"WHO AM I?"预览

Disciples

John 8:31-32

The word “disciple” is the most used title for a follower of Jesus, appearing 275 times, once in the Old Testament and 274 times in the New Testament (NKJV).

It has three primary meanings:

• One who is trained or taught.
• One who accepts, and assists in spreading, the doctrines of another.
• One who aspires to be like his or her teacher.

The word “disciple” is the root of the word “discipline,” so it also implies strict adherence to a revealed code of godly behavior.

The only time the word “disciple” appears in the Old Testament, it was actually a prophecy of the New Testament era to come when the law (the Torah—the first five books of the Bible) would be bound up and sealed (brought to completion and fulfillment, preserved for future generations).

Jesus later identified a number of character traits that would mark true disciples:

• Taking up a cross
• Following Jesus
• Counting the cost (as builders and warriors)
• Forsaking all
• Continuing in the Word
• Bearing much fruit
• Love (from the Greek word agape, the God-kind of love)

Those who responded to the discipleship call in Jesus’s day received power (supernatural authority and ability), and they went forth, preaching the kingdom of God, casting out demons and curing diseases. His purposes have not changed. He is still searching the world over for those who will pay the price, that He might empower them to bring a spiritual awakening to this generation. Receive this challenge to true discipleship today!

DECLARE WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST

I declare that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ! I am determined to live a disciplined life according to biblical standards. I have accepted Jesus’s teachings and will spend my life spreading them. I have determined to take up a cross, deny self, follow Jesus, count the cost, and forsake all in order to impact this generation spiritually. I intend to abide in God’s Word, bear much fruit for the Father’s glory and love others with the depth of God’s love. By faith, I receive the power (the authority and the ability) that God gives to those who accept the discipleship call that I might bring positive change to this world around me, in Jesus’s name, Amen!