Making disciples is a life-long project.
I was first discipled by my senior pastor Kenny Lewis in
1994. Being a disciple is not something we do on our own. We need to find
someone to go along in this journey. John the Baptist had John and Andrew.
Jesus had Peter, James, and John. Paul had Barnabas, Silas, Luke and Timothy.
But what does it mean to be a disciple-maker?
In Every Man a Warrior (Helping Men Succeed in Life),
Lonnie Berger wrote on page 24 of Book 1, “Jesus gave us HIS definition of
discipleship. We need to teach what HE taught.”
That is absolutely true!
In the gospels, there are many descriptions of what
the early disciples did, and some descriptions were not very flattering. They
were far from perfect. They argued over who was the greatest. They doubted,
disbelieved, and disobeyed Jesus, their “master”. They were fearful. They
shunned children from coming to Christ, when Jesus actually wanted to bless
them. They frequently misunderstood Christ and sometimes they stopped following
Him when His words were too hard to understand. They slept when they should
have watched and prayed. One famously denied he even knew the man. Ultimately
they all fled when He needed them most.
The failures of the early disciples can actually encourage
us. We too will fail when we are tested, falter when we try our best, and even
fall when we are tempted. We simply are in “bad company” with other faulty
disciples. However, our faults should not stop us from seeking to be discipled.
Failures do not define us. Descriptions are not prescriptions!
Our past will not determine our future. God has prepared good things for us
(see Ephesians 2:10).
Jesus’s definition of discipleship is HIS prescription of
what a disciple should be. The following are clear prescriptions from
the Gospels of what Jesus said a disciple should be and do. Coincidentally, I
found 12 prescriptions to define what a disciple should aspire to be and do,
the same number of his original disciples.
This list begins with the Great Commission, then follows in
order throughout the rest of the gospels.
Disciples are believers who…
1. …evangelize and baptize converts. (Matthew 28:19, John 4:2)
2. …make other disciples. (Matthew 28:19)
3. …teach what Jesus taught. (Matthew 28:20, Matthew 10:25)
4. …obey, abide in, and remain faithful to what Jesus commanded. (Matthew 28:20, Luke 6:40, John 8:31, 15:4-8)
5. …deny themselves, such as in fasting. (Mark 2:20, Luke 5:35, Matthew 16:24)
6. …are not above Jesus but strive to become like Jesus (Luke 6:40, Matthew 10:24-25)
7. …love Christ more than anything and anyone else. (Luke 14:26)
8. …carry their crosses; that is, are willing to sacrifice to the death. (Luke 14:27, Matthew 16:24)
9. …follow after Christ (Luke 14:27)
10. …forsake all that they have for Christ. (Luke 14:33, Matthew 10:24-25)
11. …love other disciples. (John 13:35)
12. …bear fruit. (John 15:8)
There are other parallel verses that are similar in Jesus
saying what are the requirements in following Him, but these are specifically
tied to discipleship.
Like I said at the beginning, making disciples is a
life-long project. So is being made into a disciple.
