One of the most important tasks of any follower of Jesus Christ is learning and following Scripture. This can be a very intimidating task, especially for new believers. Like any large task, learning Scripture can be made easy by breaking the task into smaller, more manageable chunks. In light of that I present 10 Bible verses that are essential for every Christian's discipleship.
Matthew 28:16-20 - The Great Commission
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
If I had to give just one passage on what disciples of Christ do, it would be Matthew 28.
This passage has four main commands you need to understand and follow:
- Go
- Make disciples
- Baptize them
- Teach them to obey my commands
The passage starts off with a very simple command - go. You cannot stay where you are in life and be a disciple of Jesus. You must always be seeking God's will and following it.
The next command is usually what most people take away from this passage - evangelize. But note we are not commanded to make converts, we are tasked with making disciples. There is a huge difference between a convert and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Once a person converts they should be baptized - the third command is a given.
Finally we come to the most important part of this passage. The key part of making a disciple is getting them to learn and obey Christ's teachings. If you do not follow Christ's teachings, you are not one of His disciples.
Mark 8:34-38 - Put Jesus First in Your Life
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
This passage is often called 'The Way of the Cross'. As Christ took up His cross to save us from our sins, we must also take up our cross' and follow Him. Christ must always be first in our lives. Now with distractions, I know this is often hard - but it is vital for our long term spiritual growth.
Matthew 6:31-33 - Seek Jesus First
Do not worry then, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?"' or "What will we wear for clothing?" For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Like the last passage, Matthew 6 concentrates on teaching us that we must put Christ first in our lives. God promises that if we do this, all the things we think we need or that we worry about will be taken care of for us. Put Christ first in your life. Then keep Him there.
John 8:31-32 - Follow Jesus Teachings
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.
Once again we see the importance of holding to, or following, Christ's teachings. Not following Christ's teachings is the main reason so many Christians are not living up to their God-given potential.
John 14:21 - Who Really Loves Jesus?
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
If you want to be a disciple of Jesus learn His teachings and then follow them. Start with the gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes.
Romans 12:1-2 - Renew Your Minds
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Part of being a Christian is to unlearn the ways of the world and to replace them with God's ways. Learn about worldviews and the Biblical worldview. Then compare your current set of beliefs with the Biblical worldview and find out what has to be unlearned. You cannot hold beliefs that are contrary to Scripture, doing so will hamper your Christian life.
Hebrews 4:12-13 - The Word of God
"For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account"
Learning about Scripture is one of the most important and most neglected tasks of the believer. I included this verse because it describes one of the reasons (other than laziness) why most people are afraid of studying the Bible - when you read Scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit your deepest thoughts and motivations are revealed to you. Since those motivations are often dark, and often hidden deep within us, this is often a very unpleasant task. But it is required if we are to grow into the people God wants us to be.
John 15:5-8 - Fruitfulness in Christ Name
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
This passage brings up a simple but important point and is tied in with a lot of the previous passages above. We must be always seeking Christ, if we are doing so He can do great things through us. But if we try to do things through our own power and ability we will fail.
Seek Christ and you will bear great fruit for Him!
John 13:34-35 - Love One Another
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
How will people know that following Christ is the correct way and become His disciples? They will see the love and devotion followers of Jesus show to each other. That love is infectious and cannot be argued against. If you love God you will learn Christs teachings and follow them and then you will love:
- Fellow believers
- Your neighbours
- Even your enemies.
There are many more important passages of Scripture but by starting with these verses you will learn the most important parts of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. After you have mastered, memorized and put into action these verses, then you can continue to learn the rest of Christ's teachings.
Greg Caughill operates a website that helps believers learn about Christian discipleship.
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