Understanding Discipleship

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

“Jesus approached and, [a] breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them [b] into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you [c] all the days ([d] perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. [e] Amen (so let it be).” Matthew 28:18-20 (Amplified)

“And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, `Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth; having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them — to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days — till the full end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 (Young’s Literal Translation)

As you can see, I used three differing translations on this passage, so as to make clear what Christ commissioned His disciples to do. Many are there in Christiandom who claim that Christ simply said; go out and “preach” or “evangelize” those that haven't heard God's Word, or about Jesus Christ and Salvation. However, when we look at the above passages, we understand that preaching does not make disciples, however training does.

We are to be disciples of Christ, He is our Master. As such we must truly understand what that means, in the broader sense of the word, and not just expect that listening to someone preach a sermon that it is going to get us there—regardless of how good that sermon is. So let’s begin with a definition:

Century Dictionary (I chose this one as it was more exhaustive and definitive)

A learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another: as, the disciples of Plato. And grete well Chaucer, when ye mete, As my disciple and my poet. Gower, Conf. Amant., VIII.

A follower; an adherent of the doctrines of another. To his disciples, men who in his life Still followed him; to them shall leave in charge To teach all nations what of him they learned, And his salvation. Milton, P. L., xii. 438.

Disciples Of Christ

The twelve men specially called or selected by Jesus Christ to be his immediate associates or followers during the three years of his ministry.

To teach; train; educate. [Rare.] That better were in virtues discipled, Then with vain poems weeds to have their fancies fed. Spenser, F. Q., IV., Prol.

To make a disciple or disciples of; convert to the doctrines or principles of another. [Rare.] This authority he employed in sending missionaries todisciple all nations. E. D. Griffin.

To punish; discipline.

We see some interesting things here don’t we? Learner, scholar, adherent, teach, train, educate, and discipline. The usual definitions are here as well; follower, pupil, student, converts to doctrine, et al. But these definitions leave you with a very precise knowledge, that being simply in a pew on Sunday (or in obedience to God and His Covenant, worshiping on Saturday just like Christ) is not going to fulfill the scope and deeper meanings.

So what do we take away from all this? Well, quite a bit actually:

• The Corporate church is failing, as prophesied by Isaiah
• Personal study and research is required to know and understand the tenets of God, His principles and His truths
• We have a relationship with God, through Christ, and not religion.

Again we see that Christ says in Luke 9:23 the following:

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” or in the Amplified; “And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].”

So we see here a definition of discipleship to Christ, by Jesus Christ Himself. And He gives us some noteworthy things to consider:

• Disown, lose sight of, give up, forget YOUR things of interest, this is of the world NOT of God. So we must discard the things of perdition to be replaced with the things of God.
• Cleave to, conform to, and live by Christ’s example (a very tall order) including up to dying in the physical (not just the spiritual death of the carnal nature which is the enemy of God (Romans 8:13).

This then becomes a truly “sold out to” or “live-or-die” proposition. THIS is discipleship, this is a proactive, life long endeavor, that requires ALL of who we are, and a life that MUST conform (discipline itself) to our Master Jesus Christ. In all that we say, do, think and feel. A true discipleship, and Walk Of Faith, in Him.

In other words, a very real and tangible commitment of all aspects of who—and what we are.

It does require a change of perspective and commitment IF you really intend to follow Christ. Again, and again, just going to church, and reading the Bible, while all good things, fails the litmus test of discipleship. And discipleship is what we are called to walk. Just remember the verses quoted at the beginning of this book.

This is our Walk Of Faith, our life in Christ, and is the expected sacrifice of acquiring our sonship in God, through Christ.

It is HOW we gain our inheritance from our Divine Father, and this entails a relationship with Him. We do this by being like Christ Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. Remember the Bible says that He (Christ) will be the “firstborn among many brethren.” Again, we see relationship playing a key role in our walk with God, and our discipleship to Christ.

And to establish that relationship, again, we must disciple ourselves to Christ, that we may gain the adoption.

Christianity today is all about entertainment, what denomination that you belong to, signs and wonders, and your position in the scheme of things. Where is Christ in all that? Where is the Walk Of Faith? And ultimately we must ask, where is the discipleship? In essence the Corporate Church is not of God or Christ. It does not teach a person about how to be a good Berean, someone who STUDIES the Word of God, nor will it equip them for their Walk Of Faith.

And we see it everyday. The REAL Christian has moved out of this sphere of influence. Barna Update notes that there is a massive moving away from the Corporate Church, that people are leaving in droves. But then there is a massive influx as well, with Mega-Churches filled with those willing to practice a “form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” to follow a theology that denies God.

With all the attention focused on these things, when the devourer comes, they will not have the power to stand. They will be consumed and destroyed. At best their version of faith will fail, and then we will see the rise of the greatest apostasy of our time.

Those who will be saved from this inevitability, will need to be rooted and founded on the Cornerstone of Jesus Christ. They will have to walk in discipleship, with the knowledge of what it means, again, in all of it's facets.

We must learn denial of the world of perdition, and all of it's enticements. The world gives us a sense of immediacy, as everything happens now. Discipleship is about building our faith and principles, in order to acquire a goal we can not see, touch, taste or experience in our current state of existence. The world offers those things, and can be a difficult thing to overcome. But we must, and in order to do so we must believe. Believe in a God we can not know but through a spiritual connection.

Discipleship gives us that connection, and we find that we will be able to confidently stand before the throne of God, pure, clean, and holy even as He is holy.

Can you believe? Do you believe this?

This is a foundational truth. Without this ability to believe, we are lost and without hope. We need to have this assurance of our faith, because it makes it real and alive, and the cornerstone of Our Walk of Faith. If we can not do this, then we fail, eternally. Our reward is eternal as well, and without restraint, and if we want that reward, then we must work hard to achieve it.

Then we be as our Father, eternal, pure, holy and without the blemish of sin.