What is Discipleship?

 

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. 

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

These words are often called the "Great Commission".  They are the marching orders of the church. Jesus' disciples were sent to make more disciples who in turn are to make disciples of their own until the "all nations" are reached, continuing until the "end of the age".

So what is a "Disciple of Jesus Christ"? Very simply, it is a student, who sits at  Jesus' feet, learns from him, and then obeys his commandments. Those commands are the practical outworking of the two greatest commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor. But we must learn how to do this in our own life situations and in the culture where we live. It is not a one-time decision. It is a lifelong commitment.

I want to make a distinction between the terms "Christian" and "Disciple of Jesus Christ". Many people call themselves Christians. Some because they come from a Christian family, go to a certain church, and followed certain rituals. Many say they are Christians because they are citizens of a Christian nation. I do not deny people the right to call themselves Christians for whatever reason they choose. But Jesus did not send us to make "Christians" he sent us to make "Disciples".

History is full of people who have gone to "Christianize" a tribe, a nation, or even an empire. Emperor Constantine declared the Roman Empire to be "Christian" and it was so. The Spanish Conquistadors conquered the Inca, Aztec and Mayan empires, and made them Christian at the edge of the sword. Even in the United States, Native American children were removed from their families, had their hair cut, were forced to wear white men's clothes, were not allowed to speak their own language, and were taught the Bible, all for the purpose of making them Christians.  But even though it may be possible to force someone to wear the label "Christian", no one can be forced to become a Disciple. That is a decision we must all make for ourselves.

Today, many people call themselves Christians, because of their heritage, their national identity, because they go to church and perform certain rituals, and for various other reasons. But they are not truly "Disciples" because they do not believe that Jesus died for their sins and rose again to give them eternal life. They neither understand nor obey Jesus' teachings recorded in the Gospels. They are not obedient to Jesus' commands, including the command to go and make disciples. So much evil has been done in the name of Christianity, and so many people wear the label without living the life Jesus taught us to live. I know, because, sadly, sometimes I am one of them.

I want to make something perfectly clear so I am not misunderstood. I do not claim that a person must be perfectly obedient to Christ's commands in order to be saved from Hell and go the Heaven. To be "saved" we only need to do one thing. We must realize that we are sinners who can do nothing to save ourselves. Our only hope is to put our complete trust in what Jesus did for us when he died once and for all to save us from all our sin, and when he rose from the grave giving us the free gift of eternal life. If you believe that and receive Jesus' free gift of salvation, then the Bible declares that you are saved. The following verses prove that what I am telling you is true:

  • "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."  John 3:16-19 (NKJV)
  • "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  John 1:10-13 (NKJV)
  • "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."  Titus 3:4-7 (NKJV)
  • "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV)
  • “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)
  • Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  1 John 5:1-5 (NKJV)
I have included some of the immediate contexts from these verses because I think it makes the meaning more clear and complete. Discipleship is not just about being saved from Hell. It is the beginning of a new way of life. A life of obedience to the commands of Christ.  It is not easy. It is very hard. Some will hate you, and some may even kill you. So many Disciples of Jesus Christ are being killed all over the world today. But Jesus has promised to be with us constantly and give us the strength to persevere, and in the end, inherit eternal life.

  • When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 7:34-37 (NKJV)
  • And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28 (NKJV)
If you are not a Disciple of Jesus, do you want to be? I'm not going to give you a formula prayer. Pray in your own words. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and give you the strength and power to obey his commands. Then start reading the New Testament Gospels to find out what those commands are. If you are a disciple and want to become a better one, ask God to help you.


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