Explain the meaning of discipleship.
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Introduction
Primarily the definition of a disciple is a person or a group of people who learn from a religious leader/teacher and live according to his/her teachings. By divulging and studying the hidden realms of St. Mark's Gospel, we can conclude that a "Christian" disciple is someone who learns from Christ and lives according to his teachings. And from this conclusion, and a more detailed insight into the many hidden meanings in St. Mark's Gospel I can say that mark's Gospel can tell us a lot about the nature of discipleship as well as the mandatory requirements to become a Christian disciple. From this analogy one can say that a necessary requirement to become a Christian disciple is a sense of total commitment to God and Christ. And it is because this ultimate sacrifice that few are willing to commit themselves to the permanent post of being a disciple. For discipleship is not merely a part-time occupation - for once you become a disciple you must be willing to commit yourself for life. One of the most prominent examples of this comes in Mark 10:17-31, The Rich Man asks Jesus why he can not enter the Kingdom of God when he has always kept the Ten Commandments and Jesus tells him, "You need only one thing. ...read more.
Middle
Furthermore, when this woman gave up all she had she had put all her faith on God to provide for her. Jesus wanted all his disciples to have similar faith in God. Another necessary component of disciple is sacrifice. This is also displayed in The Widow's offering but also in mark 8:31-38(Cost Of Discipleship) Jesus tells his disciples that to be a true Christian Disciple they must deny self meaning (forget self) which means that discipleship involves putting the needs of others above your own and forgetting about social positions or material possessions. To sum it up disciples had to be willing to do three things: Forget self - they must forget their own interests ( work, security, family, friends, ambitions etc. Carry One's Cross - they must be willing to suffer, face rejection, be insulted and if necessary face death. Follow Jesus - they must be willing to following Jesus no matter the consequences. They must be loyal to Jesus no matter how hard the times These requirements of the first disciples might seem quite diverse from the requirements of today's disciples but they are actually very closely linked. ...read more.
Conclusion
For without faith, nothing is possible. But for me one of the most significant parts of the gospel is the inconsequentiality of perfection but what goes in hand with this is repentance and forgiveness. All disciples are allowed to make mistakes. One of the very best examples of this is Jesus' disciple Peter who denied Jesus 3 times at his death. But after making such a mistake Christians should repent subsequently and be truly sorry for what they have done. Since Peter immediately repented his sins when he heard the cock crow for the third time, he was immediately forgiven by Jesus since he was truly sorry and honestly sought repentance. Peter is an example to all Christian disciples as he demonstrates that no matter what wrongs we have committed, as long as we truly repent and attempt to put things right we will be rewarded with forgiveness. In conclusion a study of St. Mark's Gospel teaches us the true nature of discipleship; the necessary characteristics include commitment, self-denial, sacrifice, servitude, faith and the ability to repent any possible sins. Only by gaining all of these characteristics and introducing them into your daily lifestyle can true Christian discipleship be achieved. ...read more.
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