A Biblical Model for Discipleship
There are five consistent aspects of disciple-making seen in Scripture – proximity, teaching/training, application and evaluation, progression from student to teacher, and continued disciple-making. The Gospel writers present an up-close look at the Master Disciple-maker. Jesus spent about three years in proximity with the twelve Apostles – eating, traveling, working, worshiping, resting, and simply being in each other’s company. Disciple-making requires the closeness borne of living life together – a combination of the mundane and the miraculous. This time together allowed for intentional teaching like the Sermon on the Mount and the explanation of the parable of the sower (Mt 5-7, 13:18-23; Mk 4:2-8; Lk 8:4-8, ESV). This is seen in other biblical examples – Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Barnabas and John Mark, and Paul and Timothy. Proximity also allowed for spontaneous teaching as questions arose. Yet, teaching alone is not sufficient for making disciples – the teaching must be put into action and evaluated by the disciple-maker. Jesus instructed the disciples and then sent them out. He then debriefed them, evaluated their work, and corrected them when necessary. As Jesus equips the disciples, a progression occurs – from student to teacher. It culminates in the instructions Jesus gives them prior to his ascension – to go and make disciples. Acts details the obedience of the Apostles to this task and the proliferation of new disciples – sometimes thousands at a time! Thus, evangelism both closes and opens the loop of disciple-making – the disciple progresses from student to teacher and begins the process of making their own disciples through the same method. Biblical discipleship results in evangelism and evangelism in discipleship.
Principles of Discipleship
For us to move from concepts to practice, it is necessary to determine the principles that guide the practice of disciple-making. There are at least six principles one should follow for biblical discipleship. Each will be examined in the context of Scripture and in relation to today.
Discipleship must be intentional.
Both the disciple-maker and the disciple must make discipleship a priority. Following Jesus requires sacrifice, and one must consider the cost prior to commitment. Jesus called each of the twelve disciples to follow him – they left careers, occupations, family, and hometowns. Examples of this commitment abound in Scripture – Joshua learned from Moses for forty years, Elisha left all to follow Elijah, John Mark left Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas, and Timothy left his mother and grandmother to follow Paul. Conversely, the Bible gives evidence that some will find the cost of discipleship too great a burden to bear. Paul Worcester warns, “Disciple-making won’t cost you much. It will just cost you your entire life.” This sacrifice is not without reward – Jesus promises that those who follow him will receive much more than they left behind, in addition to eternal life. Steve Shadrach declares: “Jesus is asking you to do something much tougher than dying for Him. He is asking you to live for Him…to make an unreserved commitment of all that you are to Christ and His purposes on earth.” Because of this, Eims states in The Lost Art: “it takes time to select the right persons with whom to be involved and whom to train.” Therefore, disciple-making is intentional – the selection of the disciple and the commitment to discipleship require intentionality.
Discipleship is intense.
Those who would seek to follow Christ fully should not enter discipleship haphazardly – there is little room for sloth and slumber. Coleman says: “There is no place in the Kingdom for a slacker, for such an attitude not only precludes any growth in grace and knowledge but also destroys any usefulness on the world battlefield of evangelism.” Thorough training is essential to establish the discipline required. As seen previously, this process is time intensive. It is imperative that the disciple-maker and disciple spend large amounts of their time together. The most instructive moments of discipleship tend to be caught and not taught. The Apostles watched and listened as Jesus engaged the religious leaders with authority (Mk 7:1-13; 8:11-12; Jn 8:12ff; 9:40-41). They saw how he responded to the needs of individuals and crowds – the Samaritan woman, the woman with the discharge of blood for twelve years, the feeding of the four thousand and the five thousand (Jn 4, Mk 5:25-34, Mt 15:38, Lk 9:14). They learned to see the people around them through different eyes – such as the instance of the blind man healed, “that the works of God might be displayed in him” (Jn 9:3). Joshua learned faithfulness to God from the example of Moses in the wilderness. Elisha saw the power of the Spirit at work in Elijah. Those of us who are seeking to train people must be prepared to have them follow us.
Discipleship is also teaching intensive. The disciple must learn the basics of the faith and how to apply and build on the foundation that has been laid. Jesus spent much time teaching the Apostles, publicly and privately. He did not have to work up teaching situations, but merely took advantage of those about him, and thus his teaching seemed perfectly realistic. Disciple-makers today should seek to emulate the same manner of teaching, though it will probably look different in some respects – the disciple most likely will not be with the disciple-maker much of the day, but ministry and fellowship should take place whenever possible. Lost Art provides an outline for teaching a disciple the basics of the faith and guidance in helping them discover their own convictions in Appendix I. AfricaonMission.org has helpful models for this as well.
Finally, discipleship is application intensive. Jesus taught his disciples so they could carry on his work – they learned to apply, not just to know. They watched as Jesus applied the truth of Scriptures to daily situations. He addressed the religious leaders and the controversies of the day, engaged people counter-culturally, and demonstrated his power over all of creation – curing sickness, casting out demons, and raising the dead. The disciples were then given instructions and sent out to go do the same on the authority of Jesus. This is also seen with Joshua and Moses, Elijah and Elisha, and Paul and Timothy. After the disciples returned, a time of debriefing occurred – corrections to understanding were given and applications were made. Based on this, Coleman concludes “the mission of his disciples was not to be different in principle or method from his own.” This is the call for disciple-makers today – to make disciples that emulate the principles of Jesus. Coleman continues: “The best way to be sure that this is done is to give practical work assignments and expect them to be carried out.” Essentially, disciple-makers today should be teaching the same principles that Jesus taught his disciples then!
Discipleship is action oriented.
In The Lost Art, Eims says: “The spectators are still out there and many of them want to remain that way.” A disciple cannot be committed to following Jesus and remain a spectator. Jesus had spectators in his day – those who wanted the bread without the commitment, the show without the work. In his preparation of the disciples, Eims writes: “it is God’s desire that His Word be lived out in the daily affairs of life, that the Word of God become flesh and blood and find expression in His people.” The actions of a disciple and disciple-maker include prayer, evangelism, and ministry. Jesus demonstrated a committed prayer life, impressing the need on his disciples. He revealed the message of evangelism – preaching the gospel wherever he went. Coleman states, “His method was so real and practical that it just came naturally. Evangelism was lived before them in spirit and in technique.” Lastly, Jesus modeled for them God-focused ministry – meeting the needs of the people for the purpose of expanding the Kingdom and bringing glory to God. The needs have not changed – people are sick, hurting, lost, and without hope. Love for others is shown through our actions towards them – this is how disciples of Jesus are to be known. As Coleman states: “The work itself is done by people reaching other people for Christ.”
Discipleship is a Process
Disciple-making requires times of evaluation. Failure is expected and welcomed – failure demonstrates initiative, provides teachable moments, and reveals where a disciple needs work. This is clearly seen in the response of the disciples following the Transfiguration – they argued about who was the greatest, sought to stop someone from casting out demons, and wanted to call down fire from heaven on a village for rejecting them. Jesus corrects them each time and points to the truths of his Kingdom. He had high standards for them, yet he challenged them without crushing them. Moses does the same with Joshua – correcting without condemning. The process of disciple-making is itself one of constant learning – both for the disciple and the disciple-maker. Eims declares, “In order to meet the needs of the person whom we are training, we have to know that person and be involved with him – a common mistake is to try to do too much, too quickly, and with too many.”
Discipleship builds a burden for others.
A burden for the lost and hurting is vital for a disciple-maker to cultivate in a disciple. In The Master Plan, Coleman writes: “In every way possible Jesus manifested to the masses of humanity a genuine concern” – his disciples saw him touch lepers, give sight to the blind, and seek out the marginalized and neglected. He demonstrated compassion for the people. The disciple-maker prepares the disciple for this in three ways – prayer together, demonstrating compassion, and cutting across social and cultural boundaries to meet needs. Paul Washer states “how much a man prays will tell you a lot more about him than how much a man preaches.” Jesus’ disciples saw him in prayer over and over, until they finally asked him: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1, ESV). Coleman puts it this way: “Elementary methods of teaching are often necessary to get people started in this discipline. [Jesus] just kept praying until at last the disciples got so hungry that they asked him to teach them what he was doing.” Communion with the Father is vital for every Christian – prayer and learning to pray must be the central focus of discipleship.
The disciple-maker must also demonstrate the compassion they seek to instill in their disciple. Compassion is not a feeling, but an action that comes from our inner-most being. Each time Jesus expresses his compassion for the people, it is followed by action towards them. His disciples came to learn that compassion requires action. The Master Plan puts it this way: “As they watched him minister to the sick, comfort the sorrowing, and preach the gospel to the poor, it was clear that the Master considered no service too small nor any sacrifice too great when it was rendered for the glory of God.” Disciple-makers today must embody the same sacrifice and service that Jesus did.
Lastly, it is essential for the disciple-maker to demonstrate that the love of God knows no boundaries. Cutting across social and cultural barriers is difficult, regardless of the context – yet Jesus clearly did this on multiple occasions. He spent much of his time with the marginalized and outcast of society. When the religious leaders complained about his associations, Jesus stated: “[T]he Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Thus, Eims writes in The Lost Art: “Jesus’ message was personalized in the everyday affairs of life.” Disciples must see, and then join, the disciple-maker in crossing barriers to bring the message of the gospel to life. This requires recognition of and compassion for the physical and the spiritual needs of the people – demonstrating the love of Christ by meeting peoples’ needs provides an opportunity to share the gospel and invite people into the Kingdom.
Discipleship is Holy Spirit-led
The best of discipleship plans will fail to make disciples unless empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who empowers and equips the disciple and disciple-maker for the work of the harvest, and ultimately the Spirit who gives the growth. Eims reminds us that “[f]faithfulness’ cannot be forced. Faithfulness and consistency are the results of the Holy Spirit within, not human efforts outside.” Even after the disciples walked with Jesus for three years, they were not ready to begin the work until they received the Spirit – they still did not understand. Once God poured out his Spirit, though, they immediately began to proclaim the truth of the gospel and reap the harvest. Their obedience to Jesus resulted from the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship without the Spirit leads to self-righteousness or self-loathing – neither condition leads to disciple-making disciples. Coleman asserts, “it is not about following the law for the sake of the law, but rather loving God so much that I follow Him without argument or dissension.” Disciple-makers are to teach their disciples how not to quench or grieve the Spirit while also helping them discern the leading of the Spirit. Coleman continues, “[the disciple-maker’s] weaknesses need not impair discipleship when shining through them is a transparent sincerity to follow Christ.” Therefore, the Holy Spirit is essential to any disciple-making model – disciple-making disciples are produced by no one else.
Conclusion
A model for discipleship that incorporates these six principles will see effective, Kingdom-focused, disciples. The going is slow, the work hard – but the payoff is enormous. Indeed, Coleman writes: “[t]he only hope for the world is for laborers to go to them with the gospel of salvation, and having won them to the Savior, not to leave them, but to work with them faithfully, patiently, painstakingly, until they become fruitful Christians.” The fruit of this labor is three-fold – more disciples, stronger disciples, and healthier churches. More disciples will result of an increased burden for the lost and a desire to share the gospel. As Jesus says: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Lk 10:2). Burdened, desirous, Holy-Spirit empowered disciples are the laborers God uses to bring in the harvest – “a barren Christian is a contradiction” writes Coleman. Stronger disciples grow from a deep grounding in the truth of Scripture – they are not “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph 4:14). They have strong convictions based on Scripture, developed during their time as a disciple, and are not easily swayed from those convictions. These disciples also demonstrate perseverance in their Christian walk. They know that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18). More and stronger disciples ultimately lead to healthier churches. These disciples are humble, Kingdom-focused servants, “created in Christ Jesus” and “equipped for every good work” (Eph 2:10, 1 Tim 3:17). Coleman states: “The test of any work of evangelism thus is not what is seen at the moment…but in the effectiveness with which the work continues in the next generation.” Ott and Wilson concur: “It would seem legitimate to evaluate our success in church planting by the quantity and quality of disciples.”
Bibliography
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