You cannot give what you do not have.  This is the core of discipleship.  In the illustration of the Good Samaritan Jesus reminds us that the most important thing about being a disciple is not being a Good Samaritan, but rather understanding that Jesus is the Good Samaritan who has met us on the road and saved us.  We can never “Go and Do Likewise” until we first receive what has been done for us on the Cross of Calvary.

There is no difference in the scriptures between Disciple and Christian.  When someone was called a Christian it meant Disciple and when someone was called Disciple it meant Christian.  It meant they were different. They were different from the crowd.  They were even a little weird.

The number one disciple maker is the culture. It tells us where to live, what to buy, what to eat, and how to look. It is one of the greatest influences in our lives. We don’t understand that we are being discipled towards the world and away from Jesus. When Jesus called the first disciples he didn’t ask them to stop being Fishermen. He simply asked them to become fishers of men rather then fish. He called them to change the object, and their response was immediate. Jesus has called us to make disciples and to the road towards Jerusalem. How will we respond?

As Christians we have to be careful that we don’t omit what Jesus committed to…making disciples. We cannot separate the teachings of Jesus from the methods of Jesus. While Jesus mentions the church a few times, He mentions disciples 260 times.

Jesus call to discipleship is not for everyone. It is call not just to follow a person but to follow a path, a way of life, a road less traveled. It is a call to Jerusalem where ultimately death is the price for following Jesus. We are called to take nothing and hold on to nothing but to Jesus only. This call will reveal the real idols in our lives.

As Christians, we are indeed our brother’s or sister’s keeper. We must speak truth into others’ lives and guide them back to the truth when they wander.

In times of suffering, believers are to endure with patience and steadfastness, keeping their eyes set on the Lord. He is compassionate and merciful to His children, in every circumstance.

James gives a warning to the rich who oppress and exploit the underprivileged. Riches will amount to nothing in the end, but the humble and righteous will prevail.

Our view of the future has great influence on where we place our assurance. James urges us to humbly view all of our days as lived under the sovereign will of the Lord.

Our passions and desires are at war within us, and we must fight against them. While pride, boasting and divisiveness mark worldly people, humility, obedience and repentance mark the godly.