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Living Like Jesus
Brian Mashburn
October 23, 2005
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What Is A Disciple of Christ?
I remember getting the message as a kid that I needed to be a "good student." What did that mean exactly?
When I asked one friend, she said it meant to get good grades on my report card. Another said that it had less to do with grades and more to do with doing my best work. Still another said that it meant to be "well rounded," competent in getting to classes on time, being involved in extra-curricular activities, involved socially as well as academically, and full of school spirit. Some parents I talked to acted as if their son was a good student simply because they didn't ever get any complaints about him from his school, even though he didn't get good grades, was very apathetic about school in general, and wasn't "well rounded" as defined above. It can be confusing. For me to actually be a good student, it would have helped to know exactly what the qualities of a "good student" are.
The New Testament gives us the message that we are to be Disciples of Christ. It makes audacious claims about it, too. It says unless we are Disciples of Christ, we can't have a fulfilling life here on earth. And get this...unless we are followers of Christ, we aren't even members of the Kingdom of Heaven. Even if I call Jesus 'Lord, Lord', and believe all the right things, I may still not be a disciple. Wow!
So I'm thinking it would be good for me to know exactly what a disciple of Jesus is. What qualities make up one? This is what we will look at for months. And this is what we are to become.