Summary
From the Christian perspective, discipleship refers to following Jesus Christ. As said in the Gospel Message in the Early Church, biblical discipleship means “becoming and being a flourishing follower of Jesus who embodies the character of Christ by engaging in a lifelong, personal pursuit of holistic transformation and doing so within a like-minded community of faith that’s corporately committed to being and making other disciples” (as cited in Fairchild, 2019, para. 3). When exploring the Gospels, one may see that Jesus calls others to follow him as he was widely accepted as the leader during his ministry in ancient Israel, with large groups of people coming to hear him speak. Nevertheless, the discipleship of Jesus Christ entailed more than merely listening. It was about learning the lessons and following the instructions regarding how one commits to discipleship.
Therefore, Jesus had a clear expectation for his followers that they had to become similar to him in deeds and attitudes. This could happen “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The reference to crucifixion applies here to show that a disciple should abandon their false self, their flesh, and the former way of life that is powered with self-reliance and instead make a choice to live in accordance with Jesus’s teaching. In the book In His Image: Reflecting Christ in Everyday Life, Wilkins (2020) writes that there is no middle ground in discipleship, with each person faced with the choice to live their life with Jesus as their true and only God. Thus, a person becomes a disciple of Jesus when they choose to abandon the former way of life and proceed to live according to his teachings.
Biblical Mandate for Discipleship
The specific mandate for discipleship in the Bible is expressed in Matthew 28:19-20. In the passages, Jesus instructs his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore, all Christians, whether they are pastors or parishioners, followers or leaders, are called to discipleship by Jesus through what Matthew had written. Notably, the imperative put forth by Jesus entailed not to make converts to the Christian faith but to make disciples who would obey the teachings of the faith. Therefore, following and abiding by Christ is not an option for a Christian, as illustrated in the passage, “Whoever says ‘I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). The saving faith is the faith compelling people to follow and obey Christ as his disciples.
Those devoted to making other people their disciples should raise the question of whether they are true disciples themselves. While this does not negate Christians’ place for mentoring and that the sheep of the Lord know His voice, the lambs will have to follow the sheep for some time until they are mature enough to know His voice. People who make true disciples are making them into the disciples of Jesus Christ Himself, creating valuable connections. If such a job is done appropriately, it will become unnecessary because the disciples develop their own relationships with Christ.
The End Goal of Discipleship
The end goal of biblical discipleship is to lead people to Jesus and not to themselves. It is concerned with developing Christlikeness in both behavior and character of persons who choose to become disciples. According to Jesus, there are specific ways in which the end goal of discipleship is reached (Wilson, 2021). As said in John 13:35, “by this all we know that you are My disciples, if you have a love for one another.” Thus, Jesus wanted his disciples to share one specific but powerful characteristic of love, which was not abstract but rather practical. The love for one another should be selfless, with the expectation of taking a negative for another person without a direct benefit, just like Jesus had done.
Besides selfless love, discipleship is achieved through the denial of self, as noted in Matthew 16:24. Similar to the previous idea, an individual is not only to take on a negative for someone else but also denies positive for self. It is notable that this is not a form of religious self-flagellation but rather a noble gesture, a state of unselfishness, and self-sacrificing. Therefore, discipleship plays an essential role in individuals’ lives as it aims to transform them and encourage positive choices aligning with the principal Christian expectations. In the church, discipleship allows helping the congregation to grow and flourish faith within it. It strengthens ties between the members of the church who can support and encourage one another, engage in communal prayer, and learn new lessons about their faith. Because of the expectations that Jesus has for his disciples, there is a degree of accountability and discipline for which discipleship strives.
Role of Scripture in Discipleship
The Scripture mentions discipleship in both the Old and the New Testaments. The Bible has multiple verses about discipleship, thus strengthening its role in the understanding of the concept. In John 8:31-38, Jesus said that “if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In his risen state, Jesus is seen exercising absolute authority through heaven and earth, which also reflects his deity. Even though it does not mean that there will not be hurdles and challenges when one pursues discipleship, with both believers and non-believers trying to build deeper relationships with God. In Timothy 2:1-2, it says, “you then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” In the Scripture, Timothy also called for disciples to “share in suffering,” which was paralleled by the suffering of Paul (2 Timothy 1:6-14). As Paul is faced with death, he encourages Timothy to pass the gospel onto other faithful people who will, in turn, teach the truth to others so that the gospel is preserved for generations to come.
Thus, over the course of becoming a disciple, an individual is found in knowing the message of God that is being given. The role of the Scripture in discipleship can be found in the teachings laid out in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 in which Paul talks about four aspects regarding what the Bible does for discipleship. The Scripture teaches people to establish the standard of looking at all things in life through the Word of God’s perspective. The more a person teaches themselves to think in a specifically Biblical way, the more they are prepared for anything that comes their way because their mind is focused on trust. Teaching represents the means by which the disciples of Jesus can be constantly transformed in order to become similar to Christ. Jesus is with his disciples all the time, and his mission concludes with the crucial aspect of discipleship – the presence of the Master, who is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
The second thought that the Scripture teaches about discipleship is for people to look at themselves through the Word of God. Such a view through God’s Word. This could provide a person with an accurate picture of who they really are. The Bible allows one to know about one’s own strengths, weaknesses, any unique abilities, or gifts. The Word of God encourages self-knowledge, allowing a person to get to know themselves better than they have ever before. Within discipleship, the Scripture encourages training, which inserts the needed habits in one’s life and repeats them again and again. Through strengthening such habits, a person can equip themselves to be able to do what they could not have done before. Training works into the practices and abilities, allowing people to do with ease what they used to do with difficulty before. Even though a person does not know what they will endure at present, if they equip themselves with the Scripture, they can give themselves the knowledge of the world, the knowledge of themselves, as well as the knowledge on how to correct things and set positive Christian habits by which one should live. The Scripture equips people with the Scripture, preparing them for situations to come that a person could have never been prepared to address.
Role of the Pastor or a Ministry Leader in Discipleship
The role of the Ministry Leader or a Pastor within the context of discipleship is among the most significant ones. To preserve this role within the church, an individual taking on a leadership position is expected to live their life together with God every step of the way. This is why church leaders are the people of prayer who engage in Bible study and explore the inner life of the Spirit. Walking together with God authentically allows for giving legitimacy to the teaching and leadership. The principle of living life authentically with God, church leaders profess discipleship in multiple areas, including their own families.
Pastors require biblical inspiration and engage in the seeking of practical information to assist them in leading their congregations in intentional ways that can reproduce discipleship. When instructing his followers to make disciples of others, Jesus encourages them to “teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Drawing from this calling, Pastors should take on the roles of examples as committed followers of Jesus, which is essential in case their church becomes a disciple-making church. Thus, church leaders are encouraged to be both disciples and disciple-makers, which means that making disciples can be reproducible. In reproducing disciples, church leaders should not do all the work alone. They are expected to enlist learners to become leaders through a shared vision of multiplication, challenging learners to continue in the role of leaders and assist leaders in discipleship.
Pastors and Ministry Leaders are expected to build their churches’ disciple-making system in fulfilling their roles. Both Pastors and Ministers are more than just believers, disciples, and disciple-makers. They have the responsibility of leading the church to create reliable systems in which people are taught about how they can be disciples. Put in other terms, they and their team of subordinates are expected to facilitate the emergence of a church-wide system that will make disciples who, in turn, will make more disciples (Harrington, 2022). However, the central role played by leaders in creating such systems cannot be delegated to others because it is too important and complex in its essence.
Religious leadership is a responsibility that is wider than merely disciplining others or leading a small group. Pastors and Senior Ministers follow the path of Timothy and Titus to build churches serving as the “household of God” and the “pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-16). Paul’s instructions to Timothy include the call for the development of the above-mentioned systems. As said in 2 Timothy 2:2, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” Thus, senior church leaders will always be working on the development of a community-wide system in which disciples can be involved in intentional and positive relational environments.
References
Fairchild, M. (2019). How does the Bible define discipleship?
Harrington, B. (2022). The Senior Minister/Pastor role in a disciple-making church. h
Wilkins, M. J. (2020). In His image: Reflecting Christ in everyday life. Wipf and Stock.
Wilson, K. (2021). What’s so important about discipleship?