THE FACTS OF LIFE -  DISCIPLESHIP

Today, we pick up where we left off in our last study about discipleship or living the life abundant as promised by Christ.  Nowadays, we don't often refer to Christians as "disciples" of Christ, although that's exactly what each and every true believer really is in God's great plan.  It may make more sense to you if we change the word "disciple" to "learner", for growing in knowledge, and grace, of Christ is the Will of God for all believers.  (II Peter 3:18).  But the process of learning more and more about Christ is, as we have already seen, only half of the formula for pleasing the Heavenly Father.  After growing in knowledge, we must also grow in "grace". 

This verse in II Peter 3:18 is short but powerful, clearly describing the dual nature of Christian growth.  There first must be an increase in intellectual understanding about Christ, learning more and more about who He is and what He wants to do in and through our lives today.  But secondly, as already mentioned, that intellectual growth means nothing unless there is a concomitant change brought about by integrating that information into our daily lives.  Learning a new Scriptural truth and refusing to practice it, brings the growth process to an instant halt with devastating consequences!  In our next study, we'll see some of the fallout which occurs with growth stasis.  But right now, let's concentrate on this dual formula of Christian growth: learning new truth + practicing what is learned = discipleship.

 LIVING THE LIFE: Discipleship (* see footnote):  It was in my second year of Bible College that God made very personal to me a passage of the New Testament found in Matthew 28:18-20.  This well known portion of Scripture is often called the "Great Commission" and is very important for several reasons.  1) It was the utterance by Jesus to his Disciples before leaving the earth after his resurrection and 2) it revealed the manner through which God's great plan of redemption should be disseminated to all the world and,  3) it reveals the important balance between the new birth and the new life by emphasizing the goal of this great commission: to make disciples of all nations.

Now would be a good time to point out that the same "great commission" is also recorded in the other Gospels too, each of which use slightly different wording to help us understand the full scope of this important command.  Often times, God's Holy Spirit, the author, prompts each writer to record a slightly different version of an event to enrich and expand the meaning He wants to convey.  In this case, Mark (16:15) records Jesus' last words as: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."  Then, Luke (24:46-48) echoes and expands on Mark's account as follows: "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."  Finally, in John 20:21, Jesus appears to His disciples on a different occasion and tells them "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 

When we summarize all these verses, we get a much more precise picture of the task Jesus left to His disciples: the Gospel message (the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead so that forgiveness of sins through repentance) should be preached in His name to all nations, the message should begin in Jerusalem and from there, spread to the uttermost part of the earth, it should be preached to all creatures (young, old, man or woman, Jew or Gentile, civilized or uncivilized) and, most importantly, the manner in which Jesus sends His disciples into the world is modeled after the ministry He performed to them: discipling.   Remember why Jesus came into the world?  to do the will of His Father. ( John 6:38)   All the preaching, dissemination of the Gospel and conversion to Christianity carries the ultimate goal of producing, not just converts, but followers, disciples, learners and faithful doers of God's Will.

DISCIPLESHIP DEFINED:   Depending on the version of the Bible you are using, the word "disciple", may also be translated "teach".  This is a perfectly legitimate translation since the Greek word "mathētḗs" means  "a learner; an apprentice, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require."  Hopefully, you noticed the dual purpose of discipling.  It not only means teaching factual information, but, more importantly, training the new believer in the practical application of that truth to his or her daily life style.  Another description of this practical application is called "growth".  It is this secondary meaning, the practical aspect of the new birth, that we will focus on for the remainder of this lesson. 

One of the great blessings of working on a mission field among people unfamiliar with real Christianity, is their ignorance of the Bible.  This may sound counterintuitive but, as I'll explain, makes perfect from a practical point of view.  Only after ministering in a foreign land, where there is little Evangelical history, the Gospel message is new and expectations about Christian conduct are absent.  For example, when a new group of believers comes together to form a congregation, there is no pre-determined cultural mindset about how a church service should be conducted, what each believer should or should not do, and, most importantly, no excuses regarding Christian service.    In effect, it becomes much easier to lead that congregation into a more dynamic, active and practical model of New Testament Christianity when compared to an Evangelical congregation here in the States.  As a matter of fact, that was the very experience I had when I returned from the mission field and took a position as interim pastor in a local church near my home. * (Related links to be added soon.)

In summary, the task, revealed in Great Commission, is two fold: 1) lead all men to life through a saving knowledge of Christ and 2) grow that individual both in the knowledge about Christ and, through the application of that knowledge, into Christ-likeness.  This practical application of truth is referenced time and time again in scripture as a major fact of the Christian life.  In James 1:22, for example, the writer warns that nominal Christians who do not practice what they preach, are only deceiving themselves.  The Apostle Paul, likewise exhorts the believers in Philippi to practice all that they had heard from him and seen in him.  Philippians 4:9.  Teaching head knowledge about the Bible is not enough!  Some way, some how, discipling others must produce a change in thought, belief, attitude and, most importantly, in behavior before we can consider the Great Commission fulfilled.

I'm obviously spending a lot of time on this subject for several reasons: 1) to emphasize the importance of this truth as a foundation to the studies to follow and 2) because giving it the proper attention will create growth in our lives and a revival of God's power the 21st century church.  Now, I admit that this is a very bold statement but, from both personal experience and Scriptural authority, I believe it to be true.  I'd like to share some of that personal experience with you but won't take up space to do it here.  (Link to be soon inserted here)

Finally, I think it's safe to say that the practical aspect of the phrase "make disciples" is the reason that Matthew used it in his account of the Great Commission.    When you stop and think about it, there is an obvious cycle demonstrated in this command.  Christ's greatest desire was for His disciples to continue the work He had started with them at the beginning of His earthly ministry.  He spent three years making His own band of disciples as an example, to these same followers, on how best to continue God's work in His absence: by making more disciples.   This is made quite clear in his remarks recorded by John 20:21: "Even as the Father has sent me, so send I you".  In a manner similar to God the Father sending Jesus into the world to make disciples, then, in like manner, Jesus sent those same disciples into all the world to make more disciples.   Thus, beyond simply preaching the Gospel to all nations, beyond witnessing to all people and beyond even leading both Jew and Gentile into this great salvation, something more was on the mind of Christ at His departure: the multiplication of disciples, instructed in His truth and transformed into His image.

DISCIPLING: A Three Way Street:   I'm not sure what a three way street looks like but the phrase effectively conveys the multiple outcomes of a successful discipling ministry. Up until this moment, we've been talking about an event, the Great Commission, that took place over 2,000 years ago, in a place far removed from our current lives.  However, I want to point out that, this Great Commission is just as valid today as it was back then, it is every bit as applicable to Christ's followers today as it was at His ascension and it's effect on the world today could be just as powerful as it was as reported in the Book of Acts.  In other words, if you are a Christian, this final command of your Lord and Savior applies just as much to you as it did to those Apostles on the day of Christ's ascension.    Now, having placed this command squarely on your shoulders, let's look more closely and see what effect it might have on your life and mine today. 

First, the act of disciplining means that each and every believer, including you and me, must learn how to lead someone to a saving knowledge in Christ.  This can be something as simple as memorizing the "Romans Road", exhibiting a gospel tract showing the steps to salvation, giving your personal testimony or assembling a series of Bible verses showing pointing the way to the new birth.  So, the first step in a discipling ministry is soul winning, the making of a new disciple which, in other words, is the conversion of a sinner and the birth of a lost soul into life eternal.

But, there is yet another step required of you in being a discipler: personal obedience to the Will of God and teaching new disciples the same.  If we consider ourselves Christ's disciples, then we must learn, intellectually and practically, how to lead someone to salvation.  Admittedly, this may be a frightening prospect for some, including yourself, especially if you lack much Bible knowledge.  This should not, however, prevent any Christian, including you, from learning.  Listen to what Paul tells us in this regard: Work hard so God can say to you, “Well done.”  Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what his Word says and means. II Timothy 2:15 (The Living Bible version).  So, to become a soul winner and a teacher of the fundamentals of the faith, you are expected to study, just like you're doing now, learn the basics of Bible truth and then, most importantly, obey what is revealed to you during study.  For it is only by accepting this reasonability that the believer is placed in the role of teacher and, as such, must also first become a learner. 

Finally,  the last result of obeying the discipleship command is that it builds up the church, the Body of Christ.  As one believer disciples another, each member of the Body of Christ must exercise his or her gift to the mutual edification of all.  Here are the three way blessings of discipleship:

First of all, it exercises your faith and makes you grow.  Whenever we push ourselves to do something unpleasant, difficult and outside our comfort zone, it reinforces self esteem by overcoming fear, gives us practice so that the next time it will be easier and forces us to rely on others for help, in this case the Holy Spirit within.  It matures us in grace as we trust God to supply the strength and wisdom for the gifts He gives in each situation.

Secondly, discipling is an interactive teaching method through which we may best find and apply God's Word to the needs of the new believer.  If, for example, in the process of teaching the fundamentals to a ne believer, you discover it to be an area in which you yourself need growth, you can't very well go on with the lesson without first practicing what you preach.     There's no better way to share Scriptural truth than by selecting those verses which most directly meet the growing needs of that particular disciple.  The new believer grows by listening, you grow by teaching and the church grows by default.

Thirdly, the Body of Christ is edified whenever discipleship is practiced.  In fact, one of the main ways believers AND the church grow in grace is through the exercise of their God given gifts!  The Apostle Paul gives considerable attention to this important truth in several of his epistles.  In Ephesians 4:11-16,  for example, Paul cites a number of gifts given to members of the Body of Christ so that, when exercised, "the body of Christ is built up" and the discipler "grows until we reach the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."  Then, in I Corinthians 12, Paul describes discipling as exercising (practicing, doing, applying) each believers spiritual gifts, received and empowered by grace, to the edification of the entire church.   In short, discipling is a win, win, win for all concerned.

Practical Homework: This might be a good time to stop and ask yourself if you're aware of any areas of your own personal life in which you find a discrepancy between knowledge and grace?  Any behavior, attitude, habit, action, thought or feeling which God's Spirit has convicted you of but you've deferred, ignored or delayed doing anything about it?  If so, then I'll be addressing that very problem in the next lesson.  If you've been blessed by the realization of the power of god's grace available to you now, but can't seem to find out how to make it work on some personal issues you know are displeasing to the Father, then listen up, because in the next study, I am going to show you a better way. 

QUESTIONS

1. What is a synonym for the word "disciple"?

2. What does the word "disciple" imply besides teaching information?

3. What did Jesus mean when he said "so send I you" in John 20:21 (expand on deeper meaning)

4. What does it mean to growth both in knowledge and grace? II Peter 3:18

5. why do you think Matthew used the word "disciple all nations" instead of "preach to all nations"?  Matthew 28:18-20

6.  Compare and contrast these four versions of the Great Commission: Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:47 and John 20:21

7. What's really going on in the mind of the believer who hears the Word but does not practice it? James 1:22

8. What is the key to growth according to James 1:23-25 (you'll have to dig a bit for this one)

9. Is the Great Commission an example of the Sovereign or Declarative Will of God?

10. Why do you suppose Christ wanted his disciples to wait in Jerusalem before going into all the world with the Gospel message? Mark 16:15 

11. What was the message the disciples were to preach according to Luke 24:46-47

12. What is one of the first steps a new believer can take to demonstrate his obedience to Christ? Matthew 28:19

13. What are the two key words showing the discipler's two principal tasks in discipling? Matthew 28:20

14. What is the first gift God gives the new believer at conversion? Acts 2:38

15. Once the Holy Spirit is received in the new believer, what is His continuing work? Philippians 2:13

* FOOTNOTE: To avoid any confusion about the terms being used in this study, I'll define three of the: 1) disciple; a believer who continues to obey Christ as both learner and teacher. 2) discipling; the act of teaching others. 3) discipler; the person doing the discipling.