Students of Jesus

Sometimes we forget that we are students of Jesus. Yes, we often do a good job remembering and acknowledging Him as our Savior — but often times, the whole “acknowledging Jesus as Lord idea” is lacking in our lives.

Yes, Jesus is our perfect Savior. Thank God for such love and grace and forgiveness! But it doesn’t end there!

In the Greek, which the New Testament is composed in, the word “disciple” comes from mathetes, which means student.

Student. Let that sink in.

We are called to be disciples of Jesus and we are told to go and make more disciples of Jesus.

If we are students of Jesus, what does that make Jesus?

TEACHER, MASTER, LORD

We are students who are called to go make more students of this Master, this Teacher, Jesus.

We are students of Jesus, our Master, our Lord.

What are the implications here? If we are students, and Jesus is our teacher, what does this mean? What does this look like? Like any student or apprentice and teacher relationship, shouldn’t it be ever-growing? Shouldn’t it be ever-deepening?

Students watch and learn from their teachers: the ins, the outs, and the in betweens. Students spend time with their teachers.

In 1st John 2:6 it says that “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (NASB)

It’s a really practical thing.

In Christianity today, we seem to have lost the art of practice when it comes to our faith. By practice, you could think discipline; and by discipline, you could more succinctly think the Spiritual disciplines. Are we disciplined in spending time with our Teacher, our Master, Jesus? Are we a people of prayer? And by prayer, I’m talking the kind that Jesus teaches us of. He gives us a model:

“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 6:9-13 (ESV)

Do we take time to just sit in awe of His “hallowed” name when we pray? Do we pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we could be forces of power in His Kingdom, as it breaks into the old age and old ways of the Earthly empire? Do we pray that just for the day, we may graciously be provided with what we need? Do we pray for forgiveness and confess to our good Father, and that we could have the power and humility to do the same to others in our lives? Do we earnestly pray that He may search us and know us; that we may be led away from temptation and be delivered from evil?

Jesus also said this about prayer:

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6 (ESV)

Just us, and God, alone: do we pray raw and organically and honestly, bearing it all before our Father who wants to take it and make something of it? Any prayer we pray can find it’s ground in this model of prayer given to us by our teacher, Jesus!

In and by prayer, then, are we a people who seek God in the Scriptures?

The more time that students spend with their teachers, the more they become like their teachers.

HE CHANGES US

The more they become like their teachers, the more they begin to see how the teacher sees things – they begin to see how the teacher does things. We spend time with Jesus, and we begin to learn from Him. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we become like Jesus. The more we become like Him, the more we begin to see the world and its people how He sees them. The more we begin to see the world and its people as Jesus does, the more we begin to do what He did and does.

Jesus is our salvation. Thank God for such love and grace! As it’s written in Acts, there’s no other name that saves. Only the name of Jesus moves in power and salvation.

But it doesn’t end there.

IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING

Recorded in Matthew is a crucial moment where Jesus tells what Lordship is to His students:

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

Now this is surrender.

Once we enter a relationship with Jesus, we are automatically made His students. He is now our Master and Lord. Being His student never ends. The ever-deepening journey of submitting and surrendering to Him as Lord is the greatest journey we could ever embark on.

Check out 2nd Corinthians 3:18:

“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (NLT)

C’mon! Yes! Amen!

LET US LEARN AND GROW

Let us become more and more like Jesus every day. Let us go and make more students of Jesus. May we all together participate in the new thing that God has done and is doing through Jesus: bringing the Kingdom of Heaven down into our homes, communities, churches, and lives.

Into our hearts, and overflowing into our world.