DISCIPLE

A Disciple comes from a Discipline.  Someone who follows a certain training or teaching.  Jesus had people who followed Him learning His teaching and "soaking up" His training.  What Christians call The Twelve Disciples were not the only Followers of Christ's teaching and training.  Other men and women followed Jesus through His years of earthly ministry (Acts 1:15).  Throughout the centuries the call to live under the discipline of Jesus has continued to flow through those who have decided Jesus is their Lord and Savior.

The Discipline of Jesus was and is Love.  "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." - 1 John 4:16

Jesus ascended and then sent the Holy Spirit to aid us in being effective Disciples for Him.  Jesus was the full expression of love on earth while He was here.

• "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," - Colossians 1:19 
• "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form," - Colossians 2:9

Now that He is physically at the right hand of Father God, He is present through every Believer by His Holy Spirit.

• "...if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us." - 1 John 4:12

There it was all wrapped in one verse for us.  In the form of an "IF" statement, God can live in us and God's Discipline of Love can be fully expressed through us now.  Jesus was a man of compassion.  We should be the same.  We need to find out the ways Jesus was compassionate and mimic those ways.  In addition, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we need to find enhanced ways to help people and show the love and compassion of Christ.  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." - John 14:12

It is not enough to be a Fan In The Stands ("Let's go Jesus, He's our man, if He can't do it, nobody can!"). That chant should not be the mantra of the Christian who desires to be a true Disciple of Jesus Christ. Christians, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, are Christ's hands, feet, words, and compassion extended to the world since Jesus ascended to the right hand of Father God.  The men and women Jesus approached He used the word Follow in the phrase and calling - "Follow me" (Matthew 4:19).  The words for Follow in Greek, Deute (dyoo-teh) and Opiso combine to convey - come out from where you are in life right now and follow me (literally and in teaching). So, let's exercise our Faith that Jesus speaks of in the John 14:12 verse above.  Let's follow through on doing what He did - exemplified a Discipline of Love and show what it is to be a true Disciple of Christ.