104 Bible Verses about discipleship, nature of

It is said in the Prophets--'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who is taught by the Father and learns from him comes to me.

"Master," said another, who was a disciple, "let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus answered: "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead."

The two men left their nets at once and followed him.

They left their nets at once, and followed him.

Therefore imitate God, as his dear children, And live a life of love, following the example of the Christ, who loved you and gave himself for you as 'an offering and a sacrifice to God, that should be fragrant and acceptable.'

Let all our People learn to devote themselves to doing good, so as to meet the most pressing needs, and that their lives may not be unfruitful.

but in your whole life show yourselves to be holy, after the pattern of the Holy One from whom you received your Call. For Scripture says-- 'You shall be holy, because I am holy.'

And they at once left their boat and their father, and followed him.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly-minded, and 'you shall find rest for your souls';

Jesus at once called them, and they left their father Zebediah in the boat with the crew, and went after him.

For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you.

And, when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything, and followed him.

But far different is the lesson you learned from the Christ-- if, that is, you really listened to him, And through union with him were taught the Truth, as it is to be found in Jesus.

And that he died for all, so that the living should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose for them.

Let the spirit of Christ Jesus be yours also.

There is not one of us whose life concerns himself alone, and not one of us whose death concerns himself alone; For, if we live, our life is for the Master, and, if we die, our death is for the Master. Whether, then, we live or die we belong to the Master.

"Come and follow me," Jesus said, "and I will set you to fish for men."

For it was to this that you were called! For Christ, too, suffered--on your behalf--and left you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

and so will live the rest of his earthly life guided, not by human passions, but by the will of God.

"Come and follow me," Jesus said, "and I will set you to fish for men."

He who professes to maintain union with God is himself bound to live as Christ lived.

When he had washed their feet, and had put on his upper garments and taken his place, he spoke to them again. "Do you understand what I have been doing to you?" he asked. "You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet;read more.
For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them.

Going further on, he saw two other men who were also brothers, James, Zebediah's son, and his brother John, in their boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them,

But the Helper--the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my Name--he will teach you all things, and will recall to your minds all that I have said to you.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love. If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father's commands to heart and remain in his love. I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete.read more.
This is my command--Love one another, as I have loved you. No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do what I command you.

For the Holy Spirit will show you at the moment what you ought to say."

Yet when he--The Spirit of Truth--comes, he will guide you into all Truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of all that he hears; and he will tell you of the things that are to come.

He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who, for my sake, has lost his life shall find it.

To another man Jesus said: "Follow me." "Let me first go and bury my father," said the man. But Jesus said: "Leave the dead to bury their dead; but go yourself and carry far and wide the news of the Kingdom of God."

And we speak of these gifts, not in language taught by human philosophy, but in language taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things in spiritual words.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever, for my sake, loses his life shall find it.

As Jesus went along, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: "Follow me." Matthew got up and followed him.

My prayer is that the God of Jesus Christ our Lord, the all- glorious Father, may inspire you with wisdom and true insight through a fuller knowledge of himself;

Calling the people and his disciples to him, Jesus said: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, will lose his life shall save it.

As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: "Follow me." Levi got up and followed him.

And pray that, in proportion to the wealth of his glory, he will strengthen you with his power by breathing his Spirit into your inmost soul, So that the Christ, through your faith, may make his home within your hearts in love; And I pray that you, now firmly rooted and established, may, with all Christ's People, Have the power to comprehend in all its width and length and height and depth,read more.
And to understand--though it surpasses all understanding--the love of the Christ; and so be filled to the full with God himself.

And to all present he said: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever, for my sake, loses his life--that man shall save it.

And it was revealed to them that it was not for themselves, but for you, that they were acting as Ministers of the truths which have now been told to you, by those who, with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven, have brought you the Good News--truths into which even angels long to look.

After this, Jesus went out; and he noticed a tax-gatherer, named Levi, sitting in the tax-office, and said to him: "Follow me."

He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey- -not even bread, or a bag, or pence in their purse;

"If you wish to be perfect," answered Jesus, "go and sell your property, and give to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; then come and follow me."

All that you learned and received and heard and saw in me put into practice continually; and then God, the giver of peace, will be with you.

"If any man comes to me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes and his very life, he can be no disciple of mine. Whoever does not carry his own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.

Jesus looked at the man, and his heart went out to him, and he said: "There is still one thing wanting in you; go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall heave wealth in Heaven; then come and follow me."

Whoever is eager to get the most out of his life will lose it; but whoever will lose it shall preserve it.

Hearing this, Jesus said to him: "There is one thing still lacking in you; sell everything that you have, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; then come and follow me."

He who loves his life loses it; while he who hates his life in the present world shall preserve it for Immortal Life.

The following day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip, and said to him: "Follow me."

For you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt; That the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed; And that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature which was created to resemble God, with the righteousness and holiness springing from the Truth.

Jesus said this to show the death by which Peter was to honor God, and then he added: "Follow me."

All this, Brothers, I have, for your sakes, applied to Apollos and myself, so that, from our example, you may learn to observe the precept-'Keep to what is written,' that none of you may speak boastfully of one teacher to the disparagement of another.

You, then, must become perfect--as your heavenly Father is perfect.

And the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me.

A scholar is not above his teacher; yet every finished scholar shall be like his teacher.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.

For those whom God chose from the first he also destined from the first to be transformed into likeness to his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest among many Brothers.

Brothers, unite in following my example, and fix your eyes on those who are living by the pattern which we have set you.

Calling the people and his disciples to him, Jesus said: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and follow me.

I entreat you, then, Brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, for this is your rational worship. Do not conform to the fashion of this world; but be transformed by the complete change that has come over your minds, so that you may discern what God's will is--all that is good, acceptable, and perfect.

And to all present he said: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For you know well that you ought to follow our example. When we were with you, our life was not ill-ordered,

Whoever does not carry his own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.

No! Arm yourselves with the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and spend no thought on your earthly nature, to satisfy its cravings.

A woman should listen silently to her teachers, and show them all deference.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me;

And all of us, with faces from which the veil is lifted, seeing, as if reflected in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his likeness, from glory to glory, as it is given by the Lord, the Spirit.

but, if a widow has children or grand-children, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight.

You, however, must stand by what you learnt and accepted as true. You know who they were from whom you learnt it;

With these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that pollutes either body or spirit, and, in deepest reverence for God, aim at perfect holiness.

If a man is ready to serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant shall be also. If a man is ready to serve me, my Father will honor him.

For he chose us in our union with Christ before the creation of the universe, that we might be holy and blameless in his sight, living in the spirit of love.

These are the men who never defiled themselves in their intercourse with women; they are as pure as virgins. These are the men who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed as the first-fruits of mankind for God and for the Lamb.

This is the Christ whom we proclaim, warning every one, and instructing every one, with all the wisdom that we possess, in the hope of bringing every one into God's presence perfected by union with Christ.

Since you know that it is from the Master that you will receive the inheritance which will be your recompense. You are serving Christ, the Master.

Therefore, as God's People, consecrated and dear to him, clothe yourselves with tenderness of heart, kindliness, humility, gentleness, forbearance;

Jesus, however, called the ten to him, and said: "The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them as you know, and their great men oppress them. Among you it is not so. No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to take the first place among you, must be your slave;read more.
Just as the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

so that the Servant of God may be perfect himself, and perfectly equipped for every good action.

But Jesus called the ten to him, and said: "Those who are regarded as ruling among the Gentiles lord it over them, as you know, and their great men oppress them. But among you it is not so. No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, And whoever wants to take the first place among you must be the servant of all;read more.
For even the Son of Man came, not be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Be like obedient children; do not let your lives be shaped by the passions which once swayed you in the days of your ignorance, but in your whole life show yourselves to be holy, after the pattern of the Holy One from whom you received your Call.

Never flagging in zeal; fervent in spirit; serving the Master;

Yes, and for this very reason do your best to supplement your faith by goodness, goodness by knowledge, knowledge by self-control, self-control by endurance, endurance by piety, piety by brotherly affection, and brotherly affection by love.

Indeed, in speaking about us, the people themselves tell of the reception you gave us, and how, turning to God from your idols, you became servants of the true and living God,

Dear friends, we are God's Children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that, when it is revealed, we shall be like Christ; because we shall see him as he is. And every one who has this hope with regard to Christ tries to make himself pure--as Christ is pure.

So Jesus went on to say to those Jews who had believed him: "If you remain constant to my Message, you are truly my disciples;

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a leading man among the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: "Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him."

It is he who has my commands and lays them to heart that loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him."

But one of their number, Nicodemus, who before this had been to see Jesus, said to them:

If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father's commands to heart and remain in his love.

And by this we know that we have learned to know him--by our laying his commands to heart.

and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we are laying his commands to heart, and are doing what is pleasing in his sight.

For to love God is to lay his commands to heart; and his commands are not burdensome,

Then Jesus came up, and spoke to them thus: "All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the Faith of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, And teaching them to lay to heart all the commands that I have given you; and, remember, I myself am with you every day until the close of the age."

It is you who are the Light of the world. A town that stands on a hill cannot be hidden. Men do not light a lamp and put it under the corn-measure, but on the lamp-stand, where it gives light to every one in the house. Let your light so shine before the eyes of your fellow men, that, seeing your good actions, they may praise your Father who is in Heaven.

and what you learnt from me, in the presence of many listeners, entrust to reliable men, who will be able in their turn to teach others.

And he it is who gave to the Church Apostles, Prophets, Missionaries, Pastors, and Teachers, To fit his People for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the Body of the Christ. And this shall continue, until we all attain to that unity which is given by faith and by a fuller knowledge of the Son of God; until we reach the ideal man--the full standard of the perfection of the Christ.read more.
Then we shall no longer be like infants, tossed backward and forward, blown about by every breath of human teaching, through the trickery and the craftiness of men, towards the snares of error; But holding the truth in a spirit of love, we shall grow into complete union with him who is our Head--Christ himself. For from him the whole Body, closely joined and knit together by the contact of every part with the source of its life, derives its power to grow, in proportion to the vigor of each individual part; and so is being built up in a spirit of love. This, then, as one in union with the Lord, I say to you and urge upon you: Do not continue to live such purposeless lives as the Gentiles live,

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles and to the Common Life of the Church, to the Breaking of the Bread and to the Prayers.

So Jesus went on to say to those Jews who had believed him: "If you remain constant to my Message, you are truly my disciples; And you find out the Truth, and the Truth will set you free."

I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vine-grower. Any unfruitful branch in me he takes away, and he cleanses every fruitful branch, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Message that I have given you.read more.
Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains united to the vine; no more can you, unless you remain united to me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He that remains united to me, while I remain united to him--he bears fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me. If any one does not remain united to me, he is thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt. If you remain united to me, and my teaching remains in your hearts, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be yours. It is by your bearing fruit plentifully, and so showing yourselves my disciples, that my Father is honored. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love. If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father's commands to heart and remain in his love. I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete. This is my command--Love one another, as I have loved you. No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you 'servants,' because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have given you the name of 'friends,' because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that should remain, so that the Father might grant you whatever you ask in my Name. I am giving you these commands that you may love one another.

I give you a new commandment--Love one another; love one another as I have loved you. It is by this that every one will recognize you as my disciples--by your loving one another."

"If any man comes to me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes and his very life, he can be no disciple of mine.

And so with every one of you who does not bid farewell to all he has--he cannot be a disciple of mine.

Do you, however, speak of such subjects as properly have a place in sound Christian teaching. Teach that the older men should be temperate, serious, and discreet; strong in faith, love, and endurance. So, too, that the older women should be reverent in their demeanor, and that they should avoid scandal, and beware of becoming slaves to drink;read more.
that they should teach what is right, so as to train the younger women to love their husbands and children, and to be discreet, pure-minded, domesticated, good women, ready to submit to their husbands, in order that God's Message may not be maligned. And so again with the younger men--impress upon them the need of discretion. Above all, set an example of doing good. Show sincerity in your teaching, and a serious spirit; let the instruction that you give be sound and above reproach, so that the enemy may be ashamed when he fails to find anything bad to say about us.

And, while they were on their way, a man said to Jesus: "I will follow you wherever you go." "Foxes have holes," he replied, "and wild birds their roosting-places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another man Jesus said: "Follow me." "Let me first go and bury my father," said the man.read more.
But Jesus said: "Leave the dead to bury their dead; but go yourself and carry far and wide the news of the Kingdom of God." "Master," said another, "I will follow you; but first let me say good-bye to my family." But Jesus answered: "No one who looks back, after putting his hand to the plough, is fitted for the Kingdom of God."