How to Follow Jesus and Learn Christ as the Lord's Disciple
Matthew 4:19 Jesus said to
them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:20 Immediately they
left their nets and followed him.
Ephesians 4:20 But you have
not learned Christ in this way;
Ephesians 4:21 If you had
truly heard him and been taught in him as he is in reality,
Romans 8:29 For God also
predestined those he foretold to be conformed to the image of the Son of God,
so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Ephesians 3:21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
|
Item |
Integrated
Content |
|
Meaning |
To be Christ's
disciple is not merely to believe in Him, but to follow Him, learn Him, live Him, and
reproduce Him. According to "the
reality which is in Jesus" (Eph. 4:20–24)—the actual condition of Jesus' God-man living recorded in
the four Gospels—we experience Christ as the first God-man so that we may become His organic reproduction and duplication, expressing Him corporately in the church and ultimately in the New Jerusalem. |
|
Reason |
God's eternal
purpose is not merely to save sinners but to gain a corporate
company of trained God-men who
are conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), built together as the Body of Christ, and expressing God's glory (Eph. 3:21). |
|
Illustration |
A student
following a teacher; sheep following the Shepherd; branches abiding in the
vine; children imitating the Father; a mirror reflecting Christ's glory; a
prototype being duplicated; a king being constituted by reading God's law (Deut. 17); eating food until it becomes our constitution. |
|
Explanation |
Learning Christ
is not
outward imitation but inward constitution. Through
the Spirit, the God-man living of Jesus recorded in the Gospels is wrought
into us, so that His individual living
becomes the corporate living of the Body of Christ. |
|
Way |
1. Abide in the Lord's word (John 8:31; 15:7). |
|
Result |
Renewed mind;
transformed life; denial of the natural life; God-man living; rest to the
soul; sweet humanity; victory over Satan, sin, and death; living Christ; building up the church. |
|
Purpose |
To produce a corporate God-man, the reality of
the Body of Christ, expressing God's glory and fulfilling His eternal
economy, consummating in the New Jerusalem. |
|
Relationship |
Believe in Christ → Follow Christ → Learn
Christ → Eat Christ → Be Constituted with Christ → Live Christ → Reproduce
Christ → Build up the Body of Christ →
Express God's Glory →
New Jerusalem. |
|
Biblical Examples |
Peter: left
everything to follow Christ (Matt. 4). |
|
Practical Application |
Have morning
revival daily; pray-read the Word; renew the mind; turn to the spirit in
every situation; deny the self; seek the Father's will; enjoy Christ
as spiritual food; live in meekness and humility; shepherd others; receive perfecting
through spiritual patterns; practice the church
life. |
|
Ministry Burden |
The ministry of
Witness Lee emphasizes that the church is not
for producing naturally good people but for
supplying life and training believers to
become God-men. The goal is not merely doctrinal teaching but the constitution of Christ into His believers
through the Spirit, the Word, and proper patterns, producing the corporate God-man. |
|
Prophesying Guidance |
Speak
concerning: (1) Following
and learning Christ as His disciple; (2) Eating Christ until He replaces us; (3) Being trained daily through the Word and the Spirit to become God-men; (4) Becoming
Christ's corporate expression for the building up of the church and the glory of God. |
|
Conclusion |
A genuine disciple does not
merely imitate Jesus outwardly but receives Christ
as life inwardly; not becoming a better
natural person, but becoming a God-man constituted
with Christ, expressing Him corporately in the Body and ultimately in the New Jerusalem. |
|
Overview of Related Scriptures |
Becoming Christ's Disciple Matthew 5:1; 28:19 Learning Christ & Renewing the Mind Ephesians
4:20–24; Romans 12:2 Abiding in the Word John 8:31–32; John 15:7 Eating and Enjoying Christ John 6:35, 57, 63;
Jeremiah 15:16 Being Reconstituted by God's Word Deuteronomy
17:18–20; 2 Timothy 3:15–17 Being Taught Every Morning Isaiah 50:4–5, 10–11 Learning Meekness and Humility Matthew 11:28–30 Learning Mercy and Shepherding Matthew 9:12–13 Learning the Secret of Contentment Philippians 4:11–13 Denying the Self and Living by the Father John
5:19, 30 The Spirit Leading into Reality John 16:13; 20:22 The Body of Christ and God's Glory Ephesians
3:21; Revelation 21:11 Being Conformed to Christ Romans 8:29; Philippians
3:10; Philippians 1:21 |
Spiritual
Sequence
|
Step |
Spiritual
Progression |
|
1 |
Believe into
Christ
and be baptized as His disciple (Matt.
28:19). |
|
2 |
Abide in the
Lord's Word (John 8:31). |
|
3 |
Pray-read the
Word
and hear the Spirit's speaking (Eph. 6; Rev.
2–3). |
|
4 |
Be renewed in
the spirit of the mind (Eph. 4:23). |
|
5 |
Be
reconstituted with God's Word (Deut. 17). |
|
6 |
Eat and enjoy Christ daily (John 6). |
|
7 |
Deny the self and live by the Father (John 5). |
|
8 |
Live Christ's
meekness, humility, mercy, and contentment (Matt. 11; Matt. 9; Phil. 4). |
|
9 |
Become Christ's
organic reproduction and duplication. |
|
10 |
Build up the
Body of Christ and express God's glory (Eph. 3:21). |
|
11 |
Consummate in
the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21). |
Spiritual
Core Relationship
The Organic Progression
Follow Christ → Learn Christ →
Eat Christ → Be Replaced by Christ → Live Christ → Reproduce
Christ → The Corporate Christ → The New Jerusalem
The Divine Process
The Word + The Spirit →
Renewal → Constitution → God-man Living → Body Life → God's Eternal Expression
One
Prophesying Summary
To be the Lord's
disciple is to abide daily in His Word, hear the Spirit's speaking, eat and enjoy Christ until He replaces our
natural life, live the God-man life, become His
organic reproduction, and express the corporate
Christ for the building up of the church, ultimately consummating in the New
Jerusalem.
*Please refer to the April
2026 Summer Training, Part One: Disciples, Believers, Saints, and Christians.
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