Last Wednesday night, I finished a ten-week series called “Conversions of the New Testament.” During those ten weeks we saw different people that placed their faith in Jesus Christ. They came from all walks of life. Some were wealthy while others were not. Some were men while others were women. Some were nationally Jewish while others were Roman, Ethiopian or some other race of people, but they all came to the same person, our Lord Jesus. I was thinking about the first followers of Jesus when His ministry began in Galilee. Who were they? We know them simply as His “disciples.” Later they would be given the title of apostles, but in the beginning they were disciples. Each of the original twelve were Galileans with the lone exception of Judas Iscariot. He was a Judean. Each of these men had a conversation with Christ that radically transformed them. What did their lives look like?

  1. They became Christian by placing their faith in the Lamb of God. John 1:35-36 tells us about the first disciple, Andrew. They had been hearing the great preacher, John the Baptist, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Andrew was all in. He went and found his brother Peter. John and James were not far behind. In a short time, these men, except for Judas, trusted Jesus to forgive and take their sins away. It is no different today. To become a Christian, the first step is trusting Christ.
  2. They developed a personal relationship with Jesus. For over three years Jesus taught them. He was their Rabbi, their Master. These men left their occupations to become His disciples. The Lord doesn’t call every Christian to quit their job, and walk around the cities, towns, and country-sides of their birth. However, He did with these, and they developed into a group that led the early church to turn the world upside down. They spent days and nights learning from the Master. He used stories and parables captivating them, all the while molding them into what He needed for reaching the world. Today, each of us should seek to be molded into the image of the Lord Jesus. The first definition I learned for the word Christian was “a little Jesus.” In those early years of the church, the name “Christian” was a term of derision. We ought to embrace it whole-heartedly. We should walk daily with our Lord in prayer, Bible study, worship at His house, etc.
  3. They wanted to look and act like Jesus. They didn’t always succeed, but when they did fall they would get up shaking the dust off their clothes and start again. When these men followed I think several things were involved.
    1. Following Him meant you went where He was going. We sing “where He leads me I will follow.” That’s what they did.
    2. Following usually means you are close by. It doesn’t really give us the picture of a group of men following breadcrumbs. Loving means living close. It is hard to be a follower at a distance (See Luke 22:54).
    3. Following means leaving some others behind. Everyone won’t be happy when you are a disciple. The world will seek to draw you back, but for the Christian, once we decide to follow there’s no turning back.
    4. Following means openly confessing Christ. That means we live differently than we used to. Baptism, Bible study, and using the gifts we have been given when we became Christ followers, along with other things are ways to show Christ in our lives.
  4. They came from different backgrounds. Fishermen, tax collectors, and zealots were some of the backgrounds, but they all met at the feet of Jesus, and He put them together just as He does a church. Our church is made up of many different people from all walks of life, but when we came to Christ He blended us into the church with various members all for His work and His glory. To me that is a beautiful thing. It is like a healthy body that is functioning, and all things seem possible.
  5. They each had a plan for their lives. These men didn’t all stay in Jerusalem. They went to many different places and ultimately ten of the twelve died as martyrs. We know James died in Jerusalem while Thomas died in India. Church history tells the stories of these amazing men. The only two not martyred were Judas, who was unsaved, looking for a payday if Jesus overthrew the Romans, and John. John had at least two attempts on his life, but the Lord saved him so as an old man he would be used to give us the book of Revelation. Jesus has a job for you. You were not saved to just sit and do nothing. Find that purpose and go after it with your whole heart.

This group of early disciples are a great example to show us what a Christian should look like. Let’s seek this new year to be a better disciple than ever before.