The Call of a Disciple

Class-1 The Call of a Disciple

Read: Acts 9:1-6
Here we have an inspired account of an encounter of Saul with the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself. How amazing it is to note that the Lord chose to meet him, while
he was going all against Him and His people. His mercy reaches beyond our
preconceived notions and norm. Indeed He is a merciful God!
We find it was a day of an about turn in the life of Saul, for what he went and what
he became. A disciple is he who has had an encounter with the Lord, for salvation
and relation. Here in this account the good Lord reveals who is a true disciple?
What are the marks of a true discipleship? And what is expected of every follower
of Christ in being His true disciple? In other words, here we have very vital and
fundamental things concerning the disciple of the Lord. Let us study as the Spirit of
God reveals to us:
Who is a True Disciple?

a) A disciple is he who KNOWS the Lord (v.5)

b) A disciple is he who LONGS to follow the Lord on His terms (v.6)

c) A disciple is he who FOLLOWS both:

a. The Lord and His Way of Living
 b. The Master and His Message
c. The Teacher and His Teaching

d) A disciple is he who is KNOWN by the Lord himself, as well.

a. As the Lord said of Saul here.
b. Read John 2:23-24; 2Tim 1:9 and 2Tim 2:19
What the Spirit of God reveals in the case here is seen as universally to be true of
every real disciple of the Lord. We learn three vital truths of a disciple, in that:
a) He is a VESSEL (v.15)
b) He is a VEHICLE (v.15b) and
c) He is a VICTIM (v.16)
Firstly, a true disciple of the Lord is His Vessel (v.15a). The Lord Himself said it
and hence it is important for us to heed to it. It is referred to be:
a) A Chosen Vessel (v 15a). Besides the sovereign will and purpose of the
God we find it is due to Saul acknowledging Jesus as ‘Lord’, and that too
not just once but twice (v.5-6). For the scripture says, no one can call
Jesus as Lord but by the Holy Spirit.

a. Who were his ‘Lords’ otherwise?

i. The Law
ii. Gamaliel, the teacher of the Law.
iii. The Leaders of Israel
iv. The Sanhedrin authorities
v. He himself, as he yielded to do what he desired to do, being
zealous.
 b. Who is his ‘Lord’ now? The Lord Jesus Christ. What a
transformation, he forsook all his previous Lords, who ruled over
him, his very self. But now acknowledging only one Lord, and that is
the Lord Jesus. Does it not remind us of Rom 10:9, ‘if thou shall
confess with thine mouth, Jesus as Lord, believing in thine heart that
the Lord has raised Him from the dead, thou shall be saved. And that
is where the life of a true disciple begins.

c. Are you born again? Do you Jesus as the only Lord of your life?
Have you made an about turn in your life? Did you forsake all
previous lords and their Lordship in your life? Have you accepted but
one Lord and His Lordship that is the Lord Jesus Christ?

d. If not, then pause for a while. Consider your sins, its penalty as the
eternal death (Rom 3:23, 6:23) and no way of escape. But God loved
you in the person of Jesus Christ, who loved you and died instead of
you on the Cross according to scriptures, was buried and rose again
on the third day according to scriptures (1Cor 15:3-4), and now if you
too confess your sins, acknowledge the death of Lord Jesus Christ
was for you personally, and that He is alive, and accept Him in your
heart as Lord, you shall be saved. May the good Lord help you to
make this decision.

e. And if you have made that decision, praise be unto God, but consider
your ways now. Does He have complete Lordship in your life? The
lessons are worth learning for us.

b) A Called Vessel (v.15).

 i. The very word vessel denotes that the Lord intended to put
something in it. Saul later called Paul, when wrote to the
church at Corinth and to Timothy reveals some of it. Read 2Cor
4:7-9; 2Tim 2:20-21.
Secondly, He is a Vehicle to bear the Name of the Lord (V.15b). A disciple is
called to bear the name of the Lord. It is to bear His witness of His name. Which
would mean to us what we read in Ex 20:7, ‘thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain…’ An example of that is found in the life of Jacob when he
deceived his father to rob the blessings of his elder brother Esau. How he told lies
after lies, four in all but when questioned by old father Isaac, ‘how did you find it so
soon my son?’, he bluntly said, the Lord thy God has brought it to me. he has taken
the name of the Lord in vain.
As a disciple of the Lord, do you realize that anything that you do or say either
honours the name of the Lord or dishonours? A disciple is he who bears the name
of the Lord, but bears to honour it, glorify it. It is also said that he shall bear the
name before whom? The gentiles, kings and Israel. That is to say, a disciple is a
witness of the Lord to everyone and everywhere.
Thirdly, He is to be a Victim of the Enemy (v.16). That every true disciple will
have to face opposition, difficulties and trials in their life of faith. He is going to be
affected by the world and the devil. One needs to know this fact and shall not be
perplexed when such situation comes and should be prepared for this.
Further, we see the practical demonstration of these three aspects of life of a true
disciple in the word ‘Christian’ in NT. It is used three times and at each instance it
speaks of these three aspects.
a. As a Vessel -Acts 11:26 -at Antioch
b. As a Vehicle -Acts 26:28 -before King Agrippa
c. As a Victim -1Peter 4:16 -in real life
Ultimately, as we look at the very person of Christ, the same is true.
 -How He came in this world, as a vessel filled with grace and truth (John
1:14), love and kindness, compassion and kindness. There was none like
Him. As it is written the volume of the law of the Lord. Those who saw
Him, heard Him, believed in Him. Truly a vessel clean and pure, sinless and
perfect. There is none like Him. He was completely dedicated and submitted
to the cause of His coming, the redemption of all of us.
-But then He is seen as a vehicle, he travelled beyond human possibilities to
comprehend, from heaven to earth, who brought the message of God to us,
preached the forgiveness of sins by faith in Him.
-To bring about the salvation of mankind, he became the victim of the enemy,
even to the death of the cross. There was none like Him who suffered all ill,
ridicule and shame.
Beloved, the same is desired of any who intend to follow the Lord. Are you aware
of it? are you prepared for it? Then you shall be a true disciple of Christ.