Introduction
“Follow me.”
— Jesus of Nazareth
There’s a great scene in the television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth where Peter is beginning to realize the full extent of what Jesus requires of every disciple. You see Peter struggling with the reality that Christ is calling him to choose between living for his desires or following Jesus to learn an entirely new way of living that would impact everything—his entire life, all his plans, his lifestyle, occupation, and family.
As we read the Gospels, we see that Peter’s life as a disciple was an ongoing process of conversion. He matured in a relationship with Jesus, which was only possible as a result of the Lord’s initiative. Jesus chose Peter, drew him into relationship with Himself, and trained him to do the will of a loving Father by proclaiming the kingdom of God in word and power. Ultimately, the Lord Jesus empowered Peter in the Holy Spirit to live this completely new lifestyle and continue His mission.
The call to follow Jesus was not a “once and done” event for Peter, and it won’t be for us. Following Christ means growing in relationship with Jesus and His community of disciples. It is critically important in reading the New Testament to see that following Christ is based on God’s initiative—His love for us, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. He sanctifies and empowers us to move outward to share the good news. The Christian life is based on the grace of God that empowers us AND on our response and effort to mature in doing His will.
Let me illustrate this important truth of God’s initiative and the necessity of our effort. A child is born without having anything do with it. She is conceived by her parent’s love. She begins life in the nurture of her mother’s womb, but when the child is born she has to breathe and draw milk from her mother in order to grow. Similarly, God initiates our calling out of His love. He gives us the grace we need to continue being transformed. However, we must make efforts in concert with his grace to mature in our life in Christ or that life will be stunted, immature, or even die.
If you choose to excel in a sport, in playing a musical instrument, or in a profession, you have to find a competent teacher who can train you in the proper techniques. You must then establish the discipline of regular practice to become proficient in applying these techniques.
According to Thomas M. Sterner, author of The Practicing Mind:
Everything in life worth achieving requires practice. In fact, life itself is nothing more than one long practice session, an endless effort of refining our motions. When the proper mechanics of practicing are understood, the task of learning something new becomes a stress-free experience of joy and calmness, a process which settles all areas in your life and promotes proper perspective on all of life’s difficulties.
Now think about this: You and I have the chance to learn from the most intelligent, wise, loving, perfect Teacher who ever lived. And we have the chance to become His student, His disciple! We can be conformed to Jesus in every way: how we relate to God the Father, how we view the world, how we think, how we conduct ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we use our time, gifting, and resources. By His grace and our effort, we can learn to live a joyful life, surrendering more and more over the years to the Lordship of Jesus.
A disciple of Jesus is an ardent follower who not only professes certain truths, attends church, and serves at certain functions, but who also genuinely applies the teaching of Jesus to every aspect of life. He is confidently aware that God’s grace is transforming him. Disciples make Jesus and His Church their primary teachers. We learn from them how to love God above all things and how to love others as Jesus loves them. Essentially we learn to live in harmony with the Father’s will, just like our elder brother, Jesus (Mt 7:21, 24; Jn 5:19–20). That is what holiness is all about!
Our growth as disciples of Jesus occurs primarily by staying close to Him, by abiding in Him (Jn 15:5). The Lord has given us certain disciplines that help support the work of His grace as we mature as His followers.
In this book, which is based on the ChristLife “Following Christ” DVD series,* Fr. Erik Arnold, Ally Ascosi, and I will look at some of these basic disciplines—disciplines that have characterized the lives of the saints throughout the ages. We devote chapters to essentials such as spending time in personal prayer each day, listening to God in Scripture, the sacraments, forgiving one another, resisting the devil, and more.
If you make these practices a regular part of your life, they will help you to grow in friendship with the Lord. These time-tested disciplines will advance your maturity in relationship with the Lord, His Church, and others.
Growing as a disciple is best done with others who choose to follow Christ and are members of the Church. That’s the way the Lord intended it for us as His family. I’ve had the great privilege and benefit of having relationships with godly people who loved Jesus and helped disciple me in the Christian life. I pray that will also be true for you!
Nearly fifty years ago I had a radical conversion in which the Lord Jesus laid hold of my life in great love, forgiveness, and power.**
Some months later, during a time of personal prayer, I had an experience of the Lord saying internally, “Come follow me.” I accepted His call and decided by the help of His grace to become His disciple. For all these years now, I have practiced what we will be teaching in this book. It has helped me to follow Him. He will help you also! If you will commit your life to Jesus as Lord and tell Him you want to make every effort to live as His disciple, He will answer that prayer.
So how do you begin, or renew, your commitment to follow Christ?
First, stop and pray. Honestly talk to Jesus about His call to you to be His disciple. Tell Him of your need for His Holy Spirit to empower you. Let Him know you are going to make every effort to be changed into His likeness (see 2 Cor 3:18; Rom 8:29).
Second, take time after reading each chapter to prayerfully decide how to apply what is taught there. Write down how you intend to apply the teaching as a normal part of your daily life. Then do it. If it is an area such as establishing a daily personal prayer life, and you mess up, just begin again. Get up and go on! Don’t stop. Keep reviewing your decisions and how you are doing. Let each particular area become habitual. Establish the area as a routine part of your discipleship lifestyle.
Third, find some other Christians who want to grow as disciples of Jesus and consider applying the teaching of this book together. Gathering together with others is an important means of maturing as a disciple.
Fourth, take time to praise God for the wonders of His grace that are at work in you, helping you to follow Jesus our Lord and make Him known!
We will be praying for you!
Dave Nodar
* Follow Christ is based on “Following Christ,” a video-based course developed and distributed by ChristLife, a ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. For more information about ChristLife and “Following Christ,” please turn to the back pages of the book or see our website, www.christlife.org/follow.
** Dave’s story of conversion can be found in the book Discover Christ, which is available along with other resources at www.christlife.org.
Chapter 1
Daily Personal Prayer
