DISCIPLE

What does it mean?

Matthew 10:24-28

24The disciple is not above [his] master, nor the servant above his lord.

25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more [shall they call] them of his household?

26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27What I tell you in darkness, [that] speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach ye upon the housetops.

28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.


The Privilege of Prayer
Bible Echo and Signs of the Times
Date 02-01-93

"It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord." Jesus sought earnestly for strength from his Father. He regarded communication with God more essential than his daily food. He has given us evidence that in order to contend successfully with the powers of darkness, and to do the work allotted to us to perform, we must live in communion with God. Our own strength is weakness, but that which God gives will make every one who attains it more than conquerors. The continued, earnest prayer of faith will bring us light and strength to withstand the
fierce assaults of the enemy. The light and strength of one day will not be sufficient for the trials and conflicts of the next. Satan is now constantly changing his temptations, as he did with Christ. Every day we may be placed in new positions, and may have to meet new and unexpected temptations. It is as consistent to expect to be sustained to-day by food we ate yesterday as to depend upon present light and present blessings for to-morrow's success. Weak and sinful man cannot be safe unless God shall daily manifest his light and impart to him his strength.


Diet and Spirituality
Counsels on Diet and Foods
Page 53

"It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord." Our tables are frequently spread with luxuries neither healthful nor necessary, because we love these things more than we love self-denial, freedom from disease, and soundness of mind. Jesus sought earnestly for strength from His Father. This the divine Son of God considered of more value, even for Himself, than to sit at the most luxurious table. He has given us evidence that prayer is essential in order to receive strength to contend with the powers of darkness, and to do the work allotted us. Our own strength is weakness, but that which God gives is mighty, and will make every one who obtains it more than conqueror.


John- 19:27

27Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own [home].
 

Making Wills
The Gospel Herald
Date 12-01-01
Paragraph  06

Some relative, father, or mother, or friend, may say, "You can no longer call me father, or mother, or friend, if you accept Jesus of Nazareth." This very test did come to many, and at the sacrifice of even the dearest friends they could but say, "He gave His life for me. He died that I might live." What a scene was represented at the cross! What an example to the beloved disciples of filial affection! "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home."
 

He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 12-28-97

Christ, bearing the sin of the world, seemed to be deserted; but he was not wholly left alone. John stood close by the cross. Mary had fainted in her anguish, and John had taken her to his house, away from the harrowing scene. But he saw that the end was near, and he brought her again to the cross. Even in his dying hour, Christ remembered his mother. He saw her distress, and he said to her, "Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." This thoughtful care lifted a weight from Mary's mind; she would no longer be obliged to choose her own home, and run the risk of offending her relatives; for Christ's wish was law. Christ knew what she most needed,--the tender sympathy of one who loved her because she loved Jesus.


Matthew 10:42

42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
 

More Blessed to Give
Conflict and Courage
Page 207

God has not changed. His power is no less now than in the days of Elijah. . . . To His faithful servants today as well as to His first disciples Christ's words apply: "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me" (Matt. 10:40). No act of kindness shown in His name will fail to be recognized and rewarded. And in the same tender recognition Christ includes even the feeblest and lowliest of the family of God. "Whosoever shall give to drink," He says, "unto one of these little ones"--those who are as children in their faith and their knowledge of Christ--"a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matt. 10:42).
 

The First Evangelists
The Desire of Ages
Page 357

The mission of Christ's servants is a high honor, and a sacred trust. "He that receiveth you," He says, "receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me." No act of kindness shown to them in His name will fail to be recognized and rewarded. And in the same tender recognition He includes the feeblest and lowliest of the family of God: "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones"—those who are as children in their faith and their knowledge of Christ--"a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in nowise lose his reward."


Matthew--27:57-58

57When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:

58He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
 

The Crucifixion of Christ
Spiritual Gifts. Volume 1
Page 64

But notwithstanding the disciples had been disappointed in their hopes concerning Jesus, yet they loved him, and respected and honored his body, but knew not how to obtain it. Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, had influence, and was one of Jesus' true disciples. He went privately, yet boldly, to Pilate and begged his body. He dared not go openly; for the hatred of the Jews was so great that the disciples feared that an effort would be made by them to prevent the body of Jesus having an honored resting place. But Pilate granted his request, and as they took the body of Jesus down from the cross, their sorrows were renewed, and they mourned over their blighted hopes in deep anguish. They wrapped Jesus in fine linen, and Joseph laid him in his own new sepulchre. The women who had been his humble followers while he lived still kept near him after his death, and would not leave him until they saw his sacred body laid in the sepulchre, and a stone of great weight rolled at the door, lest his enemies should seek to obtain his body. But they need not have feared; for I beheld the angelic host watching with untold interest the resting place of Jesus. They guarded the sepulchre, earnestly waiting the command to act their part in liberating the King of glory from his prison house.


Luke 6:39-41

39And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

40The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

41And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
 

Our Supreme Obligation
In Heavenly Places
Page 201

Whatever business engagements men may yoke up with, if Christians, they must wear the yoke of duty to Christ. This is their allegiance. They are to consider themselves bound by superior obligations. The Master, Jesus Christ, has placed His yoke upon the neck of every disciple. The life service is pledged to Him in accepting His yoke. Anything that will mar or hinder his perfect service to God is to be broken off, whatever its nature or character may be. . . .
 

Experience and Views
Early Writings of Ellen G. White
Page 68

The Blind Leading the Blind

I have seen how the blind guides were laboring to make souls as blind as themselves, little realizing what is coming upon them. They are exalting themselves against the truth, and as it triumphs, many who have looked on these teachers as men of God and have looked to them for light, are troubled. They inquire of these leaders relative to the Sabbath, and they, with the object of getting rid of the fourth commandment, will answer them thereto. I saw that real honesty was not regarded in taking the many positions that were taken against the Sabbath. The main object is to get around the Sabbath of the Lord and observe another day than that sanctified and hallowed by Jehovah. If they are driven from one position, they take an opposite one, even a position that they had but just before condemned as unsound.
 

Loma Linda Messages
Page 312

God has message to be proclaimed in all the world. By every teacher in our schools, every minister, every medical missionary, the only true God is to be uplifted. But some of the watchmen are asleep. They are as the blind leading the blind. The time to labor is fast passing away, and Satan is leading some to stand as the accuser of their brethren who are bearing heavy burdens.


A Present Help
The Signs of the Times
Date 03-16-04
By Mrs. E. G. White.

The glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that Thou has sent Me." These words seem almost beyond the grasp of our faith, yet we are to believe them, and act in accordance with them. We are to take time to pray, and then we are to live lives that are in harmony with our prayers, believing that the Lord will answer us. The answer may not come in just the way that we expect, but we may rest assured that the Master knows what is best for us. He is too wise to err, and too good to do us harm. We are to meet every trial and disappointment with the words, "Not my will, but Thine, be done."


Luke 14:26-27

26If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

In the World, but Not of the World
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 07-23-01

We cannot follow Jesus and retain the friendship of the world. There must be on the part of the Christian an entire surrender, a forsaking of the things of this earth. True Christians will take Christ as their pattern in all things, loving Him with the whole heart, and serving Him with the whole being. He says, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." The child of God must not be guided nor governed by human wisdom; for this always leads away from the path of self-denial and cross-bearing cast up for the ransomed of the Lord.
 

Dangers of the Young
Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 03-11-80

What a promise is here made upon condition of obedience. Is it necessary to sever your connection with friends and relatives in deciding to obey the elevated truths of God's word? Take courage; God has made provision for you, his arms are opened to receive you. He promises to be a Father unto you. Oh, what a relationship is this! higher and holier than any earthly tie. If you make the sacrifice, even forsaking father, mother, sisters, or brothers, for Christ's sake, you will not be friendless. God will adopt you into his family; you will become members of the royal household, sons and daughters of the Heavenly King who rules in the Heaven of heavens. Can you desire a more exalted position than is here promised? It is not enough? What could God do for the children of men more than he has already done? If such love, such exalted promises, are not appreciated, could God devise anything higher, anything richer and more lofty? All has been done for the salvation of man that God could do, and yet the hearts of the children of men have become hardened. Because of the multiplicity of the blessings with which God has surrounded them, they are received as common things and the gracious Benefactor is forgotten.

Luke14:33

33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

[See above notes and quotes]


John 9:28

28Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.

"The Light of Life"
The Desire of Ages
Page 474

The Pharisees did not realize that they had to deal with any other than the uneducated man who had been born blind; they knew not Him with whom they were in controversy. Divine light shone into the chambers of the blind man's soul. As these hypocrites tried to make him disbelieve, God helped him to show, by the vigor and pointedness of his replies, that he was not to be ensnared. He answered, "I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be His disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is."

Purpose of Man's Creation
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Datge 02-11-02
Paragraph 13

But with hearts hardened by prejudice and unbelief, the Pharisees said, "Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is."


John-18:16-17

16But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

17Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also [one] of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.

Gethsemane
The Desire of Ages
Page 688

Rising with painful effort, He staggered to the place where He had left His companions. But He "findeth them asleep." Had He found them praying, He would have been relieved. Had they been seeking refuge in God, that satanic agencies might not prevail over them, He would have been comforted by their steadfast faith. But they had not heeded the repeated warning, "Watch and pray." At first they had been much troubled to see their Master, usually so calm and dignified, wrestling with a sorrow that was beyond comprehension. They had prayed as they heard the strong cries of the sufferer. They did not intend to forsake their Lord, but they seemed paralyzed by a stupor which they might have shaken off if they had continued pleading with God. They did not realize the necessity of watchfulness and earnest prayer in order to withstand temptation.

Just before He bent His footsteps to the garden, Jesus had said to the disciples, "All ye shall be offended because of Me this night." They had given Him the strongest assurance that they would go with Him to prison and to death. And poor, self-sufficient Peter had added, "Although all shall be offended, yet will not I." Mark 14:27, 29. But the disciples trusted to themselves. They did not look to the mighty Helper as Christ had counseled them to do. Thus when the Saviour was most in need of their sympathy and prayers, they were found asleep. Even Peter was sleeping………..-

It was in sleeping when Jesus bade him watch and pray that Peter had prepared the way for his great sin. All the disciples, by sleeping in that critical hour, sustained a great loss. Christ knew the fiery ordeal through which they were to pass. He knew how Satan would work to paralyze their senses that they might be unready for the trial. Therefore it was that He gave them warning. Had those hours in the garden been spent in watching and prayer, Peter would not have been left to depend upon his own feeble strength. He would not have denied his Lord. Had the disciples watched with Christ in His agony, they would have been prepared to behold His suffering upon the cross. They would have understood in some degree the nature of His overpowering anguish. They would have been able to recall His words that foretold His sufferings, His death, and His resurrection. Amid the gloom of the most trying hour, some rays of hope would have lighted up the darkness and sustained their faith.


John 20:2-4
2Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

4So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.


John 21:7, 20, 23

7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher's coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

20Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

23Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee?

By the Sea Once More
The Desire of Ages
Page 816

As Peter walked beside Jesus, he saw that John was following. A desire came over him to know his  future, and he "saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me." Peter should have considered that his Lord would reveal to him all that it was best for him to know. It is the duty of everyone to follow Christ, without undue anxiety as to the work assigned to others. In saying of John, "If I will that he tarry till I come," Jesus gave no assurance that this disciple should live until the Lord's second coming. He merely asserted His own supreme power, and that even if He should will this to be so, it would in no way affect Peter's work. The future of both John and Peter was in the hands of their Lord. Obedience in following Him was the duty required of each.
 

The Necessity of Receiving the Holy Spirit
The Signs of the Times
Date 08-01-92

In seeking to reform our lives, let us not look at the defects of our brethren; we are to copy the Pattern. When Peter was charged with a certain duty by the Master, he pointed to John, and asked, "Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." You are to keep your eye single to the glory of God. A saint on earth is to be just what a saint in heaven is. A man in the church will be the same sort of a Christian there as he is in his family. If he is a Christian in his home, he will be a Christian in heaven. How is it with you? Do you stand the test? The Lord will bring circumstances to bear upon you that will lead you to make manifest your true character. You will be tested upon one point, and then upon another, until it is made manifest whether or not you have the spirit of a true Christian.
 

Peter's Fall and Restoration
The Youth's Instructor
Date 12-22-98
No. 2
Paragraph 08

"Verily, verily," said Christ, "when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following. . . . Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me."
 

To Every Man His Work
Pacific Union Recorder
Date 11-17-04

Christ is the One who gives His disciples their work. Read His answer to Peter when Peter asked Him concerning the work of John. "Lord, and what shall this man do?" Peter asked. And Jesus answered, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me."


Acts 9:36

36Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
 

Jesus Provided a Model of Character
Reflecting Christ
Page 41

God does not intend that your light shall so shine that your good words or works shall bring the praise of men to yourself; but that the Author of all good shall be glorified and exalted. Jesus, in His life, gave to men a model of character. How little power did the world have over Him to mold Him according to its standard! All its influence was thrown off. He declared, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work!" If we had this devotion to the work of God, doing it with an eye single to His glory, we should be able to say with Christ, "I seek not mine own glory." His life was full of good works, and it is our duty to live as our great Example lived. Our life must be hid with Christ in God, and then the light will be reflected from Jesus to us, and we shall reflect it upon those around us, not in mere talk and profession, but in good works, and by manifesting the character of Christ. Those who are reflecting the light of God will cherish a loving disposition. They will be cheerful, willing, obedient to all the requirements of God. They will be meek and self-sacrificing, and will work with devoted love for the salvation of souls. . . .

Acts 16:1; 21:16

1Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father [was] a Greek:

21:16
There went with us also [certain] of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.
 

Source: EGW Website