“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19)
Since becoming a Christian, I have heard many sermons on discipleship but I have never been discipled. Nor do I know anyone in our assembly that has been discipled, is being discipled, or is discipling anyone!”
I was sitting across from a young man that I had recently begun to encourage in the Lord, when he made this statement. I was saddened, but had to admit that, unfortunately, this does seem to be the case among us. It ought not to be! My purpose then, in writing this article, is not to come up with innovative and catchy new definitions nor models for discipleship, but rather to prod readers to personally, simply, and seriously re-read and consider our Lord’s command to “make disciples.”
The Great Commission
Most believers would agree with the concept of discipling and accept it as biblical, and yet we have, in practice, largely failed to obey the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20)! Have we perhaps misunderstood the Lord’s command and thought that He said, “Go into all the world and make converts?” Take a second look at Matthew 28:19 and you will see His command is to make disciples!
The word disciple (mathetes) simply means a learner, or pupil. It was a common word in biblical times. Apparently it was not unusual to see a rabbi walking along the road followed by a number of disciples who were eager to learn by hearing, seeing, and absorbing all they could from one whom they respected and desired to emulate. They wanted to assimilate his teachings into their thinking and behavior, becoming ever more like their teacher. Thus, those who followed Jesus were called His disciples. They were His pupils. They learned from Him. They followed Him.
Following Christ
To help us understand the concept of discipleship it is beneficial to include a discussion of the word “follow”, as this was the wording Jesus used to call His first disciples (Mt. 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 19:21; Jn. 1:43). In Matthew 16:34 Jesus said that if anyone wanted to be His disciple, they had to “follow” Him.
Some definitions of “follow” provide insight into the meaning of being a disciple: to go after, to move in the same direction; to pursue as an object of desire, to endeavor to obtain; to pursue with the eye, to keep the eyes fixed on; to accompany; to imitate; or copy so as to follow a pattern or model; to embrace; to think or believe like another; to obey; to observe; to practice; to act in conformity to.
How did those first disciples follow Jesus? The Lord called His disciples to be with Him, to travel with Him, to watch Him, to listen to Him, and to witness first-hand all that He taught and did. Small wonder that years later one of those disciples testified, “that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life, for the Life was revealed, and we have seen it and bear witness,…that which we have seen and heard we declare unto you…this is the message which we have heard from Him…” (1 Jn. 1:1-5).
John expressed the desire to pass on all that he had received from the Lord so that others could also know, love, and follow Christ, that their “joy may be full.” In other words, as he had been discipled, so he wanted to make disciples of others. 2 Timothy 2:2 is a clear model for this ongoing process of one being discipled and then discipling others who can in turn disciple others, and so on. Remember that the ones who were first disciples were later sent out to make disciples.
Someone may ask, “But how may we follow the Lord today? We can’t actually see or hear Him as the first disciples did.”
Our primary, perfect source is the written Word of God. It is from the pages of Scripture that we learn of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour—who He is, what He has done, what He is like, His character, His commands, and His teaching. A secondary, though imperfect, source is believers who are sincerely endeavoring to follow the Lord, and are showing good evidence of growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (Php. 2:19-22,29; 3:17; Heb. 13:7). One has said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
Of course, every human discipler will fail and disappoint, but the Lord will never do so. Therefore we should follow Him and point others to Him as revealed through His Word. It is crucial to remember the difference between the way Jesus discipled and the way we are to disciple. He could say “Follow Me.” We must say “Follow Him.” We are not to seek our own disciples. We are to assist others to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What’s the Point?
The goal of discipling is that the one discipled will be able to depend on the Lord. For a time, the Lord may use us as instruments to disciple a believer, but we are to work ourselves out of a job, equipping others to stand on their own feet. In discipling, our goal is not to make someone dependent on us! Rather, we disciple babes in Christ—feeding, nurturing, training, and encouraging—helping them to grow until they become dependent on the Lord. We train them to be able to study the Word for themselves, rightly dividing it (2 Tim. 2:15). We encourage them to mature spiritually to the point of seeking the Lord in prayer in all things. We instruct them so that they joyfully learn to know and do His good, perfect, and acceptable will.
One spring, I transplanted a number of cedar trees to form a hedge along the roadside. As spring gave way to summer, it turned out to be unusually hot and dry. A neighbor informed me the trees would never survive since the location was not favorable for cedar trees, the type of soil not conducive to their growth, and the particular summer too hot and severe for the survival of young transplanted cedar trees. Undeterred, I set about diligently watering and tending those trees day after day. How many gallons of water I put on them I don’t know! It was hard work, and a few of the trees looked a little droopy and yellow at times. I began to wonder if it was all worth it. As the heat subsided at the end of summer and fall came on, I decreased watering. The following summer as the heat rose, most of the trees appeared to fare well, but a few struggled. I commenced watering again, and nursed them until fall. The next summer I did not water at all. Their roots were strong enough and deep enough to find their own water. I’m happy to report that every one of those cedars survived! We had discipled them and now they were a joy and reward to us (Php. 4:1; 1 Thes. 2:19-20).
Some come to Christ out of troubled and difficult backgrounds with emotional and moral baggage which hinders them. It may seem they will never flourish because of the unfavorable conditions in their lives. But the process of discipleship can carry them for a time as we nurture and tend them through the “heat,” helping them learn to abide in Christ, with His Word abiding in them (Jn. 15), becoming “rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith” (Col. 2:7), and ultimately teaching them how to take their burdens to the Lord themselves (Mt. 11:28-30; 1 Pet. 5:7).
Discipleship is not complicated. It is not going through a discipleship program, nor doing a course to get a certificate in discipleship. Discipleship, simply put, is a believer, by God’s grace, learning to follow Jesus and become more like Him, and then assisting others to do the same.
Let’s get to it!
The goal of discipling is that the one discipled will be able to depend on the Lord.