Title Become a Disciple
Gospel of John (103) Become a disciple (John 18:19-27)
<Become a disciple>
There are three types of Christian leaders. A revivalist, a saint, and a martyr. Revivalists have a strong sense of lion, saints have a strong sense of service, and martyrs have a strong sense of cross. Disciple encompasses the lives of revivalists, saints, and martyrs. A disciple must go on the path of martyrdom as a servant of heaven as well as a messenger from heaven. If you live the life of a disciple like this, the heavens will be touched and the work of the earth will be fulfilled. The Lord wants the saints to follow the path of discipleship. But the road is not easy.
When Jesus was arrested, most of the disciples disappeared, and even Peter denied knowing the Lord three times. When Jesus performed a miracle, a large crowd followed him, but when he was crucified, the crowd disappeared. Here's the difference between 'a crowd' and 'disciple'. The crowd comes to get some blessing, but the disciples come together to carry the cross. So there are many crowds, but few disciples. German theologian Bonhoeffer said: “The fatal flaw in the church today is the lack of discipleship.”
If you look at the meetings led by one group, most of the worship services say that they believed in Jesus and received worldly blessings. The preacher said, “A deacon prayed for a car, and it was given to me on December 7th!” Then they applaud and shout. Of course, God also provides a car. But do you only provide cars? You are the one who gave me both legs. Is your car large? Do you have big legs? The grace of two legs is much greater.
Also, the preacher said, “At the dawn of December 30, the son of the deacon had a stomach ache due to an acute appendix, and he was healed as if he had washed his hands after laying his hands on his hands.” Then they clapped and clapped again. Of course, God also heals the appendix. However, He is the God of greater grace that prevents the appendix from getting caught. How sad it is to be engrossed in Satan's temptation to turn stones into bread without giving thanks for such a greater and more precious thing.
The Lord does not expect the dawn of history through the crowd who see and follow external phenomena with an ups and downs attitude. Because when there is a miracle, the crowd will say, “Wow!” It is because they know very well that when there is no miracle, they will say, “Crucify him!” Don't be a fire moth fed with ups and downs, but become a disciple who can receive the Lord's blessings and endure the Lord's sufferings. The size of the church is not in the number of the crowd, but in the number of disciples.
< Longing for the power of the Holy Spirit >
If you look at the figure of Peter in the text, he is cowardly, embarrassed, restless, and indecisive. But after 53 days he becomes a great witness. What happened in between? There was an incident of receiving the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. In order for such a crowd to become disciples, it is the filling of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, when the disciples asked about the restoration of Israel, Jesus answered. “It is not for you to know the time or the season, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth .” There was no way other than the power of the Holy Spirit to make the cowardly Peter a great witness. Almost the only way to become a disciple is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Always long for the power of the Holy Spirit. When there is something in your life that you feel as a wall that you cannot overcome, the best way to overcome that wall is to receive the Holy Spirit. Of course, just because Peter received the Holy Spirit did not mean that he lived a perfect life without mistakes or failures. He is weak and lacking several times after Acts 2. The important thing is that once you break the difficult wall with the power of the Holy Spirit, you will become a much more mature and strong soul than before.
In particular, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will overflow with the three virtues: faith, hope, and love. Faith pleases the soul, hope energizes life and keeps it busy, and love makes even the hated look pretty. So, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will have 'happy, busy, pretty'. Always be filled with the Holy Spirit, full of joy in your heart, busy doing God's work, and be blessed hearts that look good to everyone.