The Benefits of Discipleship

The Benefits of Discipleship

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is hard. Two weeks ago, we looked at how hard it is. Following Jesus doesn’t mean everything will now be easy. He said we have to prioritize him over everything else.

Today we will look at the benefits of discipleship. Before we get to today’s topic, I have a question for you. Would you invite a false prophet to speak at church? Would you invite a false prophet to come and teach you individual lessons at home? Would you willingly look to a false prophet for guidance in your daily life, to disciple you?

This is exactly what we are doing when we leave the television on. When we’re watching Bollywood, African Magic, Telemundo. They are discipling this nation, and they are offering a false gospel. They offer guidance that says:

• Money is the answer to your problems.
• Your spouse isn’t good enough; you need to have an affair.
• There is adventure in lying and cheating.
• You need this product or that product to fulfill you.

The television is a false prophet. And not only do we invite it into our homes, we actually pay for its false religion. Let’s look at what television gives us. It gives us unrealistic expectations for the people who love us. It sells our souls to Mammon, the false god who attaches itself to money. It trades our true relationships for counterfeits. It sucks away our time and our energy. We sit and watch these shows instead of looking for work, and then we go to bed hungry at night and wait for the government to give us handouts that will never materialize.

Being a disciple of Jesus, however, comes with benefits. First of all, God protects his disciples. Listen to Matthew 7:24-27: 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

A disciple is one who hears Jesus’ words and puts them into practice. Jesus says that if you do, your foundation will be firm and you will stand firm. Indeed, in Romans 8:31-39, Paul asks: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

God protects his disciples, and nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus.

God gives his disciples peace. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” He knows there will be difficulties, but only in Him may we have peace in spite of tribulation. Indeed, Isaiah 26:3 tells us that: [God] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [him]! 

So God protects his disciples and gives them peace. But that’s not all. God also makes his disciples a part of his family. Ephesians 2:19 tells us: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Do you realize what this means? As disciples we are given a new identity, the members of God’s household. His family. But that’s not the only benefit of being a disciple of Jesus.

We are now getting to the best benefits. Because other people can offer protection. You can pay some cadre to protect you. Some tough guy from the neighborhood can watch over you. A guard can watch your house. We can sometimes pretend we have peace by ignoring the world around us or by working really hard to appease everyone else. But there are some things that the world can not give. Jesus’ peace is not like the world’s peace, but the biggest benefit to being Jesus’ disciple is the blessing.

Proverbs 8:32-35 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Blessed are those who keep my ways. Blessed is the one who listens to me. We want to be “blessed” don’t we? What does it mean to be blessed? Unfortunately, we who have been in church for a long time have heard the word “blessing” so many times that it has no meaning whatsoever. 

The key to what it means is held in that same Proverb. Listen to the last line again: “Whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” When we read about God’s blessing, what we are reading about is life itself. There is no one else who can bestow blessing. Indeed, Jesus says, in John 10:10 that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” 

 We can only receive abundant life from God, and we receive it by being Jesus’ disciples. We receive abundant life in this earth, but we also receive eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 tells us; “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” 

We who sow to the Spirit will receive eternal life. If we do what the Spirit leads us to do, we receive eternal life. In other words, if we are Jesus’ disciples, he grants us eternal life. So… as Jesus’ disciples, we receive life, abundant life. We receive protection and peace and eternal life.

Nobody else can make that offer. It will cost everything, but it’s worth even more than everything.