Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly taught about the discipleship and freedom that every believer could receive in life. In John’s gospel, it is recorded that if a believer accepts His teachings and puts them into practice in his or her daily life, the disciple would know the truth, which would give freedom from Satan’s power, sin and death. It is also written in Mathew 10:37-39 and Luke 14:26-27 that every disciple of Christ must love the Lord more than his or her own family and be prepared to go through the trials and troubles of path of Cross; otherwise true discipleship is not possible.

As part of the discipleship of Jesus, we must accept Him as our Savior and Lord who is in charge of our entire life. Christ must be the center of a true believer’s life just like a branch is attached and centered to the main stem of Vine (John 15). The Master’s words and teachings need to be constantly learned and continuously meditated; they need to be the bread and drink of every Christian. Then, the disciples will produce good works in order to glorify God. Religious rituals and adherence of traditions are man-made rules and regulations. They should never substitute the Lord’s life-giving teachings. Every disciple of Jesus is expected to love God and their fellow human beings. This love will certainly involve service, sacrifice and painful experiences of Cross.

In order to carry out our Christian duties and work, we are promised the great gift of Holy Spirit to comfort, help and council us. In addition to that, friendship and fellowship of our Heavenly Father and the Master Himself are guaranteed to us. As stated earlier, Christian disciples are promised freedom, joy, love and peace that surpass human understanding. Disciples of Christ will experience the great fruit of spirit (Galations 6:22-23) and gifts of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthian 12). Above all, every follower of Jesus Christ is invited to experience salvation from sin in this world and eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Amen.