Active Faith

God has been dealing with His people throughout time to act responsibly with the gift of faith He's given us. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ isn't only a one-time acknowledgement that He exists. It's so much more than that, not only for the super-saints, but for every believer.

Yesterday, my pastor emphasized four things that we should employ as our dynamic and participatory responsibility as disciples of Christ.

As I began to meditate on these four areas of responsibility, I felt the need to extend each one, at least for my own personal benefit. I invite you to consider these four points and how you can fulfill your responsibility as a disciple of Christ.

Love God Completely

What does this mean? The first thing that came to mind was total surrender.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Paul speaks to the profound change that occurs when we surrender to God. This verse reminds us that our true identity is found in surrender, leading to a life lived through faith in Jesus. He makes it clear that surrender involves letting go of everything to fully follow Him.

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:33)

This highlights the depth of surrender required from His disciples.

Follow Jesus Wholly

Stop and think about the word "wholly"! We might think it is just another way to rephrase the previous point, but I believe it's much more! I recently shared a post titled Believing Loyalty, which I believe should be the goal of every disciple of Christ. It's how biblical faith actually works—not mere mental assent, but trust expressed through loyalty, allegiance, and action. This is an active and participatory element of our faith, not just an inward or private faith.

Our 54th wedding anniversary is just a few days away. I was thinking about the vows we took that day in front of God, family, and friends. We vowed (made a sacred promise) to forsake all others, even our own selves. When we said "forsaking all others," it didn't only mean not giving any room for another person to intrude, manipulate, divert, or destroy our marriage. It also meant letting go of our own comforts so that we could bless each other and become more like Christ.

Far beyond any love story, Christ's love for all of us is the ultimate model of "forsaking all others." Consider what the Bible tells us about His kind of love – the love that all husbands and wives should learn to imitate:

Ephesians 5:24-27 is a beautiful example of what God intends for marriage, very plainly expressing that He intends marriage to be the greatest example of love that forsakes all others. This is believing loyalty. This is following Jesus wholly.

Love People Selflessly

Very simple. We need to get over our personal likes and dislikes and love them. We may not agree with them on all points. We may not agree on any point. But it is our duty to allow the love of Jesus to work through us by the power of the Holy Spirit, drawing them to Him (John 12:32). It is really as simple as that!

One of the greatest deterrents to loving others selflessly is social media. We read so much that is untrue, detrimental to the love of Christ, biased and prejudiced, and anti-Christ that it poisons our minds and our hearts. We carry those opinions deep within us, hindering the glorious light of Christ from being seen.

We make things so difficult, quenching the voice and drawing of the Holy Spirit, when we wear our prejudices instead of the Spirit of Christ. It's time to change clothes (talking to myself as well)!

Make Disciples Faithfully

This will become automatic if we follow the previous steps. When we bear the Name of Jesus, the Spirit of God is free to work through us. It's not simply getting on a plane and traveling to a third-world country. This is everyday interaction with others, including our families. This is being a living example of the goodness and greatness of our God to the world.

Simple disciple-making doesn't require seminars, conferences, or classes. It requires being the hands and feet of Jesus, every day in our homes, workplaces, schools, stores, restaurants, gyms, and at social events, etc. We can't take a break or a time-out from disciple-making ... it is our full-time responsibility as disciples of Christ.

Prayer

Father, it is our heart's cry to be a living example of Your love to this generation. Help us remember it is our full-time responsibility to reflect Your glory every day of our lives. Remind us of the weightiness of the task before us, to make disciples of all nations, starting at home. Amen!

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