If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:31-32 (NIV)

We often applied the concept of calling only to individuals who have a special office or ministry in the church community. However, this weakens or dilutes the scriptural understanding of what it is to be a disciple of Christ. We are all called to faith in Christ and to serve as His witnesses to all people of the earth.

If our idea of discipleship is about sitting passively in the pew and doing nothing to further God's Kingdom, then we have a problem with obedience. Being obedient does not earn God's grace. Instead, the power to obey comes from God's grace. The reason we don't serve God as much as we could is that we have reduced the Christian life to a dull religious routine. It is the attitude that produces the behaviour.

Obedience enables us to encounter the living Jesus in a richer and more tangible way.

Peter obeyed Jesus despite his doubt, and when he threw his net into the water, a large number of fish was caught. Paul obeyed Jesus despite his life was in danger, and he saw many Jews and Gentiles embracing the gospel and becoming believers. Martha and Mary obeyed Jesus despite their grief, and when they removed the stone, Lazarus came back to life. Their stories show us when we fully obey the call of God, the impossible becomes possible.

When we choose to radically obey and follow Jesus, we should be aware that things may not always be comfortable or easy. Our obedience empowers us to move forward even when the future seems grim or hopeless. This is because we know Jesus has already won our battles and we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Obedience gives us freedom and security because we are living in accordance with the truth of who we really are and what have in Christ.