Discipleship is just the expression we put to the desire we have to grow in our walk with Jesus.
After spending a year covering the topic of discipleship, it is our hope that professing believers will understand the importance that Scripture places on following Christ. The gospel is not merely the means by which we are saved, but the manner by which we are changed. Discipleship is just the expression we put to the desire we have to grow in our walk with Jesus.
The term, itself, is never used in the New Testament outside of the Gospels and the Book of Acts, and yet it is the underlying principle seen on every page of the Bible. All Scripture points to Christ and calls us to be transformed into His image. As we think about what this means for us as individuals and in our communities, we have to examine why it is so important to be committed to discipleship.
Defining Discipleship
A Christian disciple is anyone who is a believer in Christ. Let’s dispel any possible confusion right away: it is not a second level of Christianity. We don’t pick up being a disciple somewhere along the way. Our conversion demonstrates that our direction has changed. We have turned from sin and to Jesus. The transformation has begun, but it is not complete.
Our about-face gives us a new perspective, but we must take steps forward in obedience to Christ. Looking to Jesus gives us a desire to be like Him, learning from Jesus teaches us how to grow in our walk with Him, and living for Jesus transforms us into His image. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18).
Great athletes who are born with certain talents do not succeed without cultivating their skills. They study their craft, sacrifice their desires, and train their bodies through rigorous exercise. In order to grow as disciples, it is not enough to simply have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we must study the Word of God, abstain from sin, and practice good works. In other words, we ought to run in such a way to win the prize (I Corinthians 10:24-27).
Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is actively following Jesus at all times. There are moments where we have lost perspective: we fall into sin, we seek our own desires, and we are stubborn in our obedience. A true believer, however, shows conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29). True discipleship is marked by confession and crying out to God as our help.
Discipleship is not just about moving closer to Jesus in proximity, but becoming more like Him. As we grow, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit, and our lives will be living testimonies that we have been transformed.
Evangelism as Discipleship
If discipleship is something that begins at the point of conversion, then it is clear why it is central to the great commission.
Jesus’ parting words for those who choose to follow Him are to go into all of the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). One of the first signs that we have been transformed is a desire to see others follow Christ. When I was saved at the age of five, I couldn’t have a sleepover without telling my friends that they needed to be saved as well. After my parents would put us to bed and turn off the lights, I would get to work: convincing them that they were sinners and that they needed to trust in Jesus. Without knowing exactly how to lead them through the ‘sinner’s prayer,’ I’d run out of the room to get my dad. My methodology might have needed some work, but the passion I had was genuine.
True disciples will be serious about evangelism. When we understand and reflect on the gift that we have been given through Jesus, we will become more like Him. With that transformation comes an increase in our compassion for the lost and a dedication to the mission of Christ.
Discipleship is not merely evangelistic in the sense of winning converts. It is not enough to get people to say a prayer. True discipleship is about bringing people closer to Jesus. As we mature, we desire to see others grow in their walk with Christ. Therefore, discipleship is a journey, a journey we share with other people.
Simplifying Discipleship
A simple way to think about how we go about making disciples is to consider who in our lives needs to hear the gospel.
Let’s start with ourselves. A daily reminder of the gospel is what keeps us on track in our pursuit of Christ. Looking to our savior beckons us along in our journey toward Christ-likeness. If we need to be reminded of the gospel every day, other believers in our lives need this important truth as well.
Think about the people who cross our paths on a regular basis, interacting with us from one degree or another. They are family, co-workers, neighbors, friends, and acquaintances. We are in their lives for a reason. God has brought them across our paths because we have something that they need.
Our families are probably the most overlooked opportunities for discipleship. Yet, the first recorded Great Commission, known in the Old Testament as the Great Commandment, presents the home as the central place for making disciples. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). In this context, discipleship is supposed to take place in the everyday activities of life; from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed. Discipleship should consume everything that we do.
If we would make the concerted effort to preach the gospel to ourselves every morning and articulate the gospel with those we are discipling throughout the day, we would find it much easier to share our faith with unbelievers. Everyone in our lives needs to hear the gospel. Whether the encounters are long or short, we have opportunities all around us to make disciples by pointing others to Christ.
A Community of Discipleship
There is no better place to cultivate disciples than the local Church. The Church is the Christ ordained means by which God is building His Kingdom. It provides leadership, community, and accountability. If we really want to be committed to fulfilling the Great Commission, we cannot step out on our own in some sort of ‘lone ranger’ ministry. We must be plugged in to a covenant community of believers.
A Sunday morning worship service is designed to include all of the main elements that go into the discipleship process.
Worship orients our hearts and combines prayers, teaching, and articulating the gospel that focuses our attention on Jesus. In referencing the communion table, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are proclaiming the gospel to each other as we worship (I Corinthians 11:26). This is not only a necessary component for redirecting our own hearts toward God, but it is an expression of discipleship as we are calling others to join with us in giving glory to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:26).
Preaching elevates the Scriptures in our lives and reminds us how we need to grow in conformity to Christ. It convicts us when we are wrong, heals us when we are wounded, and encourages us when we lose sight of God’s love. A disciple is a follower of Christ’s teaching, therefore we need to be taught the Word of God.
Praying together gives us an opportunity to hear and bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). This reminds us that we are all struggling and we need each other to help us along in our walk with Christ. It reminds us that we are trusting in God for all of our needs. Confessing our sins to one another keeps us humble as we work toward Christ-likeness (James 5:16).
Fellowship puts us in the center of a community that is committed to our walk with Christ; provoking one another toward love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). Therefore, we shouldn’t overlook the opportunities that we have to gather together as we encourage each other to press on in the hope of our calling (Hebrews 10:25). It is through our love for each other that we demonstrate we are truly disciples (John 13:35).
A Church provides us with an ideal model for discipleship, but it also gives us the necessary relationships we need to grow. God raises up leaders in the Church to shepherd us in our walk with Christ. Pastors are not there to do all of the spiritual work so that we can just show up on Sunday morning in order to be replenished from week to week. They are making disciples by equipping us to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12); entrusting to us the call of discipleship so that we will be able to teach others also (II Timothy 2:2).
Intensifying Discipleship
Our efforts to see discipleship in all of our daily encounters should not preclude us from taking the principle to a deeper level. Discipleship does not happen by mere proximity any more than absorption of Scripture happens from a closed Bible on the shelf. True discipleship requires intentionality.
Jesus had thousands of followers, but He specifically discipled twelve of them, and of those twelve, He focused more intensively on just three. Therefore, we need to be more intentional about our relationships. Every believer ought to have at least three specific people in their lives: someone who is further along in their walk with Christ whom they can follow, someone whom they can lead in discipleship, and someone whom has yet to place their trust in Jesus as their savior.
Focusing on one or a few individuals helps us to be clear in our objectives. As we are doing our daily devotions, we will be thinking of ways that we can share what we are learning with them. As we pray, we can ask for opportunities to be a witness and an example of Christ. When we pursue intentional discipleship, we are making ourselves available as vessels of God’s grace.
Every summer, my parents would send me off to a Christian camp for a week. I was a shy kid, so I didn’t open up willingly with my counselors. From all of those summers from elementary school through high school, I can only remember two of my counselors who took the time to have a one-on-one conversation with me. That left a tremendous impact on my life. When I eventually became a camp counselor myself, I made a special effort to have a personal conversation with each of my campers.
People want to be discipled. We cannot simply wait for opportunities to present themselves and we cannot rely on a worship service or Bible study to do the intensive work of making disciples. We need to be intentional by making an effort and creating a scenario to talk. We must reach out to those who God has laid on our hearts and placed in our paths.
Practicing Discipleship
It is often said that people don’t learn the information that we teach them, they learn what we emphasize the most. Discipleship is not something that is taught as much as it is caught. Maturity is something that is gained from experience and passed on from generation to generation.
Older men need to disciple younger men (Titus 2:6-8). This is not always easy as men are unlikely to sit through long meetings or be transparent about their feelings in small groups. Furthermore, they may feel uncomfortable in face to face interactions. Men are much more willing to open up when standing shoulder to shoulder. This is one of the reasons why churches tend to have their most fruitful men’s ministries while working on building projects, while seeing a major decline shortly after everything is finished. Men tend to talk with each other when they feel comfortable, however they won’t feel comfortable through simply talking. Give men a hammer or a fishing pole and they will be open to listening and sharing about their lives.
Younger women also need to be discipled by older women (Titus 2:3-5). I'd like to think I have this one figured out, but, if I am honest, I’ve only been married for a few months and I’m discovering that I don’t know a lot of what I thought I knew. However, I can say that younger women desperately need older women to help them through the many phases of life. While ladies’ fellowships and Bible studies are great, a handwritten note or a simple phone call can make a huge difference to open the door for a deeper relationship where genuine disciple-making can begin.
The best place to look for opportunities for one-on-one discipleship is by considering the things we enjoy and finding other people who share our interests. Sometimes this means looking for a hobby with the specific intentions of discipling another person. Take up fishing, sign up for an art class, join a community gardening group, volunteer as a mentor, or help your neighbor remodel their house (I’m sheepishly looking for help). Relationships that form organically in which there is common ground are great foundations for disciple-making.
The Cost of Discipleship
Following Jesus and making disciples is going to require commitment and sacrifice. We no longer live for ourselves. We live for Christ (Romans 14:8).
When Jesus called His disciples, He told them that they would have to deny themselves and take up their cross daily (Luke 9:23). We cannot shy away from the strong language Jesus uses when He tells His followers that they have to hate their own families (Luke 14:26-27). Jesus even turned away a rich young pharisee simply because He was unwilling to give his whole life in devotion to Christ (Luke 18:18-30).
Jesus poured out His life for us. He went to the cross to die for our sins. In telling us to take up our cross, He is calling us to die to self. We must step out of our comfort zone and give up our rights to privacy as we invite other people into our world. We must pour out our time, talents, and treasures into those who have needs greater than our own.
As disciples, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, a picture that we are being transformed (Romans 12:1-2). In so doing we will fulfill the law of Christ, to love one another as we have been loved (Galatians 6:2).
Motivation for Discipleship
This is the call for every disciple. If we are going to be like Christ, we must be transformed into His image. Our character, values, and mission must change. Being a follower of Christ requires a willingness to be used by God and an intentionality to make a difference for the Kingdom.
Jesus is inviting us to die to ourselves so that we can live for Him; a life of greater meaning, purpose, and joy. Taking up our cross daily means keeping the gospel before our eyes so that we will never forget the price that has been paid on our behalf. We have tasted and seen that God is good, but we are still beggars who have found bread. We desire to grow and, in so doing, point others to the wonderful grace of Jesus.
The gospel is the fuel that drives our pursuit of Christ-likeness, worship is the fire of our devotion that lights the path for others to believe, and faithfulness is the testimony for those who come behind us that we have been transformed.