To Be A Disciple - Part 10

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To Be A Disciple - Part 10

MP4 Video - 720p (99.04 MB)
MP3 Audio (1.68 MB)
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What One Quality? - You might think being a disciple means you need a lot of skills.

Transcript

 

[Darris McNeely] What are the most important qualities to become a disciple? What one essential quality might we look for in becoming a disciple? You know, sometimes we think that to be a disciple of Christ, we must have a lot of talents, lot of skills, lots of gifts. And that's not always the case. The qualities and the essential ingredients in becoming a disciple are down deep and inside – and when we look at that and understand it, it's encouraging and it helps us to realize that we don't have to be the smartest person, we don't have to be the most talented person. When we look at how Jesus called – and who He called – it teaches us this lesson. The gifts and calling of God are without merit on our part – it is by His grace.

Let's consider the calling of the disciple Nathanael. In John chapter 1, we read where this one disciple is called, beginning in verse 43. "The following day, Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And He said to him, 'Follow Me'." Again, the same call to every disciple, "Follow Me". "Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. And Philip found Nathanael and said, 'We have found Him of whom Moses and the law, and also the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see'." Little bit of rivalry between Nazareth and perhaps Bethsaida and some of those other cities of Galilee. "And Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and He said to him" – or He said of him – "'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit' (John 1:43-47). No guile.

What a statement to be made about anyone. "An Israelite in whom there's no deceit." I'm sorry to say I don't measure up to that. I don't know about you, but it is a worthy goal and a worthy quality. It goes on to talk about the fact that Christ saw him sitting under a fig tree. He must have observed something about Nathanael to recognize that this person, He could work with and he could train.

If we're to be trained ourselves by Jesus Christ as a disciple, we have to take on a frame of mind that is beyond the normal. Now, we may not be innately framed with a mind without any deceit or guile, but it is something that we can take on. And that is the goal. Perhaps for us, as we look at becoming a disciple, we can look at that, and the way we think, and the way our mind works.

There's a verse in Philippians chapter 4 – well known – verse 8. It says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things" (Philippians 2:8). Paul here frames a mind that is without deceit – perhaps the type of mind that Nathanael had. Certainly, the type of mind that you and I have. To focus on that as a mindset – that then is a key ingredient in our training and preparation to become a disciple.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.