Disciples faithfully follow Jesus.

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Central Truth

Jesus can make anyone who believes in Him into a disciple. Our past doesn’t disqualify us from becoming a disciple of Jesus. Our sinfulness is no match for His forgiveness and sanctification. All disciples start out as sinners. Any person has the opportunity to follow Jesus and become like Him.

Key Question

How is being a disciple of Jesus different from any other kind of living?

Keep in Mind

“Following” people is a trend in our culture. Everyone is “following” a social media influencer, a band, or a sports team. We may never apply the practices of the social media influencer, learn to play the songs of the band, or become proficient in our favorite team’s sport; we’re “following” them mostly for entertainment. Following Jesus is the most radical decision a person can make. It is an all-or-nothing, leave-it-all-behind, whatever-it-takes commitment. Following Jesus means He’s in charge of our lives. Disciples seek to learn from Jesus and live with Jesus so they can live like Jesus and make more disciples. Discipleship saturates every second of our lives. Over time, the Holy Spirit transforms disciples into the image of Jesus. Peter, James, John, and Andrew could live like Jesus because they had lived with Him and learned from Him. Jesus calls each of us to leave the self-led, self-made life behind and embrace the life of a daily devoted disciple of Christ. 

APPLICATION

What motivates us to follow Jesus over a lifetime?

THE WIN

FOR THE STUDENT: Culture screams, “Follow your dreams!” Jesus says, “Follow me.” Our best-constructed plan for our lives compared to Jesus’s plan for our lives is like a candle compared to the sun. The disciple’s life is the most exciting, challenging, God-honoring, rewarding life available. Our Creator calls to each of us. Who will answer the call?  

FOR THE LEADER: One of the measures for Christ’s success as a disciple-maker was how well His disciples did after He ascended to heaven. As leaders, we must train our students not to depend solely on us for encouragement or growth. We must train them to follow Jesus and to be fully dependent on His Spirit in every situation they encounter.