My church prides itself on being a “disciple-making church.” As members of this church, we are encouraged to take personal spiritual responsibility for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Our church has even come up with its own definition of discipleship for us to help us remember this important task set before us as believers: “Disciple-making is the privilege of every believer to purposefully exemplify in oneself and reproduce in another, through the vehicle of an intimate Christian friendship, measurable, spiritual progress.”
Although my church puts an emphasis on discipleship, this privilege of making disciples isn’t just for one particular church, group of people, or for the clergical elite. Christ has called all of His followers into a life of discipleship. We see this in what’s called “The Great Commission” in Matthew 28:
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them [the 11 disciples], 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you [f]always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NASB).
We have been given a deployment from our King: Go and make disciples!
Intersecting Faith and Life:
What is a disciple? A disciple is one who learns, obeys, and lives out what they have been taught. This person is teachable (not prideful) and responsible. A disciple of Christ trusts His teaching and longs to obey Him and follow Him. By God’s grace, a disciple of Christ makes an intentional and purposeful effort to walk in repentance and faith every single day. When Christ followers take the command of making disciples seriously, they see a life filled with relationships where hearts are knit together with those who love the Lord just like they do. Brothers and sisters in Christ who are intentional about discipleship will experience joy and progress in their faith as they learn how to spur each other on in the faith (Hebrews 10:24-25) and encourage one another when one’s trust in Christ is lacking. Discipleship happens within the ordinary days that we are blessed with here on this earth. It’s doing life with brothers and sisters and pointing them to God’s Word where minds are renewed, and lives are transformed to look more like Christ. There are over 60 “one another” passages in the Bible that encourage believers to live out. Some examples are “love one another,” “honor one another,” and “be devoted to one another.” We cannot do that without the help of the Holy Spirit, so our reliance on Him is crucial if we want to make disciples and grow spiritually together.
One does not need to be a scholar or an excellent theologian to be able to make disciples; They simply need to trust in the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ and live a life of repentance and faith in Him, abiding in Christ and reaching to know Him more through spiritual disciplines such as Bible study and prayer. This deep love for Christ begins to overflow and affect those all around us, as we learn to love Christ and love one another (a strong vertical relationship leading to strong horizontal relationships). A mature disciple committed to a relationship with Christ focuses on personally worshiping Him, walking with Him, working for Him, and witnessing of His power and mercy. That person will experience significant growth in personal sanctification and therefore, will experience a closer personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as they become “mature in Christ” (John 15: 4-5; Colossians 1:28). We should be committed to multiplying these godly characteristics in others, by God’s grace, as we grow closer to Christ together, representing Him to the world. This multiplication of ministry is key to the healthy growth of the church as we seek to obey Christ and make disciples to see the gospel advance and His Kingdom spread, all for God’s glory.
Further Reading:
- Matthew 4:19
- Matthew 10:37-39
- Luke 14:25-27