Discipleship According to Scripture

Introduction

Picture this: you are a 1st-century Jew living in the territory of Israel, specifically the upper regions around the Sea of Galilee. In this setting, you work in one of the most common trades of that day—the trade of a smith, carpenter, stonemason, baker, tanner, sandal-maker, weaver, spinner, wool-comber, tailor, tentmaker, potter, perfumer, jeweler, fuller, or fisherman. This work is hands-on, oftentimes dirty, and labor-intensive, and as you go through life working long days with little pay, paying taxes to the Roman Empire, resting on the Sabbath, and following Torah, a Jewish man commands you to follow him.

Soon, you realize that this man is not another rabbi or even the typical prophet you learned about growing up, but this man is the true King of Israel and is, in fact, the Messiah you’ve dreamt of your whole life. Now fast forward to Matthew 28:19–20, where Jesus gave a commission to his followers right before he ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Think of all the ways in which Jesus has impacted your life, from the sermons he preached to the people he healed, the one-on-one questions you were able to ask him directly, the meals that were shared, the weddings and funerals that were attended, the prayers in the garden of Gethsemane and the Passion saga that you personally experienced.

Now, hear Jesus’ command like you have never heard it before:

“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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”— Matthew 28:18–20

Did you catch that? You have personally walked with the Savior of the world, God in the flesh, for the entire duration of his ministry, and now he commands you to “Go and make disciples…teaching them to keep all that I commanded you.” How do you perceive this instruction? How did the apostles perceive this instruction? What is Matthew intending to communicate in this text?

Defining “Disciple”

Matthew 28:18–20 is the foundational mandate given to believers by Christ himself to practice what we know today as “discipleship.” The question, of course, becomes, what did Jesus intend to communicate when he commanded his apostles to “make disciples”? How did Jesus’ Apostles understand this command?

First and foremost, it must be understood what the word disciple means. The word disciple in Greek is μαθητησ mathētēs, and this literally means “one who engages in learning through instruction from another, pupil, apprentice.” Byrley notes:

The term mathētēs occurs very frequently in the New Testament. Its fundamental meaning is one who seeks to learn from another. A disciple is not only a partaker of information, but also one who seeks to become like his or her teacher (Luke 6:40). In this way, discipleship is about modifying one’s entire lifestyle. The term is often used of the group of people that followed Jesus in his earthly ministry, whether the Twelve themselves (e.g., Mark 6:45) or some larger group (e.g., Luke 19:37).

Byerly’s proposed definition is spot on and truly captures how Jesus’ apostles would have understood the concept of discipleship.

Discipleship According to Jesus

It must be understood that Jesus’ disciples would have understood Jesus’ command in concert with their own discipleship journey. Notably, the process of discipleship that the apostles underwent was one where they were actively engaged in the process of learning through life-on-life experiential training. This experience included instruction (Mt 5–7, 18:15–17), rebuke and confrontation (Mt 8:26, 16:23, 17:17), exhortation (Mt 5:16, 6:33, 16:24), practice (Mt 10:1–8, 14:15–21), correction (Mt 20:26; Lk 9:48), testing (Mt 14:31; Mk 4:40), being questioned (Mt 8:26, 16:15; Jn 6:67), affirmation (Mt 16:17; Jn 1:47), demonstration (Mt 8:3; Jn 13:14–15), and restoration (Lk 22:32; Jn 21:15–19).

What Jesus’ methods of discipleship reveal is that discipleship, according to Jesus, was an intimate, impactful, life-altering process of contact learning, which provided his apostles with the exposure, experience, and education that was necessary to fulfill the commission he delivered to them in Matthew 28:19–20.

So, how would his apostles have understood the Great Commission? I believe that the apostles would have understood Jesus’ departing words in a twofold manner: (1) evangelization and (2) reduplication, through life-on-life experiential training and instruction. Fundamentally, Jesus’ apostles, the leaders of the early church, would have understood the Great Commission as a mandate to reduplicate themselves in a manner similar to what they underwent during Jesus’ life and ministry.

They would have understood that evangelism was a mandate—that is, to be Christ’s witnesses by proclaiming the gospel to all creation (Mk 16:15), going to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), and proclaiming that there is forgiveness of sins through repentance and faith in the name of Jesus Christ (Lk 24:47; Acts 10:43). Nevertheless, they would not have stopped at the evangelization of the nations but would continue to reduplicate themselves through the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18–20) by bringing about the obedience of faith among the nations (Rom 1:5) through the process of discipleship (Mt 28:19–20). This, of course, begs the question: how were they to disciple others? Was each apostle supposed to choose a small group and lead them the way Jesus did, thereby reduplicating themselves in the exact same manner as their Lord and teacher?

The Process of Discipleship: The Execution of the Great Commission

The process of discipleship is clearly seen in Mark 16:15–18, Matthew 28:19–20, Luke 24:44–49, and Acts 1:8. Step one: preach the gospel. Step two: baptize. Step three: teach—“teaching them to keep all that Jesus commanded.”

This model is seen repeatedly through the book of Acts. Consider Acts 2:1–47. Peter, after being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, preaches the Gospel to Jews celebrating the Feast of Weeks. The response to Peter’s gospel proclamation was a deep conviction of sin, which immediately led to their baptism:

“So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”— Acts 2:41–42

What can clearly be seen is a pattern of Gospel proclamation, baptism for those who repented and believed, and devotion to the apostles’ teaching. This model of proclamation, baptism, and instruction is seen again in Acts 10 when Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius, a God-fearing gentile. Peter retells aspects of Jesus’ life, proclaims Jesus’ death and resurrection, cites Jesus’ authority as judge over all, and offers forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. The response is immediate, and baptism follows.

What is evident in Jesus’ life and the execution of the great commission by Jesus’ own apostles is that discipleship was more than evangelism. Discipleship was more than baptism. Discipleship is the God-ordained process given to the members of Christ’s body so that those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and lord and have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit would walk in the “newness of life” (Ro 6:4) through the power of the Holy Spirit, being “conformed to the image of Christ” (Ro 8:29) for the purpose of being “holy and blameless before God the Father in love” (Eph 1:4). Additionally, this process is to be facilitated by those whom God has appointed as leaders in the church (Eph 4:11–12; Ac 20:28).

Bridging the Gap

The question now becomes, how do we translate these biblical principles and models into today’s church setting? For starters, we need to understand that the discipleship process experienced by the apostles was unique. Set aside the fact that they witnessed miracles and literally experienced the gospel story in real time—the men who followed Jesus literally left everything they had and followed Jesus everywhere. The modern-day equivalent would be something like a missionary coming to your church, preaching a sermon, and in response, a group of people leave their homes and communities to go to work on the mission field, with this new group of inexperienced missionaries living closely with one another.

Before the principles of discipleship are translated into the 21st-century Western context, it’s important to highlight a fundamental difference that severely impacts how Christians in Western society do discipleship today. That difference is seen in cultural intimacy—the subconscious behaviors and emotional ties that connect individuals to their group identity.

By and large, a culture can be categorized into two groups: (1) a communal culture, predominant in countries such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia, or (2) an individualistic culture, as seen in Western society. Communal cultures stress the interdependence of people, which fosters strong relationships and facilitates shared responsibility on a regular basis. The famous African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child,” captures the essence of a communal culture.

Juxtaposed to this is the individualistic culture in which Western society largely exists—one that prioritizes personal achievement, personal space, and independence. It must be noted that every culture exists on the spectrum of cultural intimacy, which varies from society to society.

The fact of the matter is that expressions of cultural intimacy vary from culture to culture, and these expressions impact the way in which individuals interact with the whole of a group. It is fundamental to recognize that these worldview differences are integral in how Christians engage with the idea of discipleship.

Let’s take another look at Acts 2:42–46. Those who were saved at Pentecost devoted themselves to (1) the apostles’ teaching, (2) fellowship, (3) breaking of bread, (4) prayers, (5) they had all things in common and sold all their stuff to support the collective group as there was need, and (6) they daily devoted themselves in one accord.

“And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”— Acts 2:42

“And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”— Acts 2:46

Isn’t it fascinating that we can preach sermons on the four pillars of the early church but hardly consider how they executed those pillars? We can read through observations one through four and say “Yes! And Amen!” But the moment we get to observations five and six, we immediately back away and say, “Well, that was a very long time ago.”

The primary point that I am attempting to get across is this: the life-on-life discipleship that is clearly seen in the life of Jesus, Paul, and the Early church is not a “given.” It’s not baked into our culture, and it’s something that we individualized westerners struggle with since the idea is so abnormal to us. While a more communal culture might scoff at the idea of needing to explain what life-on-life even means, we who live in the 21st-century United States of America need serious help implementing a biblical pattern of discipleship so that we do not fall into “box checking” through tightly structured programs that are filled with people yet fail to transform lives.

Now, I am not advocating for church every day or selling everything we own, but I am advocating careful consideration as we bridge the discipleship gap between the early church and today.

Principles Applied

In accordance with the principles seen in Jesus’ life and executed by the apostles throughout the book of Acts, discipleship ought to be a life-on-life form of contact learning that seeks to instruct the mind in such a way that transforms the heart. The way in which a local church executes this may vary, but generally speaking, churches need to execute this in the following way: (1) general discipleship through consistent expositional preaching, (2) house-to-house discipleship where community is fostered and believers are mutually devoting themselves to one another, and (3) selected or appointed discipleship.

General Discipleship

Consistent, expositional preaching is an absolute necessity to keep in line with Jesus’ command in the Great Commission to “teach them all that I have commanded you.” Richard Mayhue lays forth five key identifiers of expository preaching: (1) The message finds its sole source in Scripture. (2) The message is extracted from Scripture through careful exegesis. (3) The message preparation correctly interprets Scripture in its normal sense and its context. (4) The message clearly explains the original God-intended meaning of Scripture. (5) The message applies the Scriptural meaning for today.

When a shepherd, who is a disciple maker, faithfully opens up the scriptures through expository preaching, the congregation is instructed, exhorted, and provoked through the Holy Spirit’s application of God’s word to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, as their minds are renewed through the washing of the word (Ro 8:29; 12:2). This method of discipleship is the God-ordained process by which God the Spirit uses His word through a man who has been appointed to sanctify believers via the truth (Jn 17:17; Eph 4:11–12; 5:26). As essential as expository preaching is to the discipleship process, it cannot be the sole means of discipleship, as it does not provide within itself the kind of life-on-life learning that is seen in the life of Christ or the ministry of the apostles.

House-to-House Discipleship

House-to-house discipleship is modeled in Acts 2:46. It is in the intimacy of a home that believers were joined to each other in fellowship, to share meals, to pray, to bear one another’s burdens, to exhort one another as they saw the “day drawing near” (Heb 10:24–25). In both public and private settings, Paul discipled individuals. Paul states in Acts 20:20, “how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you publicly and from house to house.”

What the pattern of the early church reveals is that house-to-house discipleship was the means by which individuals were exposed to one another and the apostles themselves. This kind of relational discipleship was so embodied by Paul that he could say, “be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). A command such as this would have been a nonstarter if people were only exposed to Paul briefly once a week. Yet, because of Paul’s desire to fellowship and disciple Christ’s church, he could literally point to his life and say, “Hey guys, you literally saw and experienced the way that I conducted myself around you, now go, imitate me and reduplicate.”

In today’s church, house-to-house discipleship is typically called a discipleship group or small group. While groups that involve Bible reading, prayer, and shared meals are a great start, I would advocate that these groups strive for more than simply learning or answering the Bible study questions in a systematic format. There needs to be a level of vulnerability and willingness to engage one another in a life-on-life manner. Life-on-life discipleship is not once a week or twice a week, but it’s a habitual pattern, a reflex that enables members of Christ’s body to act as members, not loosely connected parts.

Appointed Discipleship

Appointed discipleship is a form of discipleship that seeks to grant concentrated attention, vulnerability, and exposure to the church’s future leaders—whether a man aspiring to ministry, deacons, evangelists, or small group leaders. This mode of discipleship is clearly seen in the life of Jesus as he selected a group of men to follow him throughout his ministry. The simple reality of life and resources is that one person can only do so much. One lead pastor can only intensively pour themselves into a few men at a time. Nevertheless, those men ought to be poured into with intentionality and excellence, because it is those men whom any given leader will pass the baton to, and it’s those men who will be multiplied as laborers of the harvest.

What this may look like is a kind of multi-year internship or discipleship program that gives future leaders the opportunity to be discipled in a life-on-life environment—to experience what it’s like to be instructed, exhorted, affirmed, confronted, and tested by a godly role model. This kind of intimate discipleship has to go beyond the classroom; this should include an invitation into the home to share many meals, to see how the shepherd raises his kids, to see how he ministers to his family and wife, to be shown how he prays, prepares a sermon, and more. Appointed discipleship is an area that must not be overlooked as it literally multiplies godliness, character, and leaders to serve the body of Christ.

Other Forms of Discipleship

The kinds of discipleship in this article deal specifically with the execution of the Great Commission as modeled by Jesus and seen in the book of Acts, but there is still room for other kinds of discipleship, such as one-on-one intensive discipleship (typically known as biblical counseling) or Titus 2 discipleship, where older women train younger women. These additional aspects of discipleship are essential in the local church and cannot be overlooked.

Content

The content of discipleship will vary depending on age and stage, yet each group ought to be exposed to the following: (1) biblical interpretation that teaches a grammatical-historical approach to Scripture, (2) the storyline of Scripture, dealing with the Old Testament and the New Testament narrative and overarching themes such as biblical covenantalism, (3) good theology, whether through catechisms or working through a systematic theology, and (4) exhortative applied theology—simply making an intentional attempt at applying the timeless truths of God and His word to any given context.

While the intensity of the content will significantly vary, it’s important to adjust the presentation and resources in accordance with the age group while committing to systematically teaching sound doctrine (2 Tim 1:13).