Three Facets to Following Jesus
Earley and Putman point out three main facets of following Jesus. Putman illustrates these three facets by breaking Matthew 4:19 into three parts: "follow me," "and I will make you," and "fishers of men.”[1] Earley defines these three facets in three separate words: sacrificial, relational, and transformational.[2] Considering these three facets, here is a working definition of following Jesus: "Following Jesus is making a cognitive and sacrificial decision to commit one's life to Him. A follower relies on the transformational power of Christ to help produce a self-disciplined life. Lastly, a follower reaches out to the hurting and lost of this world to bring them into a committed and continuously growing relationship with Christ.”
A cognitive decision to commit one’s life to Jesus involves recognizing and accepting that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of one's life. A sacrificial decision involves weighing the cost of becoming a follower and being willing to pay whatever the cost may be.
Relying on Christ's transformational power to help produce self-discipline requires two things. First, a person must understand that transformation does not come from within but from Christ equipping his followers. Hagner states, “The invitation is accompanied by the promise that Jesus will equip them for the new work to which he calls them.”[3] Putman also states, “Far too many of us assume that discipleship is merely the transfer of information leading to behavior modification.”[4].4 If changing specific actions to modify behavior is what discipleship is all about, then Christianity is no different from any other self-help book. However, Christianity does not rely upon one's actions but on Christ. This is not to say that no change needs to be made; we cannot rely entirely on one's strength. Self-discipline must still be present, including Bible study, journaling, memorization, meditation, silence, solitude, prayer, fasting, and giving.[5]
Lastly, following Jesus involves reaching out to others. R. T. France states, “Jesus calls his disciples not only to listen and learn, but to take an active part as fishers of men.”[6] A follower of Christ is to evangelize to the hurting and lost world and to bring them into a loving relationship with Christ, but it doesn't stop there. After the conversion, a follower will teach the new convert to observe all that Jesus has commanded.[7]
[1] Jim Putman & Bobby Harrington. Disciple Shift. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 46-51.
[2] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1–13, vol. 33A, Word Biblical Commentary. (Dallas, TX: Word Incorporated, 1998), 76.
[3] Dave Earley & Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 26-28.
[4] Jim Putman & Bobby Harrington. Disciple Shift., 49.
[5] Dave Earley & Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…, 27.
[6] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 109.
[7] Matthew 28:20a.
