“What is discipleship?” Considering that this is the prime command of Jesus to His followers, you would think we would have a better grasp on this concept. After all, believers have been thinking, writing, and speaking on this subject since Jesus stood on a mountain side and spoke the words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”
Yet, we still struggle to fully comprehend and to practice discipleship. That may speak to our lack of understanding, our cultural misconceptions, or the depth of reality that God has built into following His Son Jeus. It may be that understanding and participating in discipleship is meant to be an ever-increasing enlightenment to us, because it is an ongoing process.
One of the fundamentals of the early church was being devoted to the apostles teaching, which meant being devoted to what the apostles had seen and learned from Jesus as they walked with him over the course of His three-year public ministry. So, in an attempt to add to the conversation on discipleship, consider this definition I recently read, “A Christian disciple is a person who follows Jesus Christ and accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of salvation through Him” (“What is Christian Discipleship,” gotquetions.org). The same article goes on to say, “Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the indwelling Holy Spirit to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christlike.”
You see three key things in that statement. First, discipleship is a process. It is not an event, an activity, or a program. Discipleship is a process, and that process lasts from the moment of conversion until the end of life. Second, the indwelling Holy Spirit equips the disciples. The process of discipleship does not happen apart from the Holy Spirit. We apply ourselves to the spiritual disciplines we are taught in the Scriptures, but our intentional actions or commitment alone will never result in discipleship. The Holy Spirit was given to us by God for the purpose of equipping us in discipleship. Third, the goal of discipleship is to become more and more like Jesus. The result of discipleship is not knowledge, but a life that is being continuously transformed to be like Christ. I recently attended a conference where the presenters shared that the definition of discipleship in their church is “a lifelong process where a person is being transformed by the Holy Spirit to think and act more life Jesus every day” (Bruce Chesser, “Aligning Your Church for Discipleship,” Disciple Leaders Network).
If you want a simple plan to help you get started as a devoted disciple and disciple-maker, then consider this:
- Put Jesus First
- Read Your Bible and Obey Its Words
- Abide in Christ and Bear Fruit
- Love Other Disciples
- Make Disciples of Others
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
