The Importance Of Discipleship

Last week I talked about a woman who invested in others. She made disciples, but she was also a disciple herself. We have to be disciples in order to make disciples, but are either of those really necessary? Is it for every Christian or just for a chosen few? Does it really matter if we are disciples or make disciples?

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

This verse is part of the “Great Commission”, one of Jesus’ final commands on earth before He ascended into heaven. It was given to His chosen eleven and some would say it only applies to certain people because of that, but no where does Jesus imply that. Earlier in His ministry (Luke 9 and 10) Jesus sent out the twelve on a similar “trial run”, but then He also sent out the rest of His following totaling 70 disciples.

Matthew 10:32 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

1 Peter 3:15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Acts 1:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

It is commonly understood that it is the job of all Christians to share their faith. But bringing someone to salvation is only the first step, and left there they will have trouble. That is why in the Great Commission Jesus said to make disciples, not converts. Discipleship is necessary for every Christian’s walk with God. It is necessary to have a healthy faith. If people don’t become disciples they fall away.

Hebrews 2:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

What is a disciple?

Matthew 10:24-25 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.

First, a disciple must have a teacher to follow, to instruct them. That would be Jesus. It is important to note that a disciple must also be humble. So many believe that they can become (or already are) better than those who instruct them, whether it is a pastor, teacher, boss etc. Jesus made it very clear that we need to humbly realize that we are lower than He is, we cannot pass Him, and therefore we cannot overrule anything that He says. His Word is law, period. We must have the humility to submit to Him and obey His word.

It is also necessary for a disciple to become like the teacher. We cannot be a disciple if we are not like the one we follow. Conversely, we by nature become like those we follow and look up to. So it is obvious who we follow because that is who we emulate.

Matthew 5:13-16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus is the light of the world, so we must be the light of the world. What good is a light that is hidden? What good is salt that has no flavor? It is no longer salt and is therefore useless. We must become like Jesus and then we must help others become like Jesus; that is the basis of discipleship. Christianity is a movement of disciples and discipleship is the life of Jesus through His people.

Practically speaking, this all happens fairly naturally. If there is a person we admire more than any other, we will naturally want to be like them, and will work to attain that. And the passion we have for that will naturally overflow so that we want others to be that way too.

How do we become disciples?

Of course, salvation is the obvious first step. There is a desire to know Jesus intimately which will lead to seeking Him and seeking to know Him which comes from regular prayer, reading the Bible, meditating on the Bible, and applying what is read. That is the only way we can know Him, so we must do that in order to come to know Him. The harder we pursue and seek Him, the deeper our knowledge and relationship will be, and the greater our intimacy with Him.

That deep knowledge and intimacy will lead to a desire to please Him unfailingly because knowing Him will lead to a knowledge of His nature and what He loves and hates. He hates sin, He can’t be in the presence of it. Naturally we will want to get rid of anything that offends those we deeply love and desire to be around. Our knowledge of and love for Jesus will spur the desire to get rid of our sin.

Finally, there comes a desire to share Him passionately. If a person finds something that is the best they’ve ever had or seen, they will naturally share it with others. The greater the passion the greater the desire to share it. If a person knew of a miracle cure that would save their loved ones from death, they would obviously do everything they could to share it with and save them. It is the same with Jesus. Sin is the greatest, most common malady of mankind. All contract it, all will die from it unless they have the cure. The only cure is Jesus. If we truly believe that, we will naturally share it, and if we truly love and know Jesus we will believe it.

It is of utmost importance to spend time with God, to seek Him intimately, to pray regularly, to study the Bible (not just read it but study it, meditate on it, and apply it) daily, to glean everything we can from it. That is the only way we can grow as a disciple, grow in godliness.

What does a disciple look like?

There are several characteristics of a true disciple, but a few key ones to note are:

1. There is no rival in their devotion to Christ. Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” This does not mean that we should literally hate our family members, but that our love for them should pale in comparison to our love for Christ. Our family should never get in the way of our faith.
2. They will follow Christ through thick and thin.  Luke 14:27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” That cross we must carry is anything that we have to give up, any sacrifice we have to make for the sake of following Him, any hardship we have to endure if we do it as for Christ. Matthew 26:33 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Sadly, Peter did fail, but this is the attitude we should all have.
3. They are not in love with the things of the world. Luke 14:33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Jesus has to be everything to us. We can’t be half in half out. We have to be all in, totally sold out for the cause of Christ. We can’t have the world and Christ. We have to choose between them.
4. They see their life as a call not a game. Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Ephesians 5:15-17 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. This life we live is for Jesus, it must be taken seriously and it must be intentional. Nothing we do should be careless or thoughtless.
5. They view people as loved by God, are always aware of their needs, and why they are here. 1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 20-21 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come… Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. All people are loved by God, He desires all to know Him. It is our job as His children to help facilitate that, to be His arms reaching for the lost. We need to treat everyone as precious and beloved.
6. They are always reaching out to others (even on vacation). In college, I spent a summer in Russia on missions. Halfway through our trip, we took a “vacation” to the Black Sea for some much needed respite. We were told to just enjoy ourselves, not to worry about sharing the Gospel or anything. One of the girls in my “family” found a way around that order. She made friends with everyone she met and gave them her number or email on a paper with the Gospel message in Russian. Sharing the gospel was so important to her that she wouldn’t leave anyone out, she wouldn’t lose any opportunity. That is how it is when we are that passionate about something, when we are a disciple.

Making disciples

I always wanted to get involved in discipleship, but never knew how to go about it. I’m a planner, so because I didn’t have a plan I didn’t know how to start. Discipleship is actually really easy, and it doesn’t require a program or anything. The simplest definition of discipleship is intentional spiritual investment. That’s it. Most people who are true disciples do it without even realizing it. It could include parenting children, teaching in any capacity, preaching, leading a Bible study, investing in a neighbor. It is anything we do that is investing in another person. And because the main way to become a disciple is getting in the Bible, the best way to make a disciple is to get that person (once they are saved) into the Bible. Ask what they’ve been reading, learning, struggling with. It doesn’t have to be complicated or structured. It just has to be Christ centered.

Are you a disciple? Do you want to be a disciple, or make a disciple? What do you need to do to make it happen?