The life that wins is a disciplined life. Over and over again
in the New Testament believers are called "disciples",
and disciple is one who learns of Christ, follows Him and obeys
Him. Broadly speaking, of course, every Christian is a disciple;
and yet there is a sense in which it is possible to be a Christian,
to be saved and to know that you sins are forgiven, and yet not
to tread the path of discipleship - for to be a disciple means
to be a disciplined Christian. Discipleship, therefor is a costly
business. The question is: Are you one of this Man's disciples?
The Man referred to in John 18:17 is, of course, the Lord Jesus.
The one to whom this question was addressed was Peter. The questioner
was a girl who minded the outer door of the High Priest's house.
The question is pointed, personal, challenging and disturbing.
What is your answer to it? Perhaps it will be easier to answer
it with a definite "Yes" or "No" after we
have considered some of the clearly defined conditions of discipleship
which Jesus Himself laid down. What are the conditions of discipleship?
What are the marks of a true disciple of the Lord Jesus?
1. The first condition or mark of discipleship is HATING.
This sounds very strange, but Luke 14:26 assures us that it is
nevertheless true. Notice how emphatic our Lord's words are --
"If any man...hate not...he cannot...." Must I hate
my parents, my husband, my wife, my children or other loved ones,
if I am to be a disciple of Christ? What does this mean? It means
that the Lord Jesus must come first. If a choice has to be made
between my relatives and what they want, and Christ and what He
wants, then He must come first.
2. The second condition or mark of discipleship is CROSS-BEARING.
This is made very clear in Luke 14:17. Notice again how emphatic
these words are---"And any who does not---cannot." Any
man who will not take up his cross cannot be a true disciple of
the Lord Jesus Christ. But what does cross-bearing mean? It does
not refer to various trials that beset us abut which we sometimes
hear people say, "That's my cross!" To bear the cross,
to take up the cross and follow Jesus, means that we are willing
to be hated, persecuted and misunderstood as He was. We do this
out of love for Him, Who out of love for us was willing to be
crucified upon the cross of Calvary. Have you taken your stand
openly for Christ? Do your friends and your loved ones know that
you are a Christian? Are you this Man's disciple?
3. The third condition or mark of discipleship is FORSAKING.
Here again in Luke 14:33, notice the emphatic words --"any
of you who does not---cannot." What doe sit mean? If I am
His disciple must I forsake all that I have? Yes! It means that
I must abandon all claim to all that I have. It means "hands
off" my life, my home, my loved ones, my money, my possessions
- in other words, all that I have regarded as "mine",
and I will henceforth look upon them as "His", and I
will no longer have any claim to them. How do you measure up to
this standard? Are you this Man's disciple?
4. The fourth condition or mark of discipleship is CONTINUING.
The scripture for us is John 8:31. Notice again how very clear
it is --"If you hold to....you really are." To hold
to, or to continue, means to abide in Christ, to grow up into
Christ and to shape our lives in conformity to His Word and His
will. It means to led the Word of the Lord be the final authority
in our lives and to seek day by day to live in submission to that
Word and in obedience to Him. How do you measure us to this? Are
you reading, meditating and feeding upon His Word? Are you this
Man's disciple?
5. The fifth condition or mark of discipleship is LOVING.
We read about this in John 13:35. Love is the badge of discipleship
that He will recognize. Notice that it says---"if you love...".
It is hard to be a real Christian, a disciplined Christian, a
true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, as these scriptures show;
but how glorious it is to be altogether His, an out-and-out, decided
and determined disciple of the Lord! Are you this Man's disciple?
In Christ's love,
Floyd McPhee 
