. We are in no condition to be setting such conditions to our Creator. But I really doubt that seeing a miracle would make much difference in the faith of this atheist.

Would one miracle be enough to convince this man? What if he began to doubt if it was a true miracle or an illusion? What then? Wouldn’t two miracles be better than one? Why stop there? Have a dozen or so.

Now, before you think I’m getting carried away and picking on someone who has no faith in God at all, let me shift the thoughts over to what it would take for a Christian to be a disciple. Yes, that’s right. What would it take for a Christian to be a disciple of Jesus?

But aren’t all Christians disciples? Yes, I suppose they would qualify under most definitions we would use. But not all who profess to be Christians are willing to actually follow Jesus. That’s where discipleship comes into focus.

Imagine that you were one of the thousands that followed Jesus around. As you mill about with the others you hear Jesus speaking as He teaches the crowd all day. You also witness Him as he heals hundreds of people who are brought to Him throughout the day. The lame, the blind, the sick—they are all healed.

But that’s not all. After this long day of teaching and healing you are instructed to sit down on the grass with the others. Then you see as Jesus takes five small fish and two small loaves of barley bread and feeds the entire crowd of over five thousand people.

One would certainly think that those who were healed, taught and fed during that day would be followers of Jesus. And they were. But not all of them would stay with Him.

Not long after the feeding of the five thousand the crowds continued to follow Jesus. But when the teaching became more challenging many of the people did not like what they heard. In John 6:60 His disciples were complaining as they said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

So the real test of their discipleship was upon them. Jesus could teach them the words of God, feed their hungry stomachs and even heal their relatives and their friends. But to many, Jesus went too far when His teachings became more strict.

Isn’t that the way it is with so many people today as well? They love to hear about the love, forgiveness, mercy and grace as well as the eternal life that is free from pain, tears and sorrow. But when the discussion turns to changing their lives to be in keeping with God’s ways, well, that is where real discipleship is tested.

Notice this reading from John 6:66-69 as the teachings of Jesus become harder and the people become less committed.

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Isn’t it amazing to think that thousands of people could be personally blessed by Jesus and then be so quick to turn away from Him? Well, maybe sad is a more appropriate description.

That atheist might well be convinced if he saw a genuine miracle performed just for him. But the test of his discipleship would come afterwards. Many are convinced to confess Jesus based on the testimony of the Bible. But that same Bible often gives instructions that many people are simply not willing to follow. Now that’s a real shame.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we spend a few minutes to contemplate just how strong our faith in Christ is and just how far we are willing to follow Him as disciples. May we call upon the wisdom of the Bible to help us to remain strong as we walk with our Savior.

Our thought for the day: “Until you have given up yourself to Him you will not have a real self.” C. S. Lewis

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.