For the month of June, I read through the Bible, specifically the New Testament, on the topic of discipleship and making disciples. I knew we were commanded to make disciples (Matthew 28:19), but I will be honest and say I never knew how much the Bible talked about disciples and discipleship. For example, the entire Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7 is all about discipleship and what the lives of Jesus disciples must look like. All of the first letter of John is about discipleship, and it is written to help disciples feel assurance in their lives of their salvation in God, the disciple-maker. So today I wanted to share a few of the things I learned and was reminded of this past month from the Bible on the topic of discipleship.
True discipleship and disciples will face persecution and rejection from the world.
Discipleship is about taking the yoke of Jesus. A true disciple is one who is in union and partnership with the Savior and works right along beside Him.
Without the Holy Spirit and His work in the life of the person, discipleship does not take place. The Spirit of God is the key to the whole thing. He makes the disciples heart alive and then works in them from that moment on.
True discipleship requires death to self. As Bonhoeffer says, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him, come and die". This means that they renounce all for Christ.
Death to self also means that the true disciple has made a radical change. The old is gone and the new has come. Discipleship is a radically different and new life in union with Christ.
A true disciple holds to the Words of Life. Discipleship is about the Bible, both using it and holding to it for life. The true disciple comes under the Bible and gives the Bible the highest place possible in their life.
A true disciple will always remain on the vine. When one becomes a disciple of Jesus, the not only are grafted to the vine, but they become one with Christ, so that everywhere they go, Christ goes with them.
So.....a true disciple has these attributes and then can disciple others properly?
ReplyDeleteAre these things that will happen slowly to the disciple as they grow?
I know people grow at different rates.
These are just some of the things I found Scripture teaches on what a true disciple is and what discipleship looks like.
DeleteEach disciple is different and will grow at different rates at different seasons in their lives. A true disciple though, will always be a disciple and be attached to the vine, even if there is a period a complacency or backsliding. A rue disciple will always at some point repent of this and once more grow in their union with Christ.