As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, the word disciple is used so many times in the Scriptures that it is
important to know what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. So far, we’ve seen that a disciple is defined
simply as a learner and follower of another’s teachings. To become a disciple of Jesus, however, there
is a very real cost in self denial that must be counted and accepted
first. The next question that naturally
arises is: Who are the ones that are
called to become disciples?
For me, growing up in a church environment and being involved in various churches over most of my life, I have been exposed to the notion of discipleship from many different viewpoints. My impressions of what discipleship is all about have boiled down to two concepts. The first was the idea that a disciple was any young person who is being taught the basic doctrines of the Bible and the Church and, in particular about Jesus, through a structured program, such as Sunday School or Catechism.
Later, I saw the disciple as an adult who, wanting to grow his or her faith to a deeper level, chose to study intensely under the supervision of a mature teacher. This would normally be in a one-on-one or small group relationship with the teacher and for a set period of time to concentrate on developing various spiritual disciplines.
While these two concepts of a disciple are quite different, they both imply special categories of followers of Jesus. In the case of youth, it’s children in Christian families sent to classes to get them established in basic Bible understanding and fundamentals of the faith. For the adult it’s the special person who senses a need to become a more devoted and fruitful follower, especially the one who plans to become a pastor or missionary.
But are these examples of discipleship accurate or complete from a Biblical viewpoint? Did Jesus indicate that His disciples would be limited to a few select categories of believers? I have not found evidence in my study of the Scripture to support the idea that Jesus only wants people who desire to be pastors or Christian workers to become disciples or that being a disciple is limited to a set period of concentrated learning.
When Jesus spoke His last words to His disciples before ascending into Heaven, He charged them to go “make disciples of all the nations” and to teach them to observe everything that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:19). This is what the Church refers to as the Great Commission. It’s instructive to notice what He did not say. For example, He did not say to go make converts. Nor did He say to make believers or followers. Does it seem that He might only want disciples in His Kingdom?
Even an elementary study of the life of Christ reveals various times when many of the multitudes who had believed fell away and no longer followed Him. In teaching His disciples about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, He told them the parable of the soils. In that lesson He showed them that to the preaching of the Word of God there will be four typical responses but only one that is good. To put it in simplest terms: some will reject or ignore it, others will follow initially but not having counted the cost fall away, and finally there will be those who become fruit-reproducing disciples.
Are we all as professing believers in Christ as our Lord and Savior called to be reproducers of the faith, or just absorbers? If reproducers, then disciples, and not just for a specified period of training but for a lifetime.
For me, growing up in a church environment and being involved in various churches over most of my life, I have been exposed to the notion of discipleship from many different viewpoints. My impressions of what discipleship is all about have boiled down to two concepts. The first was the idea that a disciple was any young person who is being taught the basic doctrines of the Bible and the Church and, in particular about Jesus, through a structured program, such as Sunday School or Catechism.
Later, I saw the disciple as an adult who, wanting to grow his or her faith to a deeper level, chose to study intensely under the supervision of a mature teacher. This would normally be in a one-on-one or small group relationship with the teacher and for a set period of time to concentrate on developing various spiritual disciplines.
While these two concepts of a disciple are quite different, they both imply special categories of followers of Jesus. In the case of youth, it’s children in Christian families sent to classes to get them established in basic Bible understanding and fundamentals of the faith. For the adult it’s the special person who senses a need to become a more devoted and fruitful follower, especially the one who plans to become a pastor or missionary.
But are these examples of discipleship accurate or complete from a Biblical viewpoint? Did Jesus indicate that His disciples would be limited to a few select categories of believers? I have not found evidence in my study of the Scripture to support the idea that Jesus only wants people who desire to be pastors or Christian workers to become disciples or that being a disciple is limited to a set period of concentrated learning.
When Jesus spoke His last words to His disciples before ascending into Heaven, He charged them to go “make disciples of all the nations” and to teach them to observe everything that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:19). This is what the Church refers to as the Great Commission. It’s instructive to notice what He did not say. For example, He did not say to go make converts. Nor did He say to make believers or followers. Does it seem that He might only want disciples in His Kingdom?
Even an elementary study of the life of Christ reveals various times when many of the multitudes who had believed fell away and no longer followed Him. In teaching His disciples about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, He told them the parable of the soils. In that lesson He showed them that to the preaching of the Word of God there will be four typical responses but only one that is good. To put it in simplest terms: some will reject or ignore it, others will follow initially but not having counted the cost fall away, and finally there will be those who become fruit-reproducing disciples.
Are we all as professing believers in Christ as our Lord and Savior called to be reproducers of the faith, or just absorbers? If reproducers, then disciples, and not just for a specified period of training but for a lifetime.
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