Is Your Pastor A Disciple?: Jesus’ Shocking Statement

The Monday Heart-Check!

(Watch this 3 minute video!)

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Is Your Pastor A Disciple?: Jesus’ Shocking Statement

(Transcript)

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, he gave his disciples a great commission: to go and make disciples of all nations— baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything that Jesus commanded.

The question that we have to ask ourselves as Christians is: Can I really make disciples before I become one?

In Luke 14:33, Jesus makes a shocking statement, one which not very many of your pastors can say that they are in obedience to. He says,

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up
everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 (NIV)

In the NET version, it says,

“Any of you who does not renounce all of his possessions
cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 (NET)

Our first priority, brothers and sisters, has to be to become disciples of Jesus Christ. And if we want to do that, we have to do it on His terms.

“Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle,
will not sit down first and determine whether he is able
with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him
with twenty thousand? If he cannot succeed, he will send a
representative while the other is still a long way off and ask
for terms of peace. In the same way therefore not one of
you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own
possessions.” Luke 14:31-33 (NET)

If we are following leaders who say we don’t need to listen to Jesus’ terms of peace in order to become disciples and to inherit eternal life, then as Jesus said, they are blind guides—and if you follow a blind guide, then both he and you are going to fall into a pit.

“Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind,both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:14 (NIV)

Jesus even said to his own disciples, who were exalted leaders in the Church of God, that they were not to allow anyone to call them “teacher” or “father”, because Jesus is our only teacher and our God in Heaven is our only father.

So if you are listening to teachers who are telling you that you don’t have to listen to what Jesus has to say about becoming a disciple, then it is time to focus your energies on following the Rabbi himself, and doing what he says in John 8:31:

“If you hold to my teaching then you are really my disciples, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (NIV)

Ask yourself: Are the spiritual leaders, the pastors, the Bible teachers, and the that priests you’re listening to telling you—by their words or their actions—that you can become a disciple without adhering to Jesus’ terms?

And if you are following people who do not even qualify, according to Jesus Christ, to be a disciple…then how can they make a disciple out of you?

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“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

John 9:4

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