The message of Jesus was never intended to be safe . They killed him after all , and they killed his closest friends . When the gospel message takes root in your life , it is nothing short of revolutionary . It ’ s not a helpful add-on to your already busy life . No , the message of Jesus changes everything .
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best when he wrote , “ The cross is laid on every Christian . The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world .... When Christ calls a man , he bids him come and die .” Die to your plan . Die to your way . Surrender . Entrust your life wholly to God . And make the pursuit of him the center of your life . This is the essence of discipleship .
But as soon as you decide to do this — as soon as you take the step and trust God with your whole heart — you will discover that saying yes to being a disciple on the one hand and living out the call of disciple- ship on the other are two very different things .
The apostle Paul modeled the heart behind successful discipleship when he wrote to the church of Thessalonica . He began by telling the church , “ For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive , but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel , so we speak , not to please man , but to please God who tests our hearts ” ( 1 Thessalonians 2:3 – 4 ).
Notice that Paul intentionally appealed to them . He shared a compelling vision of what life could be like as a follower of Christ . He told them about a life full of joy , a life of peace with God , a life brimming with hope , power , and purpose . If you are going to make disciples , it begins with an appeal . Look for those who already display a hunger for God and are eager to grow . Don ’ t ever drag someone into discipleship — it will never work ! Find someone who is spiritually hungry , and appeal to him or her that life can be different .
After Paul appealed to the Thessalonians with a greater vision , he immediately dealt with motive . He bared his heart before them , telling the church plainly that he had no intention to manipulate or deceive . He emphasized the fact that he was not a man-pleaser .
“ But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel , so we speak , not to please man , but to please God who tests our hearts . For we never came with words of flattery , as you know , nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness ” ( 1 Thessalonians 2:4 – 5 ).
Impure motives will sabotage the discipleship process . If you care more about people liking you than you do honoring God , you can never make disciples . Paul lived to please God , which purified his motives . He didn ’ t take advantage of people or push his agenda on them . His only motive was to help them grow — not hit a quota or feel important .
“ Nor did we seek glory from people , whether from you or from others , though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ ” ( 1 Thessalonians 2:6 ). Once Paul had appealed to these Christians with vision and demonstrated a pure motive , he modeled an attitude of deep humility .
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