Call to Discipleship SS3 Christian Religious Studies (CRS) Lesson Note

Call to Discipleship

A disciple is a follower, a learner, a pupil, a student, or an apprentice arms and takes instruction from his/her leader, master, or an instructor for some time.

After the stipulated Period, he/she goes out to practice and teach the course of his role model.

Jesus has many disciples but twelve were those he chose and learned to carry out his work of teaching,  preaching, and healing because he knew that his stay on earth was temporary the synoptic gave an account of the disciple called through the little narration.

Jesus calls his Disciple

Matt4:25,9:9-13,Mk,10:16-29,2:5-13,17,Luke 3:5-11 

Simon Peter and Andrew

These two brothers were fishermen. Jesus met them at the Sea of Galilee with their nets. He asked them to follow him so that he would make them fishers of men. Those who will bring other people to Christ immediately, leave everything and follow Jesus.

John and James Sons of Zebedee

As Jesus went further healed some of James and his brother Johnsons of Zebedee with their father mending their net. Heal so called them that they will become a fisher of men, they too left everything and followed Jesus.

Matthew Called Levi

Matthew or Levi was a tax collector at Capernaum where the customs house is located, Jesus saw him in his office and asked him to follow him, and    Matthew obeyed and followed Jesus. Later Jesus went to his house and ate with him(Matthew) and other tax collectors, the Pharisees complained that he was eating with sinners, and Jesus replied that those who are well have no need of a physician but the sick. He went further to say that he came for the sinners and not for the righteous.

NOTE: That’s the account of the call of the first four disciple differences and a more elaborate accounting of Luke. Jesus standing by the lake of Gennesaret saw two empty boats, Jesus entered Simon’s boat and taught the crowd from it. 

He later directed Simon to put his net into the sea force to catch Simon hesitated but in obedience to Jesus’ word, he put the net into the sea and the net caught a shoal of fish to the point that it started breaking. They had to call other people for assistance. After this incident, they left everything and followed Jesus.

The Demand for Discipleship

The demand for discipleship are hard and involves self-sacrifice for anyone to be a disciple of Jesus, such a person must have some qualities such as:

• Self Denial
• Positive And Promote Response
• Total Commitment
• Love, perseverance
• Humility, absolute loyalty

With the ability to face persecution, Luke captures some people who would have not met with demands. E.g Matthew and Luke gave accounts of three prospective disciples.

1. In Jerusalem, a man volunteered to follow Jesus but changed his mind when Jesus told him that birds have nests and fishes have holes but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. This man could not sacrifice his comfort and pleasure and he left.
2. Jesus called another man to follow him but the man told Jesus to allow him to go and bury his father first. Jesus advised him to let the dead bury their dead. This is to tell us that the call to serve God should take prominence in your life and not procrastinate. Those who do not accept the gospel are spiritually dead, neglecting the spiritual things and attending to the physical things.
3. Jesus called another man to follow him but the man asked Jesus for permission to go home and bid farewell to his people. Jesus said to him “No one who puts his hails to the plough and looks back is fit for the race of the kingdom of God”. This means that services to God demand absolute loyalty with no destruction. This man lacked total commitment. This episode is only recorded in Luke’s gospel.

Moral Lessons

1. Discipleship Demands Sacrifices: A good disciple sacrifices his time, money, energy, pleasure, etc, for the sake of the gospel.
2. It Demands Total Commitment, absolute loyalty, and dedication.
3. It involves loving God more than any man, like father, mother, wife, husband, or sibling.
4. God can call anybody into his service, even sinners.
5. We should not make hasty decisions about serving God but rather weigh the demands to be sure we can cope before entering into God’s service.
6. We should be ready to endure suffering/challenges/persecution in the course of serving God.
7. We should renounce earthly things as we cannot serve God and the world at the same time.

Factors Militating Against The Discipleship

1. Fear Of Discomfort-no shelter(Matt.8:20)
2. Procrastination(Matt.8:22,Lk.9:5-6)
3. Rationalization Of The Demands Of The Discipleship(Matt.8:22,Lk.9:59-61)
4. Excuses Based On Family And Self Preservation Purpose(Lk.9:60-61;14:26-27)
5. Ineffectiveness(Lk.14:34-35)
6. Fear of suffering if one follows Jesus.

Today Jesus is still calling on people to follow him, sinners should repent and follow Jesus.