The Path of Discipleship

 
The path that a disciplined one of Jesus Christ walks along is often called the strait and narrow. The path of our discipleship is to follow our Lord. This is the way that leads unto life.

                                                                                Mt:7:14:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it

God Himself beseeches us to not receive His Grace in vain. We are exhorted by God, to not take His grace for granted.

2Cor:6:1:

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

It is the grace of God that teaches to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. Not only does it teach us what we are to deny, the Grace of God also teaches that we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.

Titus 2: 11,12

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

One that walks down the strait and narrow path of discipleship understands that it is God's unmerited and unsolicited favor, His Grace, which teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. These are the lusts that are common to all men. These are the areas in which Jesus Christ was also tempted.

Heb 4:14,15:

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Thank God for Jesus Christ. He was tempted in all points like as we are; yet He didn't sin. As a result, He is able to deliver us from the temptations we face that we might not sin.

1Cor:10:13:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

2Pt:2:9:

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

The temptations that are common to man will one day pass away. Until then however, we will face temptation on the path of our being a disciplined one of Christ.

1Jn:2:16,17:

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

 Just a quick comparison and one can see that the "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," were the areas in which our Lord was tempted when He was tempted of the devil. After all, He faced hunger, which is a lust of the flesh, death which temps the pride of life, and He was shown all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, which must have been a very real test for His eyes.

Matt: 4:1-11

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Someone well acquainted with the path of discipleship was the Apostle Paul. Moreover, he wasn't afraid to admit publicly that he faced a temptation in the flesh. Sometimes Christians will try to cover their weaknesses, but in so doing they miss the opportunity to overcome the flesh and proceed along the path of discipleship.

Gal: 4:12-14:

Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.

And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Paul again speaks of his temptation in the flesh and the results of his seeking the Lord. The result was Paul's learning that it is grace and grace alone that was sufficient for him. Paul understood that when he was weak in the flesh, then he was strong in the Lord.

2Cor:12:7-10:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

If we are to walk down the strait and narrow path of discipleship, we are simply going to face temptations. It is how we react to those temptations that determine how far we will go in our discipleship. It is our reaction to temptations that ultimately determine what we will receive from the Lord.

Jms:1:12:

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Now are temptations all that we can expect along the path of our discipleship? Thankfully, it isn't. The true path of our discipleship lies in the following of our Lord. The more we become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ; the more we will serve and follow Him.

Jn:12:26:

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Before we are honored of the Father, we must serve and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Follow Him where one may ask? The question is not where we must follow, but what we must follow. We must follow His example. The example He set by humility and obedience.

Phil:2:5-8:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Our Lord humbled Himself. As a result, God has highly exalted Him.

Phil:2:9-11

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ humbled Himself and became obedient. As result God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name. If we are to follow our Lord along the path of discipleship, then we too must follow His example. We must humble ourselves and become obedient.

James: 4:6b,7,10

...God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

When we do this, then may the Lord exalt us and not ourselves.

Mt:23:12:

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Humbling ourselves is the path of discipleship. If we don't chose to humble ourselves, then God will do the job for us. This lesson was learned by the Israelites long ago.

Deut:8:2:

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

God led Israel in the wilderness for forty years to humble and prove them. He humbled and proved them to know whether they would keep His commandments or not. Yes, humility is the path of our discipleship, but obedience is the goal of our disciplined walk with the Lord.

1Sam:15:22:

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Obedience is more acceptable to God than all of the animal sacrifices in the world. Obedience as the result of our humbling ourselves is more acceptable to God than sacrifice.

Prov:21:3:

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

The Lord tells us how we are to walk along the path of discipleship. It is not sacrifices that the Lord wants, it is obedience.

Micah:6:6-8:

Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God?  shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

As a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ Paul the Apostle had walked along the path of discipleship. His example is recorded that we might learn from him. The result of his obedience is that he was not self-willed. He did not seek to please himself but rather the one who had sent him. Therefore, humility is a necessary trait of a servant. A servant is one who is not self-willed but one who does the will of his Lord.

2Cor:4:5:

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

Paul truly was a disciplined one of Christ, a man who had walked down the path of discipleship. He understood what it was to be a servant of the Lord. He understood what it was to be obedient unto the Lord. Therefore we can see the depth of his understanding regarding the matter of servants and their masters.

Eph:6:5-8:

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Paul didn't try to please himself, nor did he seek to please men. Paul said that if he pleased himself, he should not be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal:1:10-12:

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Whom do you seek to please? As you walk along the path of discipleship, may you seek to please the Lord more and more. May you humble yourself and become obedient to do His will. As you humble yourself and do His will as a faithful and true servant, God will exalt you in due time.

2 Tim:1:7-12

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

May you follow the path of discipleship all the days of your life, so that you may say as did the Apostle Paul, "I have finished my course."

Acts:20:24:

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

The disciplined heart of a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ will be able to say no less.

2Tm:4:7:

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Truly the words of our Lord ring loud and clear regarding the subject of the path of discipleship, let us hear and heed them one and all.

Lk:9:62:

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.