A Vision of Discipleship

The next five studies promote the horizontal application of faith and knowing God in Scripture.  The sixth in A Biblical Vision series is a vision of Discipleship.

A disciple is a student, a learner or devoted follower of someone else.  A Christian disciple then would be a student of the Bible, a devoted follower of Jesus as his teacher and master.

Ex.24:12-13, "The Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.  So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God."

- We see that God gives Moses and the people of God the Law, the Ten Commandments, specifically for their instruction in how to live before Him.  The moral Law is still our instruction to live before God.

Pr.1:1-4, 7, "The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: to know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth ... The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

- We are instructed in gaining of knowledge, words of insight, in the fear of the Lord.  The discipleship of the Lord brings wisdom to our lives.

Pr.3:1-2, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you."

- The making of disciples often begins between a father and a son, and is between anyone with experience to a younger study.  In the wisdom of the Lord this leads to length of days and years and peace.

Pr.4:5-9, "Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.  The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.  Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if your embrace her.  She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."

- We are called to be disciples in wisdom, "she" will keep you, she will guard you from folly.

Je.13:10, "This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after others gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing."

- There are many examples of those who have followed other gods, to their own ruin. 

Mt.4:19-20, "And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  Immediately they left their nets and followed him."

- To be a disciple of Jesus we must follow Him.  We must be willing to go wherever He calls us to go.  He calls us to become fishers of men, to bring others to Himself.  Discipleship brings others to discipleship.

Mt.10:24, 42, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master ... And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

- A disciple of Jesus is not above his master.  And yet a disciple receives Spiritual rewards.

Mk.8:34-35, "And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."

- Jesus clarifies that we must deny ourselves to follow Him as our master and Lord.  We must deny selfishness of the flesh and live selflessly in the Spirit as Jesus did.

Lk.14:27, 33, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple ... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

- Jesus teaches us here the cost of discipleship.  We must deny the sinful life of disobedience and live for Christ.  It is simply our life for His life.

Jn.14:15, 21, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments ... Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.  And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

- A true disciple loves his master and obeys his commandments out of love and devotion.  Love is action and obedience to God’s commands in Christ.

Ga.2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

- Discipleship is being fully devoted to Christ.  This is the example for all Christians.

Ep.4:12-13, "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

- Paul instructs the leaders to make disciples, until we attain the unity of faith and knowledge.

Ep.4:22-24, "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

- A Christian disciple puts off the old life in sin and puts on the new life in Christ.

Ph.1:6, 9, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ ... And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment."

- We see that God is at work in us, in our faith and growth.  He will carry it to completion.  We are called to grow in knowledge and discernment to this goal.

Co.3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

- A Christian disciple has the Word of Christ dwelling in his heart and mind, and in song and music.  We are called to have the Scriptures abundantly in our hearts.

Ja.1:22, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

- The wisdom of Christ is one of living out our faith, to become doers of the Word of God.  A disciple of Christ will grow in wisdom from living consistently in Christ.

1Jn.1:9-10, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

- We must confess our sin to be true to God, to be disciples of Christ.  We know that Christ will forgive and cleanse us so that we can be in fellowship with Him.

The truth of Christ is worked out in our lives when we begin to "take up our cross" and follow Him.  To be a true disciple we must study the Word of God and then let it transform our hearts and minds in faith.  This is turn causes us to become like our teacher, and to be followers of Christ.