Dying to self and living under the Lordship of Christ is foundational for Christian discipleship. We can explore these foundational truths by exploring the following;

The word of God teaches us Jesus Christ is Lord (Luke 2:11).

The angels announced his Lordship at his birth. His Lordship is also connected with our salvation (Romans 10:9). “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The early Church preached on the Lordship of Jesus; “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:36) “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)

The Foundation of a Christian faith is the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our submission to Him.

His Lordship is the most important truth in the life of the disciples of Jesus.

Jesus is the Lord of the universe.

Because of his obedience to the will of His Father, God granted him the Lordship title over the entire universe. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Jesus is the Lord of both the living and the dead (Romans 14:9). 

There is a day coming when every knee bow down and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but for us, as disciples of Jesus it is a moment by moment everyday confession. If we believe he is the Lord of our life, it has to be revealed in our total surrender and full submission.

He cannot be the Lord of a part of our life– He must be given full authority over our entire life (1 Thessalonians 5:23). If Jesus is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all. We cannot serve two Lords (Matthew 6:24). The Bible teaches us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Dying for self is a precondition to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

For Jesus to be the Lord of our life, we must surrender all to him – absolute and total surrender. When we surrender all to Jesus, we acknowledge that he is the Lord and owner over our life and everything we have. When we fully surrender our life to his Lordship, it becomes easier for us to obey all that he has commanded us – including willingness to go wherever he sends us at any cost. If we call him Lord, but do not obey him, he is really not the Lord of our Life (Luke 6:46). 

As the Lord of our life, he deserves reverence, honor, and obedience (Revelation 5:12).

However, the Lordship of Jesus Christ is often forgotten in the Church of Jesus Christ. We need to know his Lordship when we make a decision to become his disciples. A full revelation of the Lord Jesus is necessary for every disciple.

Jesus told Peter that it is through the revelation from the Father that He knew that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God; He is the beginning and the end; He is the image of the invisible God; He holds the keys of the past, present, and future; His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and He is known as the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Colossians 1:15-23; Revelation 19:16).

We are called to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This revelation will lead us to a complete surrender to his Lordship. As long as we live on this earth as disciples of Jesus, we are called to reflect his character, love, compassion, authority, and power in our lives and ministries. In the same way, in the future, we also will share in his full glory. Every disciple must admit that Jesus is the Lord of his/her life completely. Again, if Jesus is not 100% the Lord of our lives, He cannot be the Lord of our lives at all. 

In John 2:5, Mary told the servants in Cana of Galilee, “Do whatever he tells you.” This is the key to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

As disciples, we are called to live meaningful, purposeful, and fruitful lives. We need to obey the Lord Jesus Christ as he calls us to “come” to Him and “follow” Him and then to “go” as his ambassadors to the nations. Unquestioned obedience to our Lord and master Jesus Christ will give us joyful, peaceful, and thankful lives.

The purpose of the coming of Jesus was to give us life, life in abundance (John 10:10). Maybe one of the reasons why we feel empty or half-filled is because we disobey Him and work against His plans.  Exodus 19:5 says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “To obey is better than sacrifice.”

Jesus’ teachings contain many references to the need for obedience (Matthew 7:21).

He said that obedience to His Word is the proof of our love for Him (John 14:21). He not only taught this, but He set an example for us by being obedient to His Father (John 15:10). The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to carry the sin of the world; His willingness to go to the cross displays how Christ’s love for His Father is closely tied to obedience to His will (Hebrews 10:9; John 5:30; Philippians 2:8).

Without obedience, there cannot be the spiritual power to enter into the knowledge of the Father’s Word and will. Obedience is the true test of our love for Christ, fellowship with God in His will, and the secret to discovering God’s will for our life. Without obedience, we will not able to see and experience the blessings God has for us, and it will be impossible to live as Christ-like disciples (John 14:15, John 14:21-24).

The apostles also taught the need for obedience (Acts 5:29).

Obedience is the very nature of the disciples of Christ (1 Peter 1:14-15, 1 Peter 1:22).

In Romans 1:5, Paul reveals how faith and obedience are inseparable. Therefore, those who claim to have faith ought to obey Christ (Romans 15:18). Paul teaches that we should fashion our obedience after Christ’s and that this is the only way we can truly bring glory to God (Philippians 2:5-8). According to James, our faith is dead without obedience (James 2:17, James 2:24, James 2:26). Many hear the truth, claim it, and proclaim it, but few act upon it (James 1:22, James 1:25). The apostle John also reminds us that those who disobey while claiming to be disciples are really hypocrites and liars (1 John 2:4).

Obedience is certain proof that Christ is in His disciples, and it allows His followers to never have to doubt that God loves them (1 John 3:18-22; 1 John 5:2-3). The more we obey Christ, the greater will be our joy at His presence. Obedience must be both the starting and finishing point of our Christian life. Without obedience faith is defective—true faith means to be fully surrendered to God’s will.

We live in a world where people obey everything their gods or goddesses demand out of fear. True obedience for Christ comes out of complete love for Him. Obedience for the disciples is not so much a duty as it is a delight. We obey because that is where we find our satisfaction, not because we are bound to do so. Our obedience to Christ must come out of a deep love for Him and a complete joy of pleasing Him.  Our love for Christ does not make submission to Him elective; it is still mandatory.  Christ is still our Master, and our relationship with Him carries a great weight of responsibility. But we ought to serve Him as loving, devoted bond servants (Luke 17:7-10; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1).

Is Jesus the Lord of our whole being?

How is He the Lord of our body, of our soul and of our spirit?

Is He the Lord of our emotions, our thoughts, our possessions, and our relationships?

What does it require for Jesus to be the Lord of our entire life?  

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Dying to self and living under the Lordship of Christ is foundational for Christian discipleship. We can explore these foundational truths by exploring the following;

Jesus is calling us to be His disciples so that our lives will bring eternal Glory to God.

However, there is often strong resistance in us. When God created us in His own image and likeness, He also created us with free will. We have the freedom to choose life or death. To walk under obedience to either our own desires or the desires of Jesus. 

Have you ever thought of a physically dead person? What are some of the differences between a dead and living person?

Dead people do not respond as living people do because their bodies are dead and decaying. Our old “selves” are like these dead bodies.

Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary defines it as an attitude of seeking one’s own advantage or pleasure rather than that of others.

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary defines it as one who is dominated by self-interest and inconsiderate of others, arrogantly asserting his or her own will

Dying to self means denying an attitude of self-seeking and egoism. It is putting God as a hero in our lives by making ourselves a zero. We are to count ourselves dead to sin and all fleshly passion and live for Jesus. “Count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

In the simplest form, dying has to do with submitting daily to the will of God.

This is initiated by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and only possible when we make the choice to obey the Holy Spirit in this process. Dying to self in order to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a key point to living as a true disciple. Every decision made and every word spoken should be approached with a constant awareness that we are to live worthy of the calling (Ephesians 4:1-2).

Dying to self will keep us humble, and reaching out to others will drive our desire to live in community. When we look at the complete book of Acts, we can be in such awe and wonder at the faithfulness of the disciples that we may think it is impossible to live in such a way. In reality, in order to live under the Lordship of Christ, we must learn to die to ourselves daily, and we must live with a compassion that reaches out to people in our cities, communities, regions, and nations.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to carry our crosses on a daily basis so as to follow Him.  The Lord Jesus told His disciples in Luke 9:23-24, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” In our generation where there are many self-centered ways of living such as self-sufficiency, self-effort, self-dependence, and self-defense, a lesson on dying to self seems awkward.  

God has not called us to live “our lives” but His life. And in order to live His life, we must first die to ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-12, the Apostle Paul confirms the above scripture—that he is dying daily and taking up his cross as a disciple of Christ. He emphasizes the need for death in us so that “the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” Jesus cannot use a disciple who has not died to self.

Let’s pause and reflect on what it will cost us to teach our generation dying to self.

Our Lord Jesus said “no” to His own will and “yes” to His Father’s will (Luke 22:42). In Hebrews 12:2, He, the author and perfecter of our faith, endured the cross, thinking nothing of its shame because of His confidence in the joy beyond death. He fully surrendered His life to His Father by praying, “Not my will, Father, but your will be done.” Another scripture that is fulfilled in the life of Jesus is John 12:23-25: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He died to bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God. 

As the Lord and master of our lives, Jesus is not calling us to do anything that He cannot do or is not willing to do. It is not a physical death that is required of us but rather to die to self so that the life of Christ can consume and control our whole life. Dying to self brings us to glory and a place of honor by God. If we are to be true and worthy servants of Christ, we must willingly submit to the dealings of the Holy Spirit so that He can lead us to take our cross daily. There cannot be two Lords on the throne of our life—Jesus hasto take over all. Self must die and decrease so that Christ can increase (John 3:30).

The practice of dying to self is a process.

It takes discipline every day from our side as disciples of Jesus. We are in a constant battle against the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Every time we face a temptation, we have the choice to overcome it. It is by the constant battle that we are able to fill our lives with the life of Jesus Christ.

An examination of the following bible verses in the Bible helps us see the various things that are in our lives that need to come out so that we can live the abundant life Jesus has granted us (Colossians 3:5-11; 1 Peter 2:1-3; Galatians 5:19-21; Mark 7:20-23). A careful study of God’s word will tell us that there are hundreds of ways our old sinful nature shows up in times of temptation.

Apostle Paul tells us about the lives we need to live as disciples of Christ. He was aware of the spiritual battle in which we are fighting. We were crucified with Jesus (Galatians 2:20) but for us, the process of resurrection is not yet complete. We are dwelling in a world where death and life are battling but our ultimate end is the resurrection (Philippians 3:10-14). In baptism, we give a witness that we have buried our old selves so that we are raised from the dead with Jesus to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6: 5-14).

The people of Israel are an example for us in many ways. They came out of Egypt, but many of them were not able to enter the Promised Land because they were not willing to die to themselves and live according to the plan of God (1 Corinthians 10:1-11.)

We are in a wilderness journey right now; we came out of the darkness of Egypt into the marvelous light by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. How we live our life on earth will determine our permanent stay in the Promised Land. Our ultimate call is complete sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Dying to self and living under the Lordship of Christ is foundational for Christian discipleship. We can explore these foundational truths by exploring the following;

During His public ministry, people came to Jesus with many different motives—physical healing, deliverance, food.

Large crowds followed Jesus wherever He went, and many of them left Jesus as soon as their needs were met.

Every person who came to Jesus was not His disciple. 

But during His ministry, Jesus gave an open call and invitation to the crowd.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Matthew 16:24.

Jesus made it very clear that to be a disciple, one has to make a deliberate decision to deny everything. There was no choice of returning to one’s old life. Even today, we have many believers in our churches but only very few disciples.

His final commission to His disciples was for His followers to go and make disciples.

If making disciples was the final Great Commission Jesus gave, He had to model the way.  Indeed, Jesus was in the process of making disciples in the three and a half years of His ministry.

As a result, He commissioned the disciples to go and make disciples as He did.

The whole life and ministry of Jesus was a model for us to become disciples of Jesus as we disciple others.

We live in a modern world where everything has a price tag. Customers look at the price and decide if they want to buy it or not. Jesus did not want to reduce the high price it cost to become His disciple. Healing, miracles, deliverances from the evil spirit, and feeding of the multitudes all were free miracles; and yet, He made it very clear that to be a disciple would be an expensive decision. He even asked His followers to count the cost before they even began the journey (Luke 14:25-33). 

The following is a small list of requirements needed to become a disciple of Jesus taken from Luke 9:23 and Luke 14:25-33.

No one can become a disciple of Jesus by accident. That is why we are advised to sit down and estimate the total cost (Luke 14:28) and consider the ability (Luke 14:31) before we even make a decision to start.

Let us look at three individuals who failed the basic test of following Jesus (Luke 9:57-62).  Each of us will face numerous opportunities to turn back from our call to be a disciple. The three anonymous men in this story permitted something else to come into their lives that kept them from following Jesus (Matthew 8:21-22; 1 Kings 19:20; 2 Timothy 4:10).

said, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  But Christ’s proposal to follow Him was too difficult for this man because, if one follows Christ, that one may not have a comfortable life and may have to sacrifice a home and shelter in this world. The love of money and the comforts of this present world can be a hindrance to discipleship.

..even though he had a half-mind to follow Christ, gave first priority to his own circumstances and needs. He answered Christ, “Lord let me first go and bury my father” But the Bible says “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The phrase, “me first,” reflects the negative response toward the conditions of discipleship. How can we become disciples of Jesus if our first preference is something other than Christ?

..was like the first man who volunteered to follow Christ, but he resembled the second man in that he used those contradictory words “Lord… my family first….” He wanted to be a disciple of Jesus, but the family was the most important thing in this man’s decision-making. Though his question seems reasonable, Christ looked into his heart and saw that he was not willing to lose his worldly relationships for the sake of discipleship.

These three men failed the basic test of discipleship. There were three various matters that withheld them from following Christ. The love of earthly comfort was the hindrance of the first man, worry about livelihood was the hindrance of the second man, and the priority of family relationship was the hindrance for the third man.

If Jesus Himself did the recruitment today, how many of us would be eligible to meet His requirements and become His disciples?

There are costs as well as rewards in this ministry. Jesus warned us in a series of short parables to count the cost first, determine if we were willing, and then go ahead with the ministry of obedience if we were prepared (Luke 14:26-33). The committed disciples do not question the cost and its anticipated rewards (Philippians 3:13-14). True disciples have already settled the issue of the cost of discipleship and are willing to do whatever the Lord wants them to do; this makes it much easier to press forward toward the goal of pleasing Christ as the Apostle Paul did.

But disciple-making is not very easy. It will cost everything—our whole lives (Luke 9:24; 1 Thessalonians 2:8).  The last and final reward of making disciples is Christ’s approval, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21-23) There can be no greater reward than hearing the Almighty God, the Sovereign of the universe, saying to you, “Well done!”

Let’s take time to calculate how much it costs us to be disciples of Jesus and make a commitment to be committed disciples of Jesus who will go make disciples until everyone gets an opportunity to choose and follow Jesus Christ.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Dying to self and living under the Lordship of Christ is foundational for Christian discipleship. We can explore these foundational truths by exploring the following;

There is a physical death that is very easy for us as humans to understand. Then there is spiritual death which is a separation from God and which happens to all human beings because of sin. There is also what is called eternal death, or second death, which is hell. And there are many other situations where people use terms like clinically dead, emotionally dead, memory dead, etc. Death is the end of the road!

The power and mystery of death to self is evident in a story of a couple that Oprah once interviewed. It was a second marriage for the husband and wife, and the wife said what a wonderful husband he was and that she never knew a man like this existed.

Oprah asked the husband what he did to make his wife so happy and he said, “I died to myself.” Oprah did not understand what he meant and questioned something to the effect of: “You died? How could you die, you’re still here?”

The husband tried to explain, but Oprah didn’t understand.

Jesus said to those who followed Him, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me…” (Luke 9:23-25).

This Christian couple understood this scripture. And it is evident that God thinks this is an important concept because it is repeated in Matthew 16:24-26 and Mark 8:34-36.

There once was a story of a man who wanted to have a unique pet that nobody else had.

As he was walking one day, he saw many piglets playing in the dirty water along with their mother. He made up his mind he would have a piglet as his pet. He took one piglet home, washed it, and gave it delicious meals, love, and care. They became good friends. One day, he went for a morning walk with his new pet, and he enjoyed his walk because people were looking at him and his pet and asking him questions about it. As he went along, the pig saw other pigs playing in the dirt, and the pig forced itself from his hands and jumped into the dirty pit to play with the rest.

The owner of the pig was upset. He took the pig back, and washed, cleaned, and trained it. But after a few days, the same thing happened when he went for a walk again with the pet. He finally got confused and decided to leave his pig. He shared his dilemma with his friend who was a veterinarian. The friend took the pig to his clinic where he performed surgery to remove the heart of the pig and replace it with the heart of a sheep.

After the healing process was complete, the owner took the pig back to his home.

The next day, he took the pig for a walk again, and, as soon as it heard the sound of the other pigs playing in the dirt, it pushed itself from the owner, ready to jump into the dirt. But just before jumping, it stopped and moved slowly backward. It tried to jump into the dirt again, but again it stopped as if something was pulling it back.

The owner was surprised to see the transformation in his pet.

We experience similar situations where the heart tells us no to the dirt and the body tells us yes to the dirt.

Our lives are similar to this piglet.

We are old, sinful people who want to continue doing sinful things. But the spirit in us tells us to do what the Spirit of God wants us to do as children of God. We can make the decision to obey or not obey the Spirit of God that is at work in us. If we decide to obey the Spirit of God, we are making a decision to die to our own selfish desires. God wants us to live lives that will show forth the qualities of our master, the Lord Jesus Christ. As born-again sinners, Jesus is calling us to live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Discipleship is a call to die to self to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ on a daily basis.

Being obedient to this call enables us to say “no” to our wills, our wishes, our desires, our hopes—and to say “yes” to His will for His glory.

It also enables us to fully surrender to Him our lives and everything He has entrusted to us, accepting our role as stewards. When we choose to obey His will, He uses us in a special way to make us a blessing for many who are in need of Him. We need to let His life consume and control our lives as we seek to imitate Him as His disciples (Romans 8:29).

Am I willing to pay the price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ?

Do I live as a disciple who dies to self on a daily basis?

What are some of the hindrances and the ways to overcome them?

Am I operating as an owner or a steward of my life and all the possessions God has entrusted to me? Have I really transferred everything to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

What are some of the obstacles that stop me from being obedient to Christ and keep me from enjoying the fullness of life?

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!