What are the marks of true discipleship? In other words what are the characteristics of true disciples of Jesus Christ?

There are five marks of true discipleship. But, in this post, I will talk about the first mark: “true disciples follow Jesus Christ.”

Becoming a disciple is God’s invitation

In the 3 of the 4 gospels in the New Testament, Jesus is the one who went out to seek the people who would become His first disciples. You can read about in Matthew 1:1-4, Mark 3:16-19 and Luke 6: 13-19.

Clearly, God is the One who calls us to a life of discipleship. Also, God seeks us. Just as Jesus went to seek out the disciples, so He is seeking you out to follow Him.

It is an invitation open to all and in all places of life.

Becoming a disciple is a personal choice

Here’s where the people Jesus seeks out have to respond to the invitation. It is after we respond that He will give us more specific tasks to accomplish what He wants us to do. An example is that of the ones we know to the apostles. Twelve of those disciples who chose to follow Jesus, He named them apostles (Luke 6:13).

But the question is: “what does it mean to follow Jesus Christ?

There are actually many people, in the Bible, who followed Jesus. But, not all of them could not be identified as His true disciples.

Some of them, or lots of them, followed Jesus for healing, miracles, feeding of the hungry. Can you imagine being at a place and see someone feed thousands of people just with a few loaves of bread and fish? Isn’t that awesome? A person multiplying food and doing wonders, who would really refuse to associate with?

Read about the feeding of the 5,000 in the following scriptures: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15. Another story about Jesus food multiplication, but this time, to feed 4,000 is in Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8. Different places in the Bible talking about one thing: Jesus was a cool guy and would still be awesome even today if He were to do the same for us.

Who would want not to follow Him?

That, however, should never be the reason why we should follow Jesus. He Himself discouraged people to do so. For example, after multiplying food and feeding thousands of people, crowds were looking for Him even more than ever (John 6: 26-30).

That is the kind of followers Jesus is after.

Here are what should characterize a true follower of Jesus Christ.

A true disciple expresses a strong desire to follow Jesus

This desire implies a resolution and a consent to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

For a resolution to work, one has to be intentional. This means that you’ll need a good plan to help you follow Christ. You will need to design your days, weeks, months and years in a way you can accomplish your goal: to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

A true disciple comes after Jesus, and not anything else

“To come to Jesus” has to do with the following:

• A true disciple walks on the path leading to the right destination. This implies both a path and destination. Jesus is the path (John 14: 6) leading us where we should be in life. The destination in life has a twofold meaning: destination at the end of the day and our ultimate destination (heaven). 
• A true disciple has access to God through communion with God and others. Access to God is accomplished through a personal relationship with Christ (Hebrews 4: 16). It also means belonging to God’s flock with Jesus being the entry into this sheep (John 10: 7). 
• A true disciple knows what’s expected of him or her. When we talk of a path and destination, there are implications such as: discipline, boundaries and a lifestyle to adopt. This way of life, which is pleasing to God, requires the disciple to live just as Jesus lived. 

A true disciple delights in the Lord

This delight comes from what God gives to those who follow Jesus:

• Finding delight in God has to do with happiness and satisfaction, which are gifts we receive from faith in Jesus Christ. 
• Those who leave everything for Jesus’ sake will receive a hundredfold in this world and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29).
• What this means is that we receive:
• Jesus gives us joy, which no one should take away from us because Jesus is with us. (John 16:22)
  • • Jesus gives us peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14: 27).

To follow Jesus means self denial

Self denial affects our entire being: soul, mind and body. But, the most important place where this spiritual attitude begins is our soul. Here’s the reason why: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16: 26, ESV). Also, “the Son of man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10, ESV). 

When you choose to deny yourself and pick up your cross according to Matthew 16, you are simply giving ownership of who you are and what you have back to God.

Therefore, a true disciple of Jesus Christ gives up ownership of his or her life!

Here’s what self denial means:

• God be God in my life.
• I am just a creature and God is the Creator.
• Who I am is because of who God gave me through faith in Jesus Christ. 
• What I have is because of what God did through Jesus Christ for me.
• I live all the days of my life as a response to God’s calling to follow Jesus Christ and walk in His steps every second, minute and hour throughout the day.

How I can do the above?

• Pray because Jesus prayed daily.
• Study God’s Word because Jesus studied and taught God’s Word.
• Love God and the people around me because that is what Jesus did when He was here on earth.
• Serve God and the people around me because Jesus served His Father and the people until the end.

Click below to listen to the full audio sermon, on which this reflection is based.