Biblical Examples of following Jesus:

…contiuned from discipleship

If we rightly resist the temptation to look to the latest 4 step process for disciple-making, or the latest book on Discipleship but rather first look to the Holy inerrant word of God we will see sufficient examples of how Jesus lived, What he commanded of us and how discipleship played out in the lives of the Apostles.

What did Jesus himself tell us about being a Disciple:

Jesus not only commanded us to “Go and make Disciples of all nations”, He was also very clear what a Disciple was to do :

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
Love one another : By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
“Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19-20)
A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

In Luke 14 Jesus explains:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26-27 ESV

Now we know that Jesus is not advocating that we hate our Mother or Father but rather that we hold Him above all else. As infinitely more valuable because of what he did for us, what he still does for us and what we are promised as a follower of Christ!

Actions that are consistant with Biblical Discipleship

Preaching

This Doesn’t mean everyone has to be a “preacher” in the formal ordained sense. Rather delivering (preaching) the truths of the Gospel to everyone we come in contact with. Making disciples first means helping others understand the Gospel so that they want to follow Jesus. how will they know the truth of the Gospel if we are not preaching it?

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who ^[i]bring good news of good things!”

Paul and Peter preached tirelessly wherever they were. When Paul was in prison – he preached (Phil 1:13-14), When he was in the marketplace – he preached, When he was in the Synagog he preached (Acts 13:14-52). After Peter and John were arrested by the Sanhedrin for preaching they exclaimed that they could do no other (Acts 4:20)

Paul and Barnabas continued to Preach after Paul was stoned. “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples,…” (Acts 14:21)
Peter and John refused to stop preaching the Gospel after being arrested and brought in front of the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:20-21)
A look at Acts 28 whill show us that Paul, while in Rome, had no reservation about where he preached. While he was a prisioner – he preached (Acts 28:16), when he was in chains – he preached (Acts 28:20), when he was in his houshold – he preached (Acts 28:23).
Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and wihtout hindrance (Acts 28:31).

Like Paul and Peter, the truths of Gods word should be on our lips morning, noon, and night, When we are home or when we travel, when we wake and when we sleep (Deut 11:19)

Teaching

The Apostles repeatedly referred to Jesus as Rabbi [ didáskalos / rhabbouní ] meaning Teacher (John 1:38, John 4:31, John 9:2, Mark 9:5, Mark 11:21……)

Disciple (mathēteuō) in the New Testament means “Learner” or “Pupil”. The disciples of Jesus were students who enrolled in Jesus’ rabbinic school. To follow Jesus involved literally walking around behind Him as He instructed them.

Paul’s examples of teaching others about Christ are almost limitless. Aside from direct and thurough instruction to Timothy and Titus in those respective Epistles, you will find enough doctrine and application in Romans and Ephesians to form a biblically accurate view of Christ and the foundations of how to live out the Christian Faith.

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:7)
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:9)
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, (Romans 6:17)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:42 ESV

As you can see in Acts 2:42, they “Devoted themselves to the apostles teaching”. To be a Disciple and not be learning is to be no Disciple at all. Discipleship always has an external effect and requires initiative (ref: Kittle TDNT)

Prayer

Prayer is a command in Scripture. However, I believe it equally important to realize that prayer is an immense privilege. Under the Abrahamic covenant, The High Priest was the only one who could make intercession for the people. In addition, they had to wait for specific times of the year, prepare a sacrifice and pray to God in a very specific way, in a very specific place (Hebrews 9:7).

Since His Resurrection and Ascension we have Jesus Christ as our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14) who sits at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for us (Romans 8:34): Not only is Jesus our High Priest but Jesus is greater than any other priest, so He is called our “Great High Priest” in Hebrews 4:14. Because of this precious fact, we that confess with our lips Jesus as Lord and Savior, have the privilege of praying to God at any time, anywhere. We would do well to remember this and respond in obedience.

Depending on which translation and Concordance you reference, the word pray and all of its conjugations for various tenses (pray, prayed, praying) is found over 360 times. Let us take a look at a few different examples of prayer in the bible:

Commanded to Pray

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)
Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Eph 6:18)
Pray without ceasing, (1 Thess 5:17)
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matt 5:44)
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, (1 Tim 2:1)

Tought How to pray

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Luke 11:1-4 NASB

The prayer that Jesus used to instruct his disciples how to pray is repeated during his sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matt 5 now commonly referred to as “the Lord’s Prayer” or the “Template Prayer”.

Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 5:9-13 ESV

Examples of Prayer

Hebrews 10 tell us that Jesus offered up prayers to God the Father:

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him [God] who was able to save Him [Jesus] from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Hebrews 10:7 ESV (italics added)

We also have numerous examples in scripture of prayer by Jesus and the Disciples. These recorded prayers should be encouraging and motivating to us as well as provide biblical examples of prayer for us to emulate:

Jesus Prays:
- Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, (Luke 3:21)
- And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
- In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12-13)
- Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. (Luke 9:28-29)
- So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. (John 11:41)
- John 17:1-26 (Jesus High Priestly Prayer)
- And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) modeling Matthew 5:44
- And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46), (Mark 15:34)
Pauls prayers from his Epistles
- Romans 1:8-10
- Romans 15:5-6
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
- Ephesians 3:14-21
- Philippians 1:3-6
- Colossians 1:3-14

Accountability

Accountability is part of Christian character. Lack of accountability shows a lack of Humility and a rearing up of the Pride of Life. Accountability is a prerequisite for repentance and aids in the process of forgiveness.

James calls us to accountability in verse 16 of chapter 5 when he tells us:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,
James 5:16a ESV

Confession is accountability.

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, (Matthew 12:36)
Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. (Acts 19:18)
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established …….. (Matthew 18:15-17)
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)

As Christians, we need to be accountable because God himself calls us to be accountable and we will all certainly be required to “give an account” Rom 14:12

Obediance

To enter into a saving relationship with Jesus is to confess Him as Lord and savior. Pauls tells us in Romans :

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 ESV

The word used for Lord is kyrios (Strongs: 2962. κύριος) meaning “Master” or “supreme in authority”. If Jesus is Lord over us then it should go without saying that we are to be obedient to his commands. Johns record to Jesus word confirms this:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14:15 (NASB)

Peter and Paul also both stress this point:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,(1 Peter 1:14)
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. (1 Peter 1:2)
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (Philippians 2:12)
Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, (Romans 1:5)

Not only are we to practice obedience with our actions but in word and thought also:

We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor 10:5 (NASB)

Jesus was, and still is, the perfect example of obedience. In Matthew 5:17 we read

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Matt 5:17 ESV

How did he fulfill [ plēroō : satisfy, finish, complete ] the law? By being obedient to it. Jesus himself tells us “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 6:38. The New Testament is replete with examples of Jesus being obedient as well as him explaining to his disciples that he is not here to exercise his will but to do the will of his father.

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (John 5:19)
I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. (John 8:28b)

The author of Hebrews also tells us how Jesus was obedient:

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
Hebrews 10:8 ESV

So then if Jesus was obedient to the will of the father should not we then do the same? He tells us so in Matthew Chapter 7:

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
Matt 7:21 (NASB)

Remember that Discipleship requires obedience because Jesus not only commands it but he demonstrated it in a way that only he could.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Love

Of Course, the Bible itself is a story of God’s love for his children and his plan to redeem them through the ultimate act of Love, Sending his only begotten Son to die for them….. So then, Love, as a communicable attribute of God himself is something that MUST be present in a Christian’s life. This is made clear when Paul exclaims in his first Epistle to the Corinthians :

1 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.

Jesus Himself confirms this when asked by the Pharisees “Which is the Greatest commandment and he answered:

³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

“ALL THE LAW AND PROPHETS HANG ON THESE” Think about the significance of this statement from our Lord! And if we were to try to disconnect Love from Discipleship, Jesus prevents such an attempt in John 13 when he exclaims:

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Unfortunately, in the current society we need define love. Because of misconstrued definitions many folks associate Love with a feeling. That is surely not the case. Lets look at a biblical definition of Love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Conclusion

While there are countless additional biblical references to further support the points made above, both in the New Testament and Old, I chose to focus on New Testament examples for the sake of the context of discipleship. I hope that what is written is enough to help clarify and move you to embrace Discipleship as the mandate that it is as well as embrace obedience to Christ as both the obligation and blessing that it is as a Christian.

If you are not in a sound biblical church I plead with you to find one. If you do not have a group of fellow Christians that exhibit these characteristics to some measure, who are about doing the Lord’s will and loving the Lord’s people I implore you to pray earnestly that God would either surround you with such people or give you the intentionality to seek others in an effort to make disciples.

Additional Resources

Search for a group on Disciple Place : HERE