Are We Disciples?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 18th of January, 2026.  This service is the third of our hybrid series - part traditional and part modern.  If all went well, a recording of the service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

In our responsive reading a few minutes ago, we listed many ways we Christians can show our love for each other.  We said that true fellowship is close communion with God and with one another.  That word “communion” means more than sharing the body and blood of Jesus a few times each year.  A communion is also an association, a close group of like-minded individuals having a common religious faith or shared interest.  While we are all unique persons, often with differing opinions and from different backgrounds, the one thing we have in common is Jesus, our belief in Jesus.

But being a Christian – a real Christian – requires more than just believing in Jesus, even more than affirming Him as the Son of God.  Demons know exactly who - and what - Jesus is, but they’re not Christians.  Being a Christian means being a disciple of Christ Jesus, and being a disciple means following Him, following the example of His life, and living it.

Not long after feeding the 4000, Jesus and His disciples traveled by boat to the region of Magdala.  Some Pharisees and Sadducees came there and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign, too, like He had done for the 4000 and so many others.  He refused, telling them they’d already received signs, including the sign of the prophet Jonah and his time in the belly of a fish and in Nineveh.  Then Jesus took the disciples and went to the Gentile city of Caesarea Philippi.  It was there that Jesus delivered a very important lesson to His followers.

Please listen as the Apostle Matthew shares this lesson with us, as recorded in the 16th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 13 through 27, and as read by Myrna Davis from the New American Standard Bible version of our Holy Bible.

13 Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He gave the disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. 22 And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds.”

--Matthew 16:13-27 (NASB)

Before going further, I’d like to clarify that when Jesus speaks of what is bound on earth and heaven, that thing is forbidden on earth and in heaven.  Likewise, when something is loosed on earth and in heaven, it is permitted, allowed.  And when He says “if anyone wants to come after Me”, we can read that as “if anyone wants to follow Me”.  To be His disciple means to deny self, carry the burden of the cross, and follow the path He set.

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, You have given each of us a measure of faith to believe that Jesus is Your Son and our Redeemer.  Then it’s up to us what to do with that faith.  We can accept Him as our Lord and do our best to carry out His commands, or we can sit back and let our faith grow lukewarm or cold.  Father, too often we forget that Jesus expects our faith to lead us to be His disciples and to make more disciples in turn by sharing the Gospel with others.  He wants us to truly follow Him and His example.  Please help us put aside the ways of the world and be better followers.  Help us return hatred with love, violence with prayer and forgiveness.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus as we walk through this life.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us.  Tell each of us what we need to hear.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Christian educator and clergyman Nathan Schaeffer once wrote:

At the close of life, the question will not be,

"How much have you gotten?" but "How much have you given?"

Not "How much have you won?" but "How much have you done?"

Not "How much have you saved?" but "How much have you sacrificed?"

It will be "How much have you loved and served," not "How much were you honored?"

The things the world values, God sees as insignificant.  Focus on the things of heaven, do the will of God.  This is how we follow Jesus, who always did the will of our Father God.

My dear friend the Rev. Dr. Allen Tyndall once told me that, "The mark of a disciple of Jesus is to be an influence on the culture in which we live."  Too many good Christians allow the culture to be an influence on them, rather than the other way around.  But it’s hard to let go of the world.  I mean, we’re born into it and live all our days in it.  We breath it, smell it, hear it, taste it, feel it.  It’s everywhere we go and always in our sight.

The trick is to live in the world but not of the world.  This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he told us not to be conformed to the world.  Jesus warned that the world will hate us if we follow Him, and no one really wants to be hated, so I think this is one reason some people choose to not fully follow Jesus, or at least not to let anyone other than their fellow believers know that they follow Him.

The thing is, we’re supposed to have a positive influence on the world.  And we do that by bringing more people to Christ.  But we want to sit still in the boat and not make any waves.  We want to quietly worship God and Jesus without ruffling any feathers.  We trust in the Lord, but not so much that we’re willing to go out on a limb for Him.  So are we really disciples?

If we do call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ Jesus, how will anyone know?  The Apostle James, half-brother of Jesus, says that our good works will give evidence of our faith, our belief, our discipleship.  I believe, though, that this is simply a follow-on to something Jesus once said.

Spreading the Gospel message and making more disciples isn’t the only thing Jesus told us to do.  Some might say it wasn’t even the most important command He left us with.  The Apostle John recorded this other command for us, and I think this fostered James’ discourse on faith and works.  Hear the words of Jesus as saved for us by John in verses 34 and 35 of the 13th chapter of his Gospel account…

34 “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

--John 13:34-35 (NASB)

Some of us have trouble even loving other believers, let alone non-believers.  But if we honestly love one another, all others, we will try to help them out of trouble.  And there’s no greater trouble than eternal damnation, everlasting pain and punishment.

This is where James’ good works comes in.  To help the non-believers, we do as Jesus commanded and share the Good News with them.  They may accept it, they may not.  But at least we’ll have planted a seed.  Someone else may come along and till the ground and water that seed.  The seed may grow and flourish into a beautiful spirit, or it may wither and die.  At least we’ll have tried, and we’ll have done what Jesus commanded.  Then we can truly call ourselves disciples.

While looking for and capturing the music for this service, I did a quick Google AI search on discipleship.  Here’s a summery of the result:  “The mark of a disciple of Jesus is a transformed life characterized by love for God and others, obedience to His teachings, bearing spiritual fruit like love, joy, and peace, actively making new disciples, and a commitment to prayer, worship, and fellowship within the Christian community, all rooted in a surrendered, learning heart that follows Christ daily.”  As much as I hate to admit it, not being a big fan of AI, I believe this nails discipleship.

Let’s do a little self-examination and note how many of those traits we can see in ourselves.  And then let’s work on all the rest.  Then, if someone asks are we disciples, we can truthfully answer, “Yes”.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, by Your love and mercy, You gave us the faith to believe in and follow Your Son Jesus.  But sometimes we have trouble with the “follow” part.  We hesitate to share our faith in public, to talk to someone we don’t know and tell them about Jesus, to reach out the hand of fellowship and love to folks who may hate what we believe in.  Sometimes we even struggle to love our fellow believers.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  We thank You for the faith You’ve given us.  Please embolden us to put that faith into action, so we can truly call ourselves disciples.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so… 

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us how to live by how You lived.  You had a greater impact on the entire world than anyone else who has ever walked this sod, yet You only ask that we help change our little corner.  Please help us ignore any effect the culture may have on us, and help us instead to influence the culture.  Help us make a positive change in the world around us, in our own neighborhood and community.  Help us be more open in showing our faith, putting Satan behind us so that we don’t stumble.  Please forgive us when we struggle to love others, or even talk to them about You.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, sharing Your love as we go.  Help us be true disciples.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.