Making disciples; a sign of a healthy Jesus-centered church
It seems like discipleship, and disciple-making in particular, are ignored by many believers of Christ. This post will discuss why discipleship is an important component to a healthy church. Making disciples is an act of obedience to God.
Why be obedient?
A follower of Christ is someone who has placed their faith in Him; someone that believes that He died as an atonement for their disobediences (sin) against God and that He resurrected, proving that He was (and is) God.
And once we are followers of Christ, we are one of His disciples. We are His students. We want to be like Him. And since we currently live in a broken world, there are sacrifices to be made in order to follow Him.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)
Through Him, we are made new. We rely on Him and work of the Holy Spirit to change us into the people He wants us to be.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:7)
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
We enter into a relationship with Him where is our Lord, our savior, and our friend. We love him because He first loved us. And we show our love by obeying Him.
“If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15)
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)
So if we do not obey Jesus, then we aren’t properly loving Him.
And we show our love by obeying Him.
What does it mean to “make disciples”?
One of the commands that Jesus gives us is the Great Commission.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)
Making disciples involves sharing the Gospel to those who don’t follow Christ. And it is walking with, teaching, and loving on those that decide to choose Him. We see Paul doing this in Scripture: he shares the gospel to those that will listen and he loves on them by teaching them, living with them, and praying for them.
What is discipleship?
Discipleship is the act of learning of surrendering yourself to Christ, following Him where He leads, so that you are equipped to teach others how to follow Him (disciple-making).
In practice, discipleship includes:
- meeting with each other regularly
- reading the Word
- holding each other accountable in walking with Christ
- the confession of sin and receiving forgiveness from God
- praying together
- loving on one another (encouraging each other)
- obeying whatever the Holy Spirit places in your heart
- taking what you learn in being a disciple and going out and making disciples
So, you might be thinking…
Discipleship sounds like a church small group. Is it the same thing?
Discipleship and small groups are not necessarily the same thing. The purpose of small groups vary across churches. Some groups are intended strictly for community-building (i.e. hang out if you like this soccer or some other activity). Some groups involve Bible study and prayer. And very, very few groups are concerned about accountability in following Christ; they don’t confess sins together, bear each other’s burdens and seek forgiveness (repentance) from God. Individuals may do it, but I have yet to see groups that will habitually act with this level of drive and accountability.
And very, very few groups are concerned about accountability in following Christ
Reminder that Jesus has died for our sins (past, present, and future). And yet, He is holy. We must strive for holiness through the Holy Spirit, allowing it to change us. And the first step to that is to confess our disobediences (sin) against God.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John:9)
So, discipleship is like having a mentor? My church has mentors!
They’re related but not the same. There is a mentoring aspect to discipling people. With traditional mentors, it isn’t typical that you meet with a mentor often (maybe once a month or once a quarter). Discipleship involves at least a weekly cadence. It is difficult to “do life” with someone that you only see once a month.
Though for discipleship relationship that has been occuring for years, it may be wiser to have less frequent time together. This is definitely not true for early discipleship; someone that can only crawl needs more attention than someone that can crawl, walk and run.
But if God is going to save someone, why do I have to share the Gospel?
Maybe this question is the result a Calvinist viewpoint: God knows who is going to be saved, so why I need to get involved?
God is going to “knock on our hearts” and each person must choose to accept or not. He is going to use something or someone else if you choose not to obey. But, it is more gratifying to obey and see what He also shows you.
If I want to obey and share the gospel, then I have to start doing missions trips?
No. Unless the Holy Spirit is convicting you to do so, it doesn’t have to be so complicated. There are people who are not following Christ (taking up their cross) all around you: neighbors, co-workers, family, friends. You can love on them and share the Gospel with them.
Are we suppose to make disciples only because of obedience?
Discipleship also provides a tangible way to get closer to God. It is an example of taking up your cross. It is an example of surrendering your life to Him, following His will and not your own. And He will show you things you never thought possible. He will show you how lives can be utterly transformed through Him. You get a front row seat.
What if the people I know aren’t receptive to the Gospel?
Then continue to love them and pray that God would soften their hearts. And go share with the people that you don’t know. I know this sounds daunting (because it is).
I want to make disciples, what do I do?
The practical “how can I make disciples” or rather, “how I can obey the great commission to make disciples” will be its own story for next time. Spoilers, it most likely will push you out of your comfort zone. But God is good, and He goes before us. We need to rely on Him and obey. 👇
