Being a Disciple of Jesus

 

What does it really mean to be a follower or a disciple of Jesus?

 

In 1 John 4 John gives us five evidences that we have surrendered our lives to Jesus and are relating to Him as Savior and Lord.

 

1 John 4:2-3

By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming and now is in the world already.

 

A disciple of Jesus acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh and that He is from God.

 

John writes in John chapter 1 that the Word, Jesus, is God. If a person acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh and that He is God in the flesh, that person is of God. If a person does not acknowledge that Jesus has come in the flesh and is God in the flesh, then he is not of God and is expressing the spirit of an antichrist. The first key in being a disciple of Jesus is to believe that Jesus is who the Bible says He is, God come in the flesh.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing Jesus as God in the flesh and living based on that truth.

 

1 John 4:6

We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 

A disciple of Jesus listens to God’s word and receives it as truth.

 

John 17:17 tells us that we are sanctified by truth and that God’s word is truth. As disciples of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit with us, and He will reveal truth and error to us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing and believing God’s word.

 

1 John 4:7-8

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

 

A disciple of Jesus loves others.

 

Jesus made it clear in Mark 12 that the greatest commandment is to love God with all that you are and love others as you love yourself. Jesus said that our love for others is the mark of being His disciple.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is love others in the way that Jesus loves us.

 

1 John 4:13

By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit.

 

Disciples of Jesus are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:18 that we are to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us, reveals truth to us, guides us to obey Jesus, and He is our seal and guarantee of our salvation.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being continually filled and thus empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

 

A disciple of Jesus is being led by love, not fear.

 

Jesus’ love is a perfect love and when Jesus’ perfect love is filling us and leading us, we will not give in to fear and let it control us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being filled with the love of Jesus and letting that love lead us and not letting fear control us.

 

Being a disciple of Jesus is not a matter of words we say but of what we allow God to do in and through us. Our belief must be seen in what we do, how we live. If it is not, then we do not really believe. A disciple of Jesus lives out their beliefs in every day living.

 

Living It Out as A Disciple of Jesus

by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe