Discipleship
Discipleship. What is it?
This is a question that has been around for thousands of years. There are many perspectives of it throughout the religions of the world. While there are many similarities, I’m not bringing this up to see all perspectives, just one. What does Scripture teach us about disciples?
Over the next few weeks, we will go on a journey to see what the Bible says about being a disciple. I will break it out into five areas. I’m sure there will be some overlap.
- The Call
- The Cost
- The Cross
- The Character
- The Control
The role of disciple starts in chapter four of Matthew.
Matthew 4:19 (CSB)
19 “Follow me,”…
This happens at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He has been baptized by John, filled with the Spirit, and confirmed by the Father that He is truly His Son in whom He is pleased.
Jesus then goes into the wilderness. He is guided by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. And guess what? He passes the test.
Matthew 4:17 (CSB)
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
It is from this moment that He begins to call disciples and starts to give scope to what He is about to do.
Matthew 4:19 (CSB)
19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”
There are several things we can see in this verse.
- The call to follow
- The call to change
- The call to multiply
The Call to Follow
The disciples made a decision to obey His command. Follow Me. I’m sure they didn’t understand all that it would entail in that moment. They just knew that they wanted to follow.
For three years He showed them what He meant. He healed the sick, cast out devils, set captives free. He showed them how to walk in God’s way. How to love God and people. Through this time they saw that others were being caught in His love and were following Him also.
At the end of His time on earth, after He had died, been buried, and arose to life, He wanted His kingdom to continue being built. Before He ascended He told His disciples:
Matthew 28:18–20 (CSB)
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is the Great Commission. Jesus is Messiah. All authority in heaven and in earth has been given to Him.
He begins to give His disciples direction to continue His work on the earth. You can think of this as a high-level outline of what he wanted them to do.
Go and make disciples – As you go share the gospel.
Baptize them – Have those who believe take the first step of obedience in believer’s baptism.
Teach them everything I’ve commanded – Teach them the things that Jesus taught the disciples so that they know how to walk in God’s way.
Remember I’m with you till the end – Remember that we are not alone in this work but Jesus is with us through every step.
The Results
In the end, the result that Jesus wanted was for his disciples to continue building the Kingdom. We see this in Acts 6:7 where the disciples in Jerusalem were increasing in great numbers and even priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7 (CSB)
7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
As the disciples followed the Commission, they taught faithful men what they had seen and heard. They did this with the intention that these men would then teach it to others.
2 Timothy 2:2 (CSB)
2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
In this way, disciples continue to make disciple-makers. This allows the teachings of Jesus and the building of the Kingdom to continue throughout generations until He returns.
As we look at the Great Commission that Jesus gave all his disciples and we see what was happening in Acts 6:7, we start seeing the Kingdom of God in action. Paul’s command to Timothy further reinforces Jesus’ commands and shows us how to build up the Body of Christ. These things give us some insight into discipleship.
Discipleship begins with hearing the gospel and believing it. We decide to follow Jesus. We repent of all of those things that separate us from God. Our selfishness, our wanting to serve ourselves. And we begin to follow Jesus and become obedient to him.
Baptism is the next step. It is an act of obedience to what you have believed. We do this by publicly acknowledging that Jesus is Savior and Lord. Baptism is the symbol that we are baptized with Jesus in death and then raised to walk in the newness of life, His life.
We are then to learn all that he is commanded and then teach it to others who are faithful and who will teach it to others as well.
The Call to Change
None of this can be done without Holy Scripture. The Bible is an integral part of our learning. Paul tells Timothy what scripture is useful for.
2 Timothy 3:16 (CSB)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,
Jesus tells us how we can know that we are truly a disciple.
John 8:31 (CSB)
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word,, you really are my disciples.
As we continue to meditate on the Word and read the Scripture daily it becomes a part of us. We are able to relay the truths out of the word of God to others so that they can know him better. Reading scripture isn’t only about gaining knowledge, it’s about spending time with God. We allow Him to speak into our lives.
The end result of spending this time in the word of God and in His presence is that we have full communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are equipped by allowing the five-fold ministry, the Body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit to teach us so we become fully trained. As we change we become more and more like Jesus. Jesus told us this in Luke.
Luke 6:40 (CSB)
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
As we become like Jesus we become more effective to build up the Body of Christ and His kingdom.
The Call to Multiply
Becoming like Christ changes our thinking. As our thinking changes so do we. It is reflected in our actions. Because belief drives behavior.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (CSB)
16 For
who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct him?,
But we have the mind of Christ.
If we have the mind of Christ then we will start doing the work of Christ. We see through the gospels that Jesus made disciples.
As we continue working on the Great Commission, we will start producing the fruit that Jesus intended. We will make disciples of all nations.
Because we have heard the message of Christ and acted on it, we have a solid foundation. As we remain in Him we will be unshaken.
Luke 6:47–48 (CSB)
47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built.
But what of the rest of humanity. Those that continue to ignore God. Or worse, listen but don’t act? What about them?
Luke 6:49 (CSB)
49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”
To hear and not obey brings destruction. Christ has called us to fulfill His purpose.
2 Timothy 1:9 (CSB)
9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
We are to be in Christ. We are to abide in Him. As we are in Him all things are possible. Welcome to the new!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
What Does It Mean To Be a Disciple?
A disciple submits to the Lordship of Christ so they can follow Him. Because of this, they pursue Him and He reveals more of Himself to them.
How is this done? By reading and meditating on Scripture, spending time with Father, Son, and Spirit in prayer, and entering the process of change to become more like Jesus. This transformation happens as we surrender to Holy Spirit’s work in us (sanctification).
As we become more like Jesus we take on attributes of servanthood. As we yield to Holy Spirit we are empowered to be witnesses to make disciples-makers (share the gospel, baptize those who believe, teach them what Jesus commanded). By doing this we take part in the multiplying process.
That brings me to the close. Jesus has placed a call on each of us. Will we follow? Will we change? Will we fulfill His purpose and multiply?
Take a look at your own heart today. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken.
Are there obstacles in your life that keep you from following God? Do you find it difficult to hear His voice and know His will so you can become like Him? Are you taking the steps necessary to know Him more?
Take time right now to come to the Lord. Repent of any unbelief that separates you from your God. Allow His presence to remove the obstacles and bring healing to your inner man.
