If we are going to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to know what the disciplines of Jesus Christ actually are. His disciples should portray and incorporate these same disciplines into their lives. If we allow Jesus Christ to develop us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in these disciplines, the attitudes or the cognitive issues will develop properly as a by-product of the practice of the Christ-like disciplines.

There are four primary disciplines we see in the model of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We can and should grow into the development of these disciplines as a practical and applicable Christian lifestyle based on the portrayal of the life of Jesus Christ as we find it in the four Gospels of the New Testament.    

1). The Knowledge of Scripture

It is not a difficult task to read through the New Testament Gospels and realize that Jesus had a very comfortable knowledge, understanding and recall of the Old Testament Scriptures. He quoted numerous passages of the Old Testament to His audiences, His disciples, and even to His detractors – the Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees. He understood the original intent of the passages He referenced in both His conversations and in His sermons. That meant that He was using these Scripture quotations in an accurate context. He was not making them say what He wanted them to say. He was revealing the texts and passages of Scripture for the actual purpose that they were originally written.

If we are to be effective disciples of Jesus Christ, we too must take the time to study, learn and understand the Holy Scriptures more each day. This takes discipline to grow into a progressing knowledge of the inspired Word of God, the Holy Bible. We can never understand it completely because it is written by God who is infinite, omniscient and immutable. But we can and should strive to know God better through His Word, which has its entire focus on the person of His only Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

God’s Word is our actual source of life. In the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus was being tempted by Satan, His very response gives us this fact. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.“ But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.' (Matthew 4:3,4)

The Apostle Paul stresses the importance of knowing the Scriptures to his young pastoral apprentice Timothy. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

2). Prayer & Meditation

Jesus knew the ultimate value of an effective and quality prayer life. This is evidenced in the many times the Gospel accounts reference His times of private prayer and also the many prayers He yielded publically or in a close knit circle with His disciples. Communication with God, His Father was the key to His survival - physically, mentally and spiritually.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray. The “Lord’s Prayer” as we often call it is a format of spiritual postures and mental attitudes by which we can effectively interact with God. Jesus also stresses through many of His personal experiences the importance of quiet time alone in meditation, listening to God speak into our hearts.   

How much more value should we place on this totally necessary discipline in our lives? The best way we can build a healthy relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ is to communicate with Him in prayer daily. Listening to His voice as we pray is vitally important to our spiritual survival. In reality, listening for and to the voice of God speaking within us through His Holy Spirit and His written Word – the Bible, is much more important than our need for God to listen to us.     

The Gospel according to Luke illustrates many of those examples of Jesus Christ being committed to an aggressive life of prayer; But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. (Luke 5:16) It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his (Luke 11:1)

Paul tells the Christians in the Church at Ephesus why he spends time praying for them. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18)

3). Spiritual Alertness and Spiritual Warfare

The earthly ministry of Jesus Christ as we have it in the New Testament Gospels is peppered with personal attacks that were inspired by Satan himself. Satan worked through evil spirits, through men and even through animals to attempt to take Jesus off the course of His ultimate mission of the redemption of all mankind. Satan actually thought he was going to eliminate Jesus Christ completely from existence. Jesus exercised spiritual discernment and alertness to know the nature and content of these attacks and temptations. In this Jesus Christ set our example by practicing effective and successful spiritual warfare against Satan and his many schemes.    

The Apostle Paul picks up on this discipline that Jesus so excellently displayed. Paul illustrates our practical need and application of spiritual alertness and spiritual warfare in our everyday living in the text of Ephesians chapter 6. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore , take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

In listing the “full armor of God” in Ephesians chapter 6 Paul only gives us one offensive attack weapon to use in spiritual warfare. It is not our knowledge or our skillful use of a language. It is not our physical strength or ability. It is not even a positive mental attitude.

This offensive weapon is in Ephesians 6:17 where Paul says; “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” It is the very Word of God.  It is the sword of the Spirit.

The glorified Jesus Christ is described in the same language in the book of Revelation, “And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.” (Revelation 1:16) It is only through the application of God’s Word in our lives that we accomplish victory over the enemy of our souls.

4). Competent Communications

Jesus Christ practiced very accurate and precise communication skills with everyone He came in contact with. His words were direct and to the point, yet they were compassionate and lovingly presented at the most pertinent times.

There was no political or social fluff in His language. He did not speak for or against social causes or specialized people groups. His honest and productive language always focused around our need for a relationship with God.

In our day and age it is too easy to be misinterpreted in our daily communications. Most people practice “selective interpretation”. This means that they may listen to several connected sentences, but they actually only choose to hear and retain a few words or a phrase or two. Then they opt to interpret those few words to imply or mean whatever they want them to.  

We have become far too concerned with the possibility of offending someone rather than speaking the truth in a loving way. Our words are often engineered to defend us or even to protect us from potential persecution. Jesus spoke fearlessly into situations and conversations with foundational and immutable truth. So should we as His disciples become effective and competent communicators on behalf of our Christian faith.  

These Scriptures speak to us of how Jesus Christ accurately discerned and communicate .directly to the culture and community that surrounded Him. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. (Matthew 21:21)He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:29 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed. (Matthew 27:12-14)

The Apostle Paul also amplifies the need for Christian disciples to be accurate communicators. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, (Ephesians 4:14 & 15)