What can a study of Mark's Gospel tell Christians about what it means to be a disciple?

A key part of being a disciple is to have a childlike attitude. When Jesus says " whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it", he means that people must trust and love God just like a little child loves and listens to their parents. This also means that people have to be dependant on God and believe that God will provide them with all they need and will look after them. For example, when the disciples left all they had behind them, like their jobs, homes, and families, and went to follow Jesus, they had no other choice but to depend totally on God and trust that He would be there for them.

Faith is a very essential part of being a disciple. Faith means trusting and believing God. Christians believe in God's power and believe He is in control of the whole world. Because of this, they trust that God loves them and wants the best for them. Mark's Gospel gives plenty examples of times where the disciples failed Jesus because they lacked faith. The calming of the storm is one of these examples. Although they knew they were with Jesus, the Son of God, they still believed that they were going to die in the storm.

A disciple should have the right attitude towards wealth. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the rich man "to receive eternal life you must sell all you belongings and give the money to the poor". However, the rich man could not do this. His love for his money and possessions were more important to him that God was. A disciple should be selfless and use their wealth to help others. A good example of someone that did this was the widow at the treasury in Mark's Gospel.

Jesus told his disciples that if they want to follow Him, they must "carry cross". By this Jesus mean that they should be prepared to suffer or endure certain things because He knew that what the disciple were going to do wasn't going to be easy.

Disciples need to have a close relationship with God. The only way to be close to God is through prayer, which is a two way communication between you and God. Prayer must be regular and consistent as it is a vital part of a disciple's life. Even while Jesus was on earth, he prayed to God all the time.