“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…unto the uttermost part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 (KJV)
The words of the song titled “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” should encourage every believer to strive to develop a deeper relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. As we continually seek to follow our Saviour without intending to turn back, we are moving in a positive direction toward becoming disciples of Jesus.
Discipleship is the process of following Jesus Christ: learning from Him, imitating His life, and growing into His likeness. The word disciple comes from the Greek mathētēs, meaning “learner” or “follower,” but in the New Testament it carries the deeper meaning of one who learns and lives out the teachings of their master.
From the above, we can deduce that committed followers must be disciplined, obedient, submissive, and excellent learners who are willing, first of all, to internalise and focus on personal growth, and thereafter to live out their faith with courage and conviction, with the aim of making disciples for the kingdom of God.
This cannot be accomplished with human strength alone; help is needed. We need the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, to empower us for effective service in kingdom building. The Holy Spirit is always willing to partner with God’s children to help them to follow Jesus and learn from Him. When we fulfil this mandate, each one will, in turn, be motivated to reach out with the Gospel and win others for Jesus.
Two examples of persons in the Bible who followed God and Jesus Christ closely are Moses and John the Baptist. They put into practice what they were taught and discipled many.
Today, like Moses, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the Bible who were empowered by the Holy Spirit, let us seek to be imitators of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, even as He empowers us to minister as these two great servants. God’s kingdom requires more workers! Allow Him to empower you today as role models who learn and live out our Master’s teachings.
Read: John 15:8; Ephesians 5:1-2
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 89:14-18; Romans 9:22-33; Romans 10:1-4; I Chronicles 1; I Chronicles 2:1-17