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by Jeremy J. Markle (Author)
At the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus called his disciples together and gave them His final command for their lives and ministries. Matthew 28:18-20 records Jesus saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Jesus had a specific purpose and plan for His disciples in His absence. They were to represent Him to the world around them by teaching the nations of His Gospel of salvation, baptizing those who believed as a public testimony of their faith and then teaching the believers to observe, or put into practice, His teachings (Mark 16:15-16).
In Bible times, the title disciple was given to students of a religious teacher. It was expected that such students would not simply learn the information that their teacher provided but also that they would "observe" or diligently apply that teaching to their daily lives so that they would begin to live like him (Matthew 28:20). That is why the apostle John recorded Jesus as saying "to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). He later added, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Finally, He stated, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8). Jesus expects all those who believe on Him to become His disciples by learning and living according to His Word, displaying His love, and glorifying God the Father by allowing Him to produce spiritual fruit in their lives (Luke 14:21-33).
One of the primary words used in the New Testament and within Christianity today to describe how a disciple of Jesus Christ is to "observe" His commandments is the word walk. In this context the word walk takes on its figurative meaning of making consistent choices, based on one's beliefs, that form a direction of life for either good or evil, resulting in a habitual lifestyle.
It is the purpose of this Bible study to address the forty-seven uses of the word walk in their thirty-two passages, to highlight ten specific biblical truths that should be applied to each believer's daily activities so that the believer can truly be one of Christ's disciples and represent Him to the world.
