True Discipleship

Written by Dave Batcheller, 1992

Part 2 of Becoming a World Changer

When Jesus Christ invaded human history 2000 years ago, he came with two primary missions; one was to give His life on the cross of Calvary as payment for our sins; and the other was to raise up a generation of disciples who would take the gospel message to the whole world.  This command from Jesus to make disciples was the core of what we now call the Great Commission.  Each successive generation of believers is called to fulfill this same mission – to make disciples or true followers of Christ.   

So what is a disciple?  We must first define our terminology so that we understand clearly our objective.  If we claim to be concerned about fulfilling the Great Commission, then we must have a firm grasp of the full implications of what a true disciple of Jesus is according to the Bible.  If we do not, our lives will be filled with other pursuits.  Even our church involvement or ministry can be kept busy with activities, while still lacking this clear focus or direction.

Most Christians can readily understand that a disciple is a follower or pupil of Jesus Christ.  This much can easily be registered in our brains.  What is more difficult is to comprehend and apply the ramifications of the actual teachings and claims of Christ found in the Scriptures concerning true discipleship.  The chief reason this is so hard for us to grasp today is that the church as a whole in the western world has been lured into accepting a divided gospel message – that it is possible to “accept Jesus” as Savior without making Him the Lord of your life.  This one erroneous belief has filled our churches with believers who have experienced God’s grace, forgiveness and salvation, but who have never personally been challenged to surrender their hearts fully to Jesus, or bow to His lordship in their daily lives.   In other words, there is a huge number of Christians who are not in fact disciples of Christ. The resulting reality of this trend is that while we appear to be concerned about being spiritual or experiencing God’s presence or power, we are unknowingly caught up in a self-centered form of Christianity – one in which our ultimate concern is what we can get from the Lord in the form of blessings, happiness and prosperity.  Even our cries for revival or renewal are often skewed with the subconscious desire for subjective experiences, with no real desire or willingness to pay the price necessary to see genuine revival in ourselves first.  Somehow our thoughts, habits and lifestyles; our priorities and values; our hopes and dreams are all influenced more by the world and by our own desires than by the heart and purposes of God.

Jesus Himself called this lukewarmness, and called us to repent and return to our first love (see Rev. 2:4-5 and 3:15-20). The devil has successfully kept many believers from discovering God’s purpose or destiny for their lives because we are so focused on ourselves.   The challenge to participate in advancing God’s kingdom on the earth therefore remains impersonal and abstract, even though we often talk, pray and sing about the concepts.

When Jesus taught about discipleship, He was very clear in both the conditions and terms of becoming a true disciple.  In Matthew 16:24, He gave us the basics: “If any one wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”  The core of Jesus standards stands in direct opposition to the major trend in our churches.  He required that a person desiring to follow Him must first DENY HIMSELF, TAKE UP THE CROSS (identifying with the cross instead of the world), and FOLLOW HIM.  Jesus taught a lot about discipleship, such as in Luke 14:25-35, where He told us we must love Him above all else, and that we must “count the cost” of following Him, and be willing to give up everything for Him.

Jesus clearly understood the difference between theoretical knowledge or verbal assent, as contrasted with someone truly surrendering their heart and life.  In Luke 6:46 He challenged some would-be disciples by saying, “WHY DO YOU CALL ME ‘LORD, LORD’, AND DO NOT DO WHAT I SAY?”  In John 8:31-32, He declared that to be His disciples and experience true freedom, we must abide in (live by and follow) His word.  Later in John’s gospel He said if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments (14:15-21; 15:10).  He also promised that if we would do this, we would experience intimate fellowship with God (14:21) and a life filled with joy (15:11).  Even in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), He clarified our calling to impart all the truths He gave us to others, and to teach them to observe all the commands (not just to ‘believe’ them).  

Jesus understood the deep problem with human nature and what needs to be conquered in our hearts.  He therefore expected His followers, not to be perfect, but to have the right heart – in humility, teachableness, faith, repentance, and to have hearts wholly surrendered to Him and the pursuit of His kingdom.   This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus dealt directly with this by stating that we must not lay up treasures on earth, but in heaven.  He said, “FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO.”  He also promised that if we would truly “SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD”, we would be able to trust God for our daily provisions and our future.  The central issue to Jesus was unmistakably the issue of our hearts being surrendered fully.  The 3 year discipleship process between Jesus and the 12 disciples demonstrated clearly His teaching and emphasis, while He lovingly and patiently guided them into yielding completely to His lordship.  This calculated, determined approach laid the foundation for what would happen later as the early church impacted the world with the gospel message.

Since the central issue or battle ground is in our hearts, we must begin there also.  Here are some practical suggestions to help you to get on the pathway of true discipleship.

  1. Acknowledge your present condition and the truth of God’s Word.
  2. Repent from lukewarmness, self-centeredness, and worldliness.
  3. Cultivate an attitude of being accountable and open to correction and training from others.  Without this it is far too easy to drift along or become complacent and self-righteous.
  4. Strive to overcome (by faith) any obstacles which have been created by discouragement or disillusionment.
  5. Seek out someone for personal discipleship to help you grow.
  6. Study the Bible diligently to learn about God’s heart and plan.
  7. You must associate with others who will challenge and inspire you to really grow in the Lord.  This point is very crucial, because your spiritual environment will either enhance or stunt your personal growth.

In our worldly-influenced desire for “successful” churches or ministries, we have often sacrificed the very essence of the gospel message and discipleship.   If we dare to think that we can bypass these truths, or find some shortcut around them, we are deceiving ourselves to think that God will pour out His full blessing or revival upon us.  Our churches are overloaded with immature believers who are endlessly focused upon their own needs and problems, many of whom are just ‘playing church’ while hoping to just ‘survive’ until Jesus comes.  We must once again raise the standard of true discipleship and call people to experience the New Testament reality of a life fully yielded to the lordship of Jesus Christ.  The Master Himself is calling to all who will hear; deep within our hearts the Spirit is yearning to respond to the truth; and outside the world waits to see the reality of a Christianity which is deeply passionate, authentic and life-changing.  

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”  – II Chron. 16:9