Friday, October 18, 2024

The Essential Nature of Discipleship

Just before Jesus left the disciples to return to the right hand of the Father, He gave them a number of commands related to their subsequent ministry. One of them, recorded for us by Matthew in the 28th chapter of his gospel, was to go into the world and, as they were going, to “make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that I have commanded you.” Thus, the disciples were to basically reproduce themselves by forming new disciples, we could say they were to do so in their own spiritual image. This they did with great zeal for, as we read in the book of Acts, their passion for spreading the good news of Christ was unmatched in the annals of history.

Unfortunately, this zeal for making disciples has waned to the point where few of us take the commission seriously any longer. Some claim that the command that Christ gave the apostles was limited to them and that we are no longer required to make disciples that way they were. There are those who believe that, since God has ordained all that will be saved, then they will be saved without fail and we no longer need to do anything to give them the gospel. Of course, such individuals ignore the Bible since it not only commands us to make disciples but also demonstrates that disciples are made through the agency of preaching (1 Corinthians 1:21). The sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man are shown in great relief in the evangelistic program.

There is, however, another aspect of discipleship that is perhaps even more neglected than the preaching of the word in the first place. That is the tendency that we have in the church to forget that, once someone becomes a disciple, he or she needs to be “discipled.” It is not enough to simply convince someone of their need for Christ, baptize them, and then leave them to their own devices as to how they are to grow in the faith. This is especially true in a day when there is a proliferation of "teachers" in social media that fill people's minds with all kinds of aberrant theologies. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-2, that he was to take the things that Paul had taught him and, in turn give them to other faithful men who will teach others and so on. Thus, a cycle of teaching, learning, teaching, was instituted which would ensure that the church would not only survive, but grow and thrive.

This matter of discipleship is especially important when it comes to the younger folks among us. It is an obvious fact that we are not immortal (at least not in the flesh) and that the day will come when the current generation will no longer be here. That being the case, it is imperative that the older folks (when I say older I don’t mean just 60+; those in their 40’s and 50’s can also be in this camp if they’re not new converts) take the younger ones under their wing and teach them how to behave. They should teach them how to be better men or women, better husbands or wives, better fathers or mothers, better Christians.

We often emphasize the responsibility of each individual Christian to study and to grow. And that should always be the case. Nevertheless, we cannot neglect the essential role that discipleship plays in the life of the body of Christ. If you are among the younger set, look to the older folks to provide you the guidance that you need. Don't be afraid to approach an older brother or sister and ask them to provide you with the benefit of their knowledge and experience. If you are among the older ones, take it upon yourself to seek out those whom you can help and influence and help them become disciples in every sense of that word. Doing so will ensure that the body of Christ becomes all it has been called to be!



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