Discipleship 101: Following Jesus

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By Rev. Un Hock Wee. from Gospel Light vol. 23, July 2014.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8:31-32 NIV)

This passage contains four important points:

I.  TO BELIEVE: “To the Jews who had believed him”

Jesus is speaking specifically to those Jews who believed on Him. The word believe is taken from the Greek word  πιστεύω (pisteuó, pronounced as pistyoo’-o), which means “to have faith.”

Thus, to believe means TO HAVE FAITH in Christ.  And followers and disciples of Christ, we must respect and honor God. Our lives must show that we are the students of CHRIST JESUS.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, which is a council of learned rabbis.  Despite his position, he was ready to take his relationship with Jesus to another level.

It wasn’t that easy — it never is.  What would people think of him if Nicodemus went public as a follower of Jesus?  To think that this learned man would admire this homeless carpenter-turned-rabbi from a nothing town called Galilee?  He would lose his position in the Sanhedrin and his reputation as a religious leader.

That’s why he went to see Jesus at night. He was initially a secret admirer of Jesus — a position that cost him nothing.  But bringing it to the next level “becoming a professed follower” — came with a high price tag. It always does.¹

Still, something changed within Nicodemus.  We could see it in John 7:40-51, where Nicodemus actually defended Jesus from the accusations of his fellow Pharisee.  He asked his colleague, “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

Later, in John 19:38-41, when Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body, Nicodemus provided seventy-five pounds worth of myrrh and aloes — expensive burial spices fit for a king.  Both men wrapped Jesus’ body, together with the spices, in strips of linen, which is in accordance with Jewish burial customs.  Our lives and beliefs must be the same as Nicodemus: we must live what we believe, and our belief must reflect Christ.

To believe also means PUTTING YOUR TRUST — entrusting one’s spiritual well-being, and give ourselves to Christ so HE will manage our lives.  This is the belief displayed by the boy who placed his trust in a complete stranger²:

A young lady was sunbathing on the beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, “Do you believe in God?” She was surprised by the question but she replied, “Why, yes, I do.” Then he asked her: “Do you go to church every Sunday?” Again, her answer was “Yes!” He then asked: “Do you read your Bible and pray every day?” Again she said, “Yes!” By now her curiosity was very much aroused. The little lad sighed with relief and said, “Will you hold my money while I go swimming?”

II. CONTINUE IN GOD’S WORD: “Hold to my teaching”

In the King James Version (KJV) of our verse, Jesus considered the Jews who “continue in my word” as his disciples.  In the Roman Catholic New Jerusalem translation, the text was rendered as “if you make my word your home.”  Jesus said, “Make my word your home.”  What does it take to make a home?  Is it the same ‘home’ as when I say Cebu Gospel Church is my home, or when I say that my family is my home?

First, let us look at the Greek.  The word ‘continue’ in the KJV was the word μένω (menō, pronounced as me’-nō).  This word is used in the Greek New Testament to describe the relationship between every believer and Christ, and has three possible meanings:

1. TO STAY: this is the normal use of menō, and is a verb used to express someone living at a location (Luke 1:56).  We should let God stay in our lives, and not let Him go out of it.
2. TO REMAIN” this is used to describe the spiritual condition of people – those who don’t believe are remaining in spiritual darkness (John 12:46)
3. TOABIDE: this means to follow and obey to the end, and describes God’s relationship with His followers (John 6:56).  When you abide by God, you do His Will and follow what He says.³

III. KNOW THE TRUTH

What is Truth?  In these times, it is becoming very hard to distinguish between the truths left to us by Jesus, and the so-called truths espoused by man-made religion.  How can we tell the difference?

IV. SET FREE: “will set you free”

Our verse culminates with a statement that the truth will set us free.  Once you discover the truth, my friend, you are free!  But what exactly are we being set free from?

A. Satan’s bondage

John Chapter 8 recounts the story of a woman accused of committing adultery.  Her accusers had gathered around her and were ready to stone her to death.  This was the punishment prescribed in Jewish Law “the Law of Moses” as penalty for her sin.  She was deep in Satan’s bondage, but Jesus set her free!

George Barna, a market research specialist who studies the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, once surveyed Christians who identified themselves as “born again.”  One of the questions was: “The devil or Satan is not a living being, but a symbol of evil.  Do you strongly agree, disagree, or have no knowledge of the statement?”

About half of all respondents either agreed that Satan was merely symbolic (43%) or had no knowledge of the matter (5%)!  This brings to mind the words of Charles Baudelaire, a French poet, who wrote “La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu’il n’existe pas” the finest trick of the devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.

Satan himself knows that his power is not inherent in himself, but permitted (Romans 13:1), limited, and controlled by God (Job 1:12; Job 2:6).  He is not assured of success, but is surely doomed (Revelations 20:2-3).  Satan knows full well that there is no ultimate victory for him.  Hence, the need to resort to tricks.

Praise the Lord, for 1 John 4:1 states that “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Satan is undoubtedly powerful, but he can and will be vanquished.

B. Spiritual blindness

A spiritually-blind person cannot understand why God offered His son to die for our sin.  Accordingly, he doesn’t have any desire or appetite for God’s Word, and doesn’t want to know the truth — much less seek it.  Because of this, spiritually-blind people cannot free themselves with their own effort.  In fact, we do not know we are sinners until we come to know Christ.

Only Jesus can set us free from bondage and blindness by revealing to us the way and the truth to God.  Knowing the truth will lead us to understand God’s will and leadership in our lives, giving us the ability to differentiate right from wrong and be set free from spiritual blindness.

C. Superstitious beliefs

Superstition is the belief of supernatural causality – one event leads to the cause of another without a natural process that links the two.  It stems from lack of knowledge and a fear of the unknown.  Superstitious beliefs often attribute good luck and bad luck to seemingly inconsequential things.

For example, the Chinese ascribe meanings to many numbers.  The number eight (八, 3pronounced as bā in Mandarin and baat in Cantonese) is considered the luckiest number, because it sounds similar to the word for wealth ( 發,pronounced as fā in Mandarin and faat in Cantonese).  This belief is so strong that car license plates with a series of 8s cost over a million Hong Kong dollars.  It is also the reason why companies with 168 or 368 in their names exist in Cebu.

Freedom from superstitious beliefs means freedom from ignorant human beliefs that are passed from one generation to the next.  Through Christ, we become free from the shackles imposed by an obsessive focus on “lucky” and “unlucky.”

IV. CONCLUSION

Our Church Theme for this year is “Discipleship 101.”  Why 101?  It is because we have a two-year plan to focus on being Disciples of Christ.  Discipleship 101 focuses on personal growth.

Next year, (2015) our theme shifts to Discipleship 102, which focuses on leading others to be Disciples of Christ.

Let us feast on God’s Word.  Last year, we encouraged our members to read the entire Bible in one year.  We now go to the next level, and study God’s Word in depth, so that we can grow and in turn help others to grow?

A comparison and contrast between salvation and discipleship⁴

Endnotes
^{1 “}Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman
² http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/ser mon-illustration-gordon-curley-humor-trust-77519.asp
³ “Greek Thoughts: Meno Part 2: To Remain, to abide, to stay”  http://www.studylight.org/language-studies/greekthoughts/index.cgi?a=136)
⁴ “A Comparison and Contrast Between SALVATION and DISCIPLESHIP,” The Middletown Bible Church

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By Rev. In Hock Wee. from Gospel Light vol. 23, July 2014.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8:31-32 NIV)

This passage contains four important points:

I.  TO BELIEVE: “To the Jews who had believed him”

Jesus is speaking specifically to those Jews who believed on Him. The word believe is taken from the Greek word  πιστεύω (pisteuó, pronounced as pistyoo’-o), which means “to have faith.” 

Thus, to believe means TO HAVE FAITH in Christ.  And followers and disciples of Christ, we must respect and honor God. Our lives must show that we are the students of CHRIST JESUS.   

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, which is a council of learned rabbis.  Despite his position, he was ready to take his relationship with Jesus to another level. 

It wasn’t that easy — it never is.  What would people think of him if Nicodemus went public as a follower of Jesus?  To think that this learned man would admire this homeless carpenter-turned-rabbi from a nothing town called Galilee?  He would lose his position in the Sanhedrin and his reputation as a religious leader.

That’s why he went to see Jesus at night. He was initially a secret admirer of Jesus — a position that cost him nothing.  But bringing it to the next level “becoming a professed follower” — came with a high price tag. It always does.¹

Still, something changed within Nicodemus.  We could see it in John 7:40-51, where Nicodemus actually defended Jesus from the accusations of his fellow Pharisee.  He asked his colleague, “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

Later, in John 19:38-41, when Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body, Nicodemus provided seventy-five pounds worth of myrrh and aloes — expensive burial spices fit for a king.  Both men wrapped Jesus’ body, together with the spices, in strips of linen, which is in accordance with Jewish burial customs.  Our lives and beliefs must be the same as Nicodemus: we must live what we believe, and our belief must reflect Christ.

To believe also means PUTTING YOUR TRUST — entrusting one’s spiritual well-being, and give ourselves to Christ so HE will manage our lives.  This is the belief displayed by the boy who placed his trust in a complete stranger²:

A young lady was sunbathing on the beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, “Do you believe in God?” She was surprised by the question but she replied, “Why, yes, I do.” Then he asked her: “Do you go to church every Sunday?” Again, her answer was “Yes!” He then asked: “Do you read your Bible and pray every day?” Again she said, “Yes!” By now her curiosity was very much aroused. The little lad sighed with relief and said, “Will you hold my money while I go swimming?”

II. CONTINUE IN GOD’S WORD: “Hold to my teaching”

In the King James Version (KJV) of our verse, Jesus considered the Jews who “continue in my word” as his disciples.  In the Roman Catholic New Jerusalem translation, the text was rendered as “if you make my word your home.”  Jesus said, “Make my word your home.”  What does it take to make a home?  Is it the same ‘home’ as when I say Cebu Gospel Church is my home, or when I say that my family is my home?

First, let us look at the Greek.  The word ‘continue’ in the KJV was the word μένω (menō, pronounced as me’-nō).  This word is used in the Greek New Testament to describe the relationship between every believer and Christ, and has three possible meanings:

1. TO STAY: this is the normal use of menō, and is a verb used to express someone living at a location (Luke 1:56).  We should let God stay in our lives, and not let Him go out of it.
2. TO REMAIN” this is used to describe the spiritual condition of people – those who don’t believe are remaining in spiritual darkness (John 12:46)
3. TOABIDE: this means to follow and obey to the end, and describes God’s relationship with His followers (John 6:56).  When you abide by God, you do His Will and follow what He says.³

III. KNOW THE TRUTH

What is Truth?  In these times, it is becoming very hard to distinguish between the truths left to us by Jesus, and the so-called truths espoused by man-made religion.  How can we tell the difference?

IV. SET FREE: “will set you free”

Our verse culminates with a statement that the truth will set us free.  Once you discover the truth, my friend, you are free!  But what exactly are we being set free from?

A. Satan’s bondage

John Chapter 8 recounts the story of a woman accused of committing adultery.  Her accusers had gathered around her and were ready to stone her to death.  This was the punishment prescribed in Jewish Law “the Law of Moses” as penalty for her sin.  She was deep in Satan’s bondage, but Jesus set her free!

George Barna, a market research specialist who studies the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, once surveyed Christians who identified themselves as “born again.”  One of the questions was: “The devil or Satan is not a living being, but a symbol of evil.  Do you strongly agree, disagree, or have no knowledge of the statement?”

About half of all respondents either agreed that Satan was merely symbolic (43%) or had no knowledge of the matter (5%)!  This brings to mind the words of Charles Baudelaire, a French poet, who wrote “La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu’il n’existe pas” the finest trick of the devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.

Satan himself knows that his power is not inherent in himself, but permitted (Romans 13:1), limited, and controlled by God (Job 1:12; Job 2:6).  He is not assured of success, but is surely doomed (Revelations 20:2-3).  Satan knows full well that there is no ultimate victory for him.  Hence, the need to resort to tricks.

Praise the Lord, for 1 John 4:1 states that “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Satan is undoubtedly powerful, but he can and will be vanquished.

B. Spiritual blindness

A spiritually-blind person cannot understand why God offered His son to die for our sin.  Accordingly, he doesn’t have any desire or appetite for God’s Word, and doesn’t want to know the truth — much less seek it.  Because of this, spiritually-blind people cannot free themselves with their own effort.  In fact, we do not know we are sinners until we come to know Christ. 

Only Jesus can set us free from bondage and blindness by revealing to us the way and the truth to God.  Knowing the truth will lead us to understand God’s will and leadership in our lives, giving us the ability to differentiate right from wrong and be set free from spiritual blindness.

C. Superstitious beliefs

Superstition is the belief of supernatural causality – one event leads to the cause of another without a natural process that links the two.  It stems from lack of knowledge and a fear of the unknown.  Superstitious beliefs often attribute good luck and bad luck to seemingly inconsequential things.

For example, the Chinese ascribe meanings to many numbers.  The number eight (八, 3pronounced as bā in Mandarin and baat in Cantonese) is considered the luckiest number, because it sounds similar to the word for wealth ( 發,pronounced as fā in Mandarin and faat in Cantonese).  This belief is so strong that car license plates with a series of 8s cost over a million Hong Kong dollars.  It is also the reason why companies with 168 or 368 in their names exist in Cebu.

Freedom from superstitious beliefs means freedom from ignorant human beliefs that are passed from one generation to the next.  Through Christ, we become free from the shackles imposed by an obsessive focus on “lucky” and “unlucky.”

IV. CONCLUSION

Our Church Theme for this year is “Discipleship 101.”  Why 101?  It is because we have a two-year plan to focus on being Disciples of Christ.  Discipleship 101 focuses on personal growth. 

Next year, (2015) our theme shifts to Discipleship 102, which focuses on leading others to be Disciples of Christ.

Let us feast on God’s Word.  Last year, we encouraged our members to read the entire Bible in one year.  We now go to the next level, and study God’s Word in depth, so that we can grow and in turn help others to grow?

A comparison and contrast between salvation and discipleship⁴

Endnotes
^{1 “}Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman
² http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/ser mon-illustration-gordon-curley-humor-trust-77519.asp
³ “Greek Thoughts: Meno Part 2: To Remain, to abide, to stay”  http://www.studylight.org/language-studies/greekthoughts/index.cgi?a=136)
⁴ “A Comparison and Contrast Between SALVATION and DISCIPLESHIP,” The Middletown Bible Church

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