Gospel Centred Discipleship

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

Matthew 16:24-26

Hi Church,

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the principle of gospel centrality and the marks that define it. Now we turn to how that shapes our discipleship.

By discipleship, I mean our own journey of following Jesus (rather than helping others follow him, which we might call discipling). If the gospel is central, how does it shape the way we follow Jesus day by day? What is gospel centred discipleship?

What is Gospel Centred Discipleship?

Jesus calls us to follow him. To be a disciple is to become an apprentice of Jesus. He is our teacher, and we follow him and learn from him.

But the call to discipleship is more than learning. Jesus tells us that if we are to follow him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Matthew 16:24). This is not a comfortable metaphor. It is a call to death. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Crucifixion is a shocking picture of what it means to follow Jesus.

To refuse the path of discipleship is, in effect, to resist Jesus as Lord. To insist on our own way is to try and have Jesus on our terms rather than his. Again, Bonhoeffer writes, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” We dare not tolerate that kind of attitude in our hearts, and so dishonour our King.

And yet, this call to lay down our lives is not a call to earn God’s favour. It is a response to grace. Because Jesus has given his life for us, we now gladly lay down ours for him.

If we desire to follow Jesus, we must lay down our agendas, our preferences, and ultimately our very lives. And it is in laying down our lives that we truly find them: “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Gospel-centred discipleship is not about proving ourselves to Jesus, but about following him in response to what he has already done for us.

May we be a people who follow Jesus with open hands, laying down our lives in response to his grace, and trusting him to lead us into true life.

Next time we’ll look at what we mean by gospel centred community, and how the gospel shapes the way we follow Jesus together.

To God be the Glory!

- Pastor Mike