If someone were to ask you what is a disciple of Jesus and how can I become a disciple, what would you say in response to that question? Where would you take them in the Scripture to explain what it means to be Jesus’ disciples.

Simply put a disciple is follower or student. Disciples of Jesus are believers in Jesus. They follow Him in faith & obedience. They stay in His word and keep their eyes on Him. Disciples of Jesus are lifelong students. Jesus is their teacher. Regardless of how far along you are on your journey with Jesus it’s important to remain teachable because His followers continue to learn their entire life.  

One text that I would turn to in to answer this question is John 8:31-36 where I believe Jesus gives us a glimpse of what a true is disciple is.

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.   John 8:31-36 ESV

So here are some marks of a true disciple of Jesus:  

A True Disciple Prioritizes Christ & His word. -John 8:31

A True Disciple Perseveres in the faith. -John 8:31

A True Disciple Perceives the truth. – John 8:32

A True Disciple Progresses in freedom. -John 8:32-36

A True Disciple Produces good fruit. -John 15:8

Jesus said that we are truly his disciples when we continue in his word. This implies that we prioritize and perservere in believing, confessing & obeying his word. He says then we will know the truth and the truth will bring freedom into our lives.

Then in John chapter 15 verse 8 Jesus said this:

⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 

Authentic followers of Jesus will have good fruit in their lives and that is proof of genuine discipleship. I plan to try and explain what that fruit is in the next blog post.

In light these marks of true Jesus followers would you consider yourself to be a true disciple of Jesus? 

 Sermon: Marks Of A True Disciple

Who Do You Know That Prays Faithfully for You?
Who is the most prayerful person that you know that has had the most significant impact upon your life through their prayers? Think about the kind of life they live and what other characteristics mark their lives. Doesn’t it stir a gratitude in your heart to think about those who have covered you in prayer and brought you before the throne of grace, pleading with God to bring about His good plans for your life? Each of us has had someone’s prayers make a significant impact in our lives even if we can’t think of anyone that has prayed faithfully for us. If you don’t have anyone who has prayed faithfully for you then perhaps you should seek to befriend the kind of people that do pray faithfully & fervently living godly lives. Paul instructed His young disciple Timothy to pursue righteous, faith, love and peace along with those who call out on the Lord with a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). What if you not only had the precious gift of relationship with others that are praying for you but what if you became that praying person for others who faithfully praying brings them before the throne of grace? What if you were to be what you desired to see & have in relationship? The Lord has called His Church to pray much, not only about our own needs, hopes & dreams but also that we pray much for others. Praying for others is a mark of maturity in the life of a disciple and a necessary element to be an effective disciple maker. Like a father or a mother who has accepted the responsibility of parenting which requires putting priority of their children’s needs, so God calls us saints into the mature place of caring for other believers so that they may become all that God has created & planned for them to be. Intercession is simply the action of saying a prayer on behalf of another person.

Intercessory Prayer is Hard Work
In Colossians 4 Paul mentioned an example of an ordinary saint who was walking this out. As far as we know he didn’t have a position of apostle, pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, deacon,elder, etc… This man named Epaphras worked hard in prayer for the Colossians saints. He served the Lord Jesus & His Church by laboring for them intercession.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Colossians 4:12-13 ESV

Praying for others faithfully & fervently can be difficult work. It means that we spend enough time thinking about them, caring for them and bringing them before the throne of grace. J.I. Packer in His book Praying: finding our way through duty to delight says this:

“If we are going to take time to think our way into the situations and personal lives on which our intercessions focus we may not be able to pray for as many items and issues. Our amplifyings and argumentation will [then] lift our intercessions from the shopping list prayer-wheel level to the apostolic category of what Paul called struggle.” J.I. Packer Carolyn Nystrom (See Colossians 1:29, 2:1-3, 4:12)

The Greek word translated struggling in Colossians 4:12 is agōnizomai. It means: to be a combatant in the public games; to contend, fight, strive earnestly. It looks & sounds similar to our English word agonize. This word is what Paul used to describe the labor of intercessory prayer. Intercessory is a labor of love. In it we love others enough to bear the burden for them and anguish for their souls. This struggle for the saints is something that Paul said he did “with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:29). Though ministry is hard work that involves sacrifice & struggle the Saints are not left to their own willpower to carry it out in their own strength. Intercession is bringing the burden for others to God in prayer but we are to do so with the energy & strength that God provides. If we don’t draw on the strength of God to minster faithfully to others by praying for them then we will be danger of burning ourselves out and allowing the weight of ministry drain the life and joy out of us.
Intimacy with God must be sustained if intercession is to be sustained.

Andrew Murray said “It is prayer that lies at the root of spiritual life and power of the Church”. When asked the secret of his spiritual power, Charles Spurgeon said: “Knee work! Knee work! Billy Graham said, “The three secrets to successful ministry are: prayer, prayer and more prayer.”

Christ is Our Greatest Example of Intercession

Jesus has displayed the greatest expression of love for us by going to the cross for us. He did this prayerfully for us. You have been covered and are being covered in prayer by the great intercessor & High Priest Jesus Christ (John 17, Hebrews 7:25).
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.  Hebrews 7:25 ESV

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.  Romans 8:34 ESV

The hymn writer of I Stand Amazed In The Presence penned these powerful words:
“For me it was in the garden,
He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat-drops of blood for mine.
He took my sins and my sorrows
And He made them His very own
And bore the burden to Calvary
And suffered and died alone”

Stand amazed at His great love for you! Then let the domino effect of the gospel led you to love others like Christ has loved you (1 John 3:16).
If you desire to be more gospel-centered and Christ-like then becoming an intercessor who prays on behalf of others is the path you must take. This truly is a labor of love that Christ Himself performed flawlessly and is still serving us in that position of intercession today. Interceding for others is a significant way that we display Christlikeness and apply the gospel to our relationships, since Christ Himself is the ultimate intercessor. Our intercession for others is to be done in the name of Jesus, in His authority, for His glory and by His strength. We now have access to come boldly before the throne of grace because Jesus our High Priest has made a way for us. We can be an extension of His love and intercession for others who currently don’t have the access we have through the gospel work of reconciliation.

So make a prayer list for those in your church and pray faithfully for them. Spend enough time to think about their situations and struggles then roll the weight of that off to the Lord in prayer. What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer!

Here is the Audio of this message preached @ City Church Garland:
A Labor of Love; Intercessory Prayer

• When was the last time you grieved the Holy Spirit?
• What does it meant to grieve the Holy Spirit?

• You lack peace in your heart.
• You don’t have positive things to say to those around you.
• You’re irritable, sharp & impatient with others.
• You don’t sleep & rest well.
• You’re anxious & fidgety.
• You’re cynical & doubtful.
• You have thoughts of regret.
• You’re haboring, unforgivness & bitterness.
• You feel disconnected with God.
• You’re struggling to focus on your responsibilities.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:8 ESV

Knowing  Jesus was the passion & pursuit of the Apostle Paul. He counted all of his accomplishments as rubbish compared to knowing  Jesus. Once his eyes were opened to the glorious worth of Jesus his value system changed. His pursuit was no longer directed at becoming the most religious guy around. He no longer put confidence in this flesh , trusting in his own righteousness or seeking the glory of what he could accomplish in his own strength (Phil. 3:3) . Jesus became the one he sought to glorify, rejoice in, trust in and aim to know. Living a life to know & glorify Jesus was worth it for the Apostle Paul. He became a true worshipper of the One True God and his former way of trying to worship God in his flesh was exchanged for worshipping in & by the Holy Spirit (Phil. 3:3).

Our Vision

Our vision at City Church Garland, the church which I currently serve as a pastor, is to Know Jesus, Love People and Impact Your World. We too have been changed by the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ and our value of knowing Jesus surpasses all other things this world has to offer. Knowing & loving Jesus is priority for us and we will commit our time and energy to this pursuit. He is worth it & it’s our joy know Jesus. Knowing Jesus is good for us, it’s good for our families, it’s good for our neighborhood, it’s good for our city.  When we know Jesus and continue to grow in our knowledge of him the beautiful and pleasant fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control is displayed and experienced by those around us (Galatians 5:22-23). Who doesn’t want that?

In the Word 

So how can we get to know Jesus better? Get in His word. It is essential that we come before God daily spending time reading and reflecting on what God has spoken to us about who He is. The Scripture contains the revelation of God. So if we desire and pray for God to reveal himself to us we must behold God in the Scriptures. Specifically we should look at who is Jesus in the gospels. In Christ we see a perfect display of God manifested in human flesh. Jesus said if you’ve seen him then you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9).

Also, I would recommend mediating on the names, titles & attributes of God throughout the bible. Titles like the God of all grace, the God of patience & the God of justice each reveal an aspect of who God is. Phrases like the Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love help us know who God is.

Prayer & Worship

In response to the revelation that we behold in Scripture we are to approach God in worship and prayer. If we are to know Jesus better we must daily spend time in the wordreflecting on who He is, what says & what he does.Beholding & knowing the character of God is foundational & fuel for our worship. The more one beholds God and the beauty of who he is the more that person is able to respond properly worshipping in truth. It’s also foundational in prayer that one know that God is good & God is great. God is a good father and he delights to give good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11). God is great and strong enough to answer our prayers. He is willing and He is able to answer our requests for deliverance, guidance, provision, wisdom, peace, etc…

Saints, let’s make knowing Jesus the priority & passion of our lives. Then we will be able to make Him known and lead others into a genuine relationship with Him effectively. We must abide in Jesus & His word if we are to be fruitful and effective in the mission before us (John 15:4-8). Let’s invest our time in the Word. Let’s give ourselves to prayer. Let’s worship our Lord for who He is. Knowing Jesus is worth more than anything this world has to offer!

Reflection Questions

1. What’s hindering you from knowing Jesus more?

2. Does the use of your time, money and energy display that you value knowing Jesus more than other things?