MULTIPLYING DISCIPLES AROUND THE WORLD

Day 2 – Learning of Jesus – A Disciple’s Journey

Imagine you’re working at your job when a complete stranger walks in and says just two words: “Follow me.” Most of us would think they were crazy. Yet when Jesus said these exact words to Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” they immediately left everything – their boats, their business, their security – and began following Him.

What kind of heart does that require? What kind of learner’s spirit makes someone abandon everything for an unknown journey?

Here’s the transformational truth I want you to grasp today: True discipleship isn’t about learning information about Jesus – it’s about learning OF Jesus through relationship, walking with Him daily until His character becomes your character.

The difference between these two kinds of learning will determine whether you merely know about Christianity or actually experience the power of Christ to change your life.

When we think about learning, we usually begin where we don’t comprehend all that we don’t know. Then we progress to realizing what we don’t know. That’s where real learning begins – when we recognize there are things we need to learn, that a whole new world has opened up.

This is exactly what happened to Peter. He thought he knew about life, about fishing, about people. But when he met Jesus, he had to come to the place where he recognized he needed help, that he didn’t know everything, that he needed to grow. We must come to that same place in our spiritual journey.

But here’s the crucial distinction from John 17:3: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” The word “know” here isn’t intellectual knowledge – it’s intimate, relational knowledge.

Learning about Jesus is acquiring information – facts, theology, Bible knowledge. But learning OF Jesus is entirely different. It’s visual and relational. When Peter began following Jesus, he watched Him. He saw how Jesus loved people, cared for them, responded to challenges, lived His life. Peter was learning who Jesus was through relationship and observation.

We do the same thing when we look into God’s Word and see how Jesus loved, how He cared, how He lived – we’re learning OF Him, not just about Him. As 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory.”

Learning OF Jesus means learning to walk with Him daily and grow into His likeness. It’s experiencing who He is in our lives and following His example as our greatest role model.

People often ask, “How do you actually do that? When you look at Jesus, you see total perfection. How can we possibly become like Him?”

The biggest hindrance is when we think we know better than our Teacher – just like Adam and Eve. Genesis 3 shows us that Eve thought, “I know better than God. I can do this my way.” This is pride – saying “I know better than the Teacher.”

But here’s what makes following Jesus different from any other learning experience: we can’t do it in our own strength. Galatians 2:20 reveals the secret: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Following Jesus isn’t religious obligation or rules and regulations. Following Jesus is appropriating His grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast.”

I learned this personally when I struggled with jealousy early in my Christian life. I kept trying harder not to be jealous, but the harder I tried, the worse it got. Then someone told me, “Sammy, it’s not what you can do. It’s what He has done in you and for you.” I prayed, “God, if it’s left up to me, I’m going to be jealous, so I’m trusting you to give me the grace and power not to be jealous.”

Here’s the life-changing question: Are you trying to learn about Jesus, or are you committed to learning OF Jesus?

Philippians 2:5-8 shows us that humility was Jesus’ prime character trait – He “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” Humility is at the core of where grace is applied. We must have a heart of humility to be true learners and followers of Jesus.

Stop trying to figure out the Christian life with your mind alone. Stop thinking you can live it in your own strength. To be a disciple means recognizing that Jesus knows better, trusting His way over your way, and depending on His grace to transform you daily into His likeness.

The call hasn’t changed: “Follow Me.” Not follow information about Me, not follow rules about Me – follow Me. Make the decision today to become a learner OF Jesus, walking with Him daily, watching Him through His Word, and allowing His grace to transform you from the inside out.

That’s what real discipleship looks like, and it will revolutionize your life.