Election and call to Christian discipleship

Gen 17:1-7, 15-16; Ps 22:23-31; Rom 4:13-25; Mk 8:31-38

Our Lenten journey with Christ progresses with the continuous reminder to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.

 The purpose is for all who believe in God to follow Christ and become members of his Kingdom. To follow Christ one needs to flee from the devil and draw close to God.

Today , we meditate on the theme Election and call to Christian discipleship.

Election is the selection of a person for a specific office or position - to be a disciple.

Call is an invitation for a specific vocation. The vocation is discipleship. To be precise, a Christian discipleship.

Discipleship is a vocation for life. Discipleship is a position you hold in Christ. It is this position that every Christian should persevere, because this is a position of service and witness. Earthly positions are all about authority and dominion over other.

Vocation and position carry a responsibility. It is valuable - that is to follow Christ.

It is not about words – “I am a disciple”, but it is about answering the call of Jesus. Every believer is called and elected to be a disciple. Through the life and witness of a disciple the world should see Jesus.

If Jesus selects you, calls you to be his disciple, he trusts you, he has confidence in you, and considers you faithful to the cause. So when you respond, you response is for life.

It is in this backdrop we will look at Jesus’ call in Mk 8:34. “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me”.

Many of Jesus’ disciples answered the call of Jesus instantly. They left what they were doing and followed him - Peter, Andrew, James and John, all fishermen and Matthew the tax collector.  

The experiences they had with Jesus led Peter to confess that Jesus is the Christ v29. However the moment Jesus speaks about his death things change. They were comfortable. But these words disturbed them. 

It is such a situation that makes Jesus call the crowd as well as the disciples and give both the call to discipleship. The crowd and disciples were kind of similar. They wanted from Jesus. They liked that environment of being around Jesus. They were comfortable.

The call of Jesus is open to all. The call has conditions. The response is unconditional.   

The conditions - Denial of self, taking up a cross.

Denial - To deny is to reject, disown yourself. To say I have nothing to do with my original life. Peter denial of Jesus. It is a change of life. Letting go of your life and all its baggage’s, you take on a new life. This is what Paul says, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. Gal 2:20

Take up your cross - The cross represents unspeakable pain, humiliation and suffering. It is a symbol of infinite love.

Disciples take up the cross because it is at the cross that Jesus won our salvation. Salvation is free but not cheap.

So when you take up the cross, as a disciple you are willing to withstanding persecution and difficult times, not alone but by the Lord's power, as He directs the circumstances of life. As Christ's disciples, believers are to hold true.

When you take up the cross and follow Jesus, the weight of the cross helps you keep focus on the path you are called to travel: the path of Jesus. It helps you follow him and not go ahead of him.

This is why Jesus says it is important for the Disciples of Jesus, the ones who are elected and called to have “in mind the things of God” v33. Now if there is no denial, if the works, interest’s and enjoyments of your self are not surrendered then, it becomes an obstruction to having in mind the things of God.

Today rather than deny yourself and take up the cross and follow Christ, the believer is very good at denying Christ. Where do you deny Christ? You deny Christ when you don’t have a deeper and true understanding of him and his expectations. You deny Christ when you fail to walk in his path. You deny him when your thoughts, attitudes, behavior lifestyle don’t reflect him. You deny Christ when you allow the world, the flesh and the devil to come in-between.

Very often the believer prefers to go with the crowd rather than show Christ through their lives.

This happens because you feel ashamed to speak or live Christ. Behavior, life, habits are no different to the stranger or your neighbor who is outside there. Jesus says such people are part of the adulterous and sinful generation. He goes on to say, when the son of man comes he will feel ashamed of you v38.

Remember the call is from Jesus. But the response is yours. To be a disciple is not easy as reading the bible, praying and listening to Christian songs messages. If you think that, that is all the life of a disciple then the devil takes rest. The moment that challenges you to live contrary to the world then your problem starts, because you waken him up.

So when responding to call of discipleship you subjugate all works, interests and enjoyments. You bring it under the weight of the cross. Allow it to be controlled and governed by the cross and the life that the cross has called you to live.

The disciples found it hard and today many Christians struggle with this concept. That is why today people are hurt, they are angry, they are disillusioned. They are unable to serve. They are unable to live Christ. Such are those who want to follow Christ on their terms. To compromise.

Today there are people who ask do I have to live by the bible? The answer is a definite yes. That is your foundation for life.

Some ask but there are two lives. One life for the world. One for the Christ. There is only one life we live. That is “life in Christ”. That life is governed by Christ and his words v38.

The bible gives us an example of one man who answered God’s call, he and his family, fully committing himself to the cause and purpose of God – Abraham. And for this he is considered righteous. That act of faith, commitment, obedience and surrender has made him father of us all (Rom 4:16).

People of God let us remind ourselves that the name “Christian” was given to the people of the way because of the lifestyle they reflected. Today it is just a name. God doesn’t want namesake Christians. No one will know you’re a Christian unless you tell them. God wants Christ living and seen in every Christian believer.

Are you willing to open your hearts this morning and make a commitment by answering the call of Jesus? Then now and here is the moment to make that decision.

The good news is God is willing to sanctify you by his grace. And to know more about that we will return next Sunday when we reflect on God’s grace of sanctification.