Discipleship: Christ's Apprenticeship Program
Discipleship: Christ's Apprenticeship Program
By Michael E. Lynch, posted January 11, 2007
- The Lord’s Great Commission
- Goals for Discipleship
- Discipleship By Relationship
- Character of a Disciple
- Building the Local Church’s Discipleship Program
- A Suggested Curriculum for a Church’s Discipleship Program
- Summary
This booklet-length article addresses the need for Christians to become full disciples of Jesus Christ. The local church needs to make personal discipleship one of it’s primary functions.
The Lord’s Great Commission
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘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 observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18–20).1
Many Christians call this passage the Great Commission. In it, Jesus commissioned His eleven disciples to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. Many Christians will say that it is our commission to evangelize the world, and invite people to believe in Jesus. Have we really read it closely enough, though?
Upon closer review, we notice that Jesus did not tell His followers to make “believers” of all nations, but disciples. A disciple ("mathetes" in Greek) is more than a believer. It is somebody who learns from another and receives training in a certain field. Perhaps a better English equivalent for "mathetes" would be “apprentice.” To understand what Jesus has called His ministers to do, let us consider what people do when they become apprentices.
In previous generations, when somebody was preparing for a career, they might receive intensive training from someone who had worked in that field for many years. When the apprentice opened his own office or started his own business, he would be able to emulate his trainer’s techniques. If he ever encountered a new challenge, he could always ask the question, “What would my teacher have done in this situation?”
Even though college has replaced formal apprenticeship for most professions, hands-on personal training is still needed. Even after several years of college and medical school, an aspiring physician still needs to complete two years of internship at a hospital or clinic, followed by a residency program, before being qualified to start his or her own medical practice. The classroom training—studying books about anatomy, learning the symptoms of different diseases, etc.—must be enhanced as the aspiring physician practices medicine in a controlled environment, under the watchful eyes and supervision of experienced doctors.
Likewise, Christians need to be trained to walk in our Master’s footsteps. We must learn how to live as Jesus lived, to love as He loves, and to minister to others as He would. We can learn much simply by reading the Bible and books by great men of God. However, many practical applications can only be learned in a one-on-one. Jesus calls us to make disciples—people who will continue His mission upon the earth, who will follow Him and imitate Him—not mere students or believers. His disciples must receive the type of personal, intensive training that an apprentice receives, not just the impersonal general teaching that one can receive sitting in a weekly sermon or Bible study class.
Goals for Discipleship
Before one can embark upon the journey to discipleship, it is wise to have a sense of direction. How do we know when we are truly disciples? What is our ultimate goal? Once we know where we are going, we know how to get there.
The main goal of discipleship is to make the disciple more like his master. Jesus said, “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Ultimately, our goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Every ministry of the church should aim to meet this need. Disciples should be trained to grow in their relationship with Christ. They should learn to triumph over every form of sin with which they struggle. They should be taught how to develop a consistent time of prayer every day. Likewise, they should be instructed to read the Bible consistently, and how to properly interpret and apply it to their everyday lives. Also, disciples should learn how to practice biblical stewardship, honoring God with their time, talents, and treasures.
While many ministers preach effectively on these subjects, they do not make a firm commitment to addressing the individual needs within the congregation. In many of my classes, from first grade through seminary, instructors answered questions from the students. If one student did not understand a point, the instructor would take time to address that one need. However, how often do we find pastors who allow a time for questions and answers during or after a sermon? Even though we claim to have a more important message to preach, many of us act as though it is not as important for the students to understand!
Even when ministers effectively teach their church members how to grow in their Christian walk, many still fail at an important aspect of the ministry. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we read the following:
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
The minister should give priority to training other people for ministry. All Christians should grow to a point where they can make disciples. All Christians should be able to present the gospel clearly so that others may come to know Christ. Finally, all Christians should learn proclaim the Word of God in some setting. It is true that not everybody will be able to preach a three-point sermon to a congregation of 1000. However, every Christian should reach a point where they can teach a small-group Bible study, share some fresh insight into Scripture during a testimony service, write an article for a church newsletter, or present God’s Word to other people in some other fashion.
Even though most Christians will never become pastors or ordained church leaders, God calls each of us to minister in some way to the church. Any pastor or other church leader who does not try to prepare his congregation for ministry is abdicating his God-given responsibilities.
Discipleship By Relationship
How can we accomplish this? It is true that few pastors have the time to spend an hour or so every week with each member of the congregation, providing personalized ministry to everybody. Therefore, the pastor should disciple a small handful of people, who will in turn be able to disciple others. Paul reveals this pattern in 2 Timothy 2:2, where he writes, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul taught large groups. However, he wanted his closest disciples to train faithful men so that they could also teach others. As observed by some modern marketing programs, we can reach a greater number of people if each person is committed to a small group. One man might be able to teach thousands on a very general level; his total impact would then be spread over a large number of people. Suppose, though, if he taught three people intensively, and then they each taught three people intensively? Seven “generations” of teacher–student relationships like this would produce over 2000 fully trained disciples, as opposed to 1000 partially taught believers. An exponential increase of spiritual power can be attained by training church members to teach and train others.
Paul did not invent this principle. In Christian tradition, it starts with Jesus. He was the first Christian teacher to focus on a small group and prepare them for spiritual multiplication. Even though Jesus preached to large crowds, He focused His ministry on a small group of 12 disciples. They received intensive training and instruction. Out of that small group, Jesus selected three men—Peter, James, and John—to enter His “inner circle” so that He could prepare them to lead the entire group. Jesus recognized that these three would be the true leaders of His church after He ascended into heaven. By training that small group of disciples, Jesus ensured that His church would multiply and that His ministry would continue long after He returned to heaven.
This discipleship program focused on relationship. Jesus’ disciples did not merely sign up for a class and hear a three-hour lecture every week; they spent most of their time with Him. They saw how He handled people who were caught in sin. They heard how He prayed for the sick. They observed how He followed His Father in even the most mundane areas of life.
Jesus taught them in this manner because people learn best by imitation. When my son was a toddler, he seemed to learn the most minute details of life by observing his parents. Even when he learned to hold a cup or fork, he seemed to mimic my most subtle gestures and mannerisms (those that even my closest friends might not notice). In our church, every Sunday school session would end with a presentation by one of the classes, when they would share what they were learning with the rest of the congregation. One Sunday, his class sang a song they had learned to the congregation. A number of people chuckled when Daniel began to mimic my “stage mannerisms,” standing and moving exactly the same as I would when leading the congregation in a song. Imitation is perhaps the easiest form of learning.
In the New Testament, Paul occasionally instructed his followers to imitate him as he imitated Christ (see, e.g., 1 Corinthians 11:1).2 Elsewhere, he commended Christians for imitating other Christians (1 Thessalonians 2:14). Hebrews 6:12 encourages us to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God. Clearly, God wants us to imitate those who successfully follow Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is no longer physically on earth with us, we should seek a good “Christ-mimicker” to imitate, so that we may become more like our Savior.
Mature Christians should make themselves available to spiritual babes who need to learn how to serve Christ. I have learned much about the Christian life by imitating the prayers and Bible study habits of others. I have also discerned wise solutions to problems by asking, “What would this mature brother in Christ do in this situation?” (This becomes helpful when the Bible does not directly answer the question, “What would Jesus do?”) Even though we should all grow until we have our own unique relationship with Christ, in the early stages such imitation proves very helpful.
Within the church, every member should have several important relationships. Dr. Howard Hendricks proposes that every Christian man find three close relationships within the Body of Christ. Every one of us needs a Paul (somebody who is willing to train and advise you), a Barnabas (a “soul brother,” with whom you feel you are on an equal level spiritually, to whom you can hold yourself accountable), and a Timothy (somebody you can train and teach).3 Early in their ministry, Barnabas trained Paul. The pastor may need to look outside his local church (perhaps to an older minister or to an overseer, such as a bishop or apostle, depending on the leadership structure within his denomination or ministerial alliance), but he needs to be accountable to somebody. All Christians, men and women, should seek such relationships within the church. Make it a priority.
Character of a Disciple
What sort of qualities will a disciple exhibit when he attains spiritual maturity? Jesus answers this question in several passages of Scripture. Here, we will define a disciple by looking at four of Jesus’ teachings about discipleship.
Matthew 16:24–27
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever, wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Here we see that a true disciple denies himself and takes up his cross to follow Jesus. The true disciple is willing to sacrifice himself to follow Jesus, keeping in mind that eternal life is more valuable than worldly blessings.
It is important to notice that a true disciple will take up his cross and follow Jesus. Even as Jesus took up His cross and gave His life for the sins of the world, we should be willing to follow Jesus even to death. A cross is an instrument of death. God may lead us to bear some sort of hardship or discomfort to follow Jesus. This does not mean we should be obsessed with dying, suicidal, or otherwise eager to go to an early grave. We should redeem the time we have in this world. However, the true disciple loves Jesus more than anything else—even life itself.
Luke 14:25–33
Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
This passage repeats some of Jesus’ ideas in Matthew 16, but provides greater detail and more pointed observations. Besides the call to take up the cross, Jesus adds very pointed examples of cross-bearing and self-sacrifice.
First, Jesus calls us to hate our families. Obviously, He does not mean “hate” in the usual sense of the word. The Lord who commanded us to honor our parents and love our neighbors obviously would not contradict Himself by telling us to hate them. Rather, He is showing us how great our love for Him must be. Our families might feel hated or rejected by the degree to which we follow Jesus. When faced with a choice between pleasing our families and pleasing our Lord, we would have no option: we would have to please Christ, regardless of what our families might think.
At the end of the passage, Jesus tells us that nobody who does not give up all his possessions can be His disciple. Many Christians are willing to follow Christ as long as they can hold onto all their belongings. God had just better not tell them what to do with their possessions! Some think they are disciples as long as they tithe. However, God may call you to give sacrificially to the work of His kingdom, or to bless those in need. The true disciple understands that “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof,” and that this includes one’s possessions: God is the true owner, and we are merely His trustees, commissioned to manage His belongings. Even after we give 10% to Him in tithes, we must still acknowledge His authority over the portion He leaves with us. Every spending decision is spiritual and sacred, not just the tithes and offerings.
It is interesting that there was no poverty in the early church. Acts 4:32–35 shows that all the disciples shared their belongings, and even sold their property to obtain money to feed the poor. Ministry to the poor was not achieved by mere offerings or even through legalistic tithing. It was accomplished by true discipleship as Christians recognized God as the owner of all things. They realized that, if God prospered them, it was so that they could be a blessing to others. I find it interesting that this passage—the clearest teaching about Christian prosperity in the entire Bible—is rarely if ever mentioned by preachers of the so-called “prosperity gospel.” That false gospel promotes selfishness instead of discipleship.
Luke 14 also indicates that we must count the cost to follow Jesus. Yes, salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, received through faith in Christ. However, the greatest blessings come to those who are willing to pay the price for a deeper walk with Him. It will cost you dearly to be a true disciple. However, you do get what you pay for! In Luke 18:29–30, after Peter points out the sacrifices he and the disciples made to follow Jesus, the Lord said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” Salvation is free, but grace is not cheap: its rewards are priceless for those who cherish it!
John 8:31–36
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
While the previous passages in Matthew and Luke indicate the cost of discipleship, John’s Gospel indicates how one develops as a disciple and the blessings one may expect. Notice that Jesus says, “If you continue in My word,” a concept that He repeats in John 15:1–8. Christian discipleship is not a quick fix. We live in an “instant” world: we are accustomed to fast food drive-through windows, microwave ovens to cook a meal in minutes, instant credit approval, high-speed Internet access for immediate information gratification, and other quick fixes. Spiritual maturity is not achieved quickly, though. It requires remaining, or abiding, in Christ’s word: reading, studying, and meditating on it daily; obeying it constantly. Abiding means we stick with it, even when it is no longer new and exciting and has become a routine.
Abiding involves a long-term commitment. I may visit a friend’s house, or hang out at a favorite coffee shop, but I abide in my apartment. It is where I “live,” as our English idiom would put it. I may hang out with friends and visit relatives, but I abide with my wife and son. Some relationships involve temporary encounters. When you abide somewhere, or with someone, it becomes an integral part of your life. So it should be with the Word of God.
The reward makes it all worthwhile, though: you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Jesus offers freedom from sin to all who will abide in His Word.
The response of Jesus’ listeners is odd: the Israelites had a long history of being slaves to others, of being in bondage to foreign rulers. Even at the time of Christ, they were ruled by the Roman Empire, which most Jews resented. Truly this was a classic case of denial: they refused to accept the facts about their circumstances. Many addicts today deny that they are in bondage to sin and addiction. Many people with sinful habits refuse to admit that they are in bondage to their flesh.
Many people slip into denial when confronted about their spiritual condition. We do not like to admit that we are in bondage to anything (“I can stop drinking/smoking/gambling any time I feel like it”). Yet, the Bible makes it clear that whoever lives in sin is a slave to sin. The Israelites had been slaves at diverse times during their history. During Jesus’ lifetime, they were in a certain degree of political bondage. Denial did not change the facts.
As we abide in Christ’s words, we will attain spiritual freedom. We are not called to just abide in Christ’s words, though: He calls us to abide in Him. This brings us to the next Scripture passage.
John 15:1–8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
Many religious people love to read Jesus’ words. However, Jesus wants more from His disciples. He wants us to abide in His words. Abiding in Jesus’ words is only one aspect of abiding in Him, though. A disciple’s relationship with Jesus is so deep that the disciple abides in Christ, and Christ abides in him. Second Peter 1:4 indicates that disciples of Christ become “partakers in the divine nature.” What an amazing promise!
What does it mean to “abide in Christ”? Nineteenth century pastor and author Andrew Murray explained how our relationship to Christ is the same as the relationship between a branch and a vine. He wrote that the branch’s sole purpose is to bear fruit for the vine; likewise, a Christian’s sole purpose is to bear spiritual fruit (see Galatians 5:22–23). The branch partakes of the nature, life, work and place of the vine; a Christian is a partaker in the divine nature, and should therefore live in perfect conformity to Jesus. Also, a branch depends entirely upon the vine for life, sap, and strength, and a Christian should rely also on Christ for his life and strength.4
Notice that a branch’s job is to bear fruit. Also notice that God will do His part to create the fruit. If you are lacking in fruit, you should immediately pray for more fruit. Many Christians misinterpret John 15:7. They cling to the promise, “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” However, we need to look more carefully at this verse. First, there is a condition to this promise: “If you abide in Me.” The assurance of answered prayer requires this commitment to abiding in Jesus. Second, we need to consider our motives when we pray: a true disciple prays to bear much fruit, prove to the world that he is Christ’s disciple, and bring glory to the Father. A true disciple will occasionally pray for his material needs and blessing. However, his primary goal in prayer is to bear fruit for God’s glory, not to treat God like his own personal Santa Claus.
Thus, abiding in Christ is much more than merely spending an hour in prayer every morning or reading three chapters of the Bible at night. It is a life of complete commitment. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, His twelve disciples spent countless hours with Him. They left their boats, nets, tax-collection booths, and even their families to follow Him. They llives, traveled, and ate with Him. Their commitment was much deeper than two services on Sunday and Bible study on Wednesday night. It was a total commitment. They saw how He handled all the details of everyday life.
Jesus still calls us to a total commitment. Revelation speaks of the church as the “bride of Christ.” Married couples live together, spend time together, share their worldly goods, and confide their deepest secrets to one another. Marriage is when two people commit their entire lives, “until death do us part,” to one another. Jesus calls us to commit our entire lives to Him as well.
Building the Local Church’s Discipleship Program
Throughout this discussion, I have emphasized the role of the church in discipleship. Unfortunately, many churches fail to provide adequate discipleship for their members.
I suspect part of the problem stems from traditional views about the clergy’s role. Most pastors focus their efforts on a Sunday sermon; some also teach a midweek Bible study. Some churches may have an additional service with a sermon. In each of these, though, the pastor is expected to give a “one size fits all” message, designed for the entire congregation. However, not all Christians are at the same level. Just as public schools provide different lessons for first graders and high-school students, churches ought to have different teaching ministries for spiritual newborns and mature Christians.
Also, many Christians listen to the sermon like we listen to the news. It is just something we do; we do not treat it like a message we need to learn. We do not expect the sermon to follow a curriculum from week to week. We are not used to thinking of the sermon as part of a course that we must learn.
The most significant issue, though, is that many Christians simply do not want to be disciples. Many will grumble when the pastor preaches against their pet sins or talks about tithing. If a minister actually confronts an individual member of the church about his spiritual shortcomings, there may be hell to pay!
All of these factors lead me to believe that the church should have a two-pronged educational ministry. The pastor should address general preaching and teaching to the entire church. However, he should invite (perhaps even challenge) those who are truly serious about growing in their relationship with Christ to enter a discipleship relationship. The pastor should desire that all church members seek to become full disciples. However, he needs to face the fact that some people would prefer to simply coast through the Christian life. Any minister who tries to push everybody into full-fledged discipleship is bound to fail. The man of God should focus his sermons and Bible studies around discipleship, trying to inspire a deeper-walk desire in each member; when somebody expresses a willingness to move into discipleship, the pastor should immediately seize the opportunity.
Next, the pastor and church leaders should realize their limitations. Anybody who directly disciples other people can only minister to a handful at a time. Jesus limited His intensive discipleship to 12 men, even though He was the Son of God. Mere mortals cannot hope to outdo Him. Since many ministers are bivocational, working as part-time pastors while also working a secular job, they have major time constraints as well. Ideally, nobody should be discipling more than three people at a time.
Many ministers can learn a great deal about church government by looking at Jesus’ relationship with His disciples. Church-planting ministers especially would be wise to emulate His approach from day one of the ministry.5
One key lesson involves starting a ministry. Some church-planting ministries begin by evangelizing the lost. They hope to build their congregation without “stealing sheep” from another congregation. However, it is noteworthy that Jesus’ first disciples were followers of John the Baptist. He sought the kind of people who were as close to “Christian” as He could find at that time! Likewise, the modern pastor might be wise to build his church around believers who are seeking to grow into discipleship. These people would be the best candidates to build a church around—not unsaved people whom the pastor hopes to lead to Christ.
Some of these growing believers will eventually become leaders in the church. They should discover their spiritual gifts and learn to exercise them. Ideally, the pastor should teach a first generation of disciples, who can then teach the new generation; eventually, the pastor's main emphasis is on the leaders of the church.
A Suggested Curriculum for a Church’s Discipleship Program
So, what would disciples learn in a church-centered discipleship program? To a certain extent, the answer to this question hinges on a church‘s theology or a pastor‘s personal mission statement. However, these issues may have a greater impact on how certain topics are taught, rather than whether they are addressed or not.
Obviously, the essential doctrines of the Christian faith should always be taught. Every church‘s discipleship program should teach the basic truths of Christianity—the doctrines that all true Christians hold dear. Despite the divisions within the church, certain core beliefs unite all Christians. We can draw a doctrinal distinction between true Christians regardless of denomination (Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.) and false Christians (many modernist churches, some of which share the same names as the former list, as well as cult groups like the Mormons or Jehovah‘s Witnesses).
Several core doctrines defined Christianity in its early days, and have continued to unite us since then. These core doctrines are taught in the Bible and were given doctrinal expression in several ancient church creeds, including the Apostles‘ Creed (first or second century) and the Nicene Creed (fourth century). These core doctrines include the following: God as Creator; the Lordship of Jesus Christ; His deity and humanity; His atoning death; His resurrection and ascension; His second coming; the final judgment; the person and work of the Holy Spirit; the nature of the Church; forgiveness; and eternal life. Every disciple should be able to explain, defend, and support these doctrines from Scripture.
The creeds also hint at the role of the sacraments (or ordinances, in many evangelical churches) such as the Lord‘s Supper and water baptism. These doctrines can be taught as well. A disciple should know why his church practices these rites in the manner it believes most appropriate.
The local church would also be wise to train its members in its own statement of faith, if it has one. Luther‘s Catechism, the Westminster Confession, and similar documents have guided many churches for centuries. Members should know why their church may differ from other congregations. They should be able to intelligently, humbly, and charitably express their views in a way that glorifies God.
Much of this may seem abstract or dogmatic. However, such doctrinal emphasis permeates the Word of God. Paul‘s New Testament letters frequently began with a heavy “dogmatic” section, followed by practical instruction. Church discipleship should have both emphases as well. Doctrinal statements must be followed by training in righteousness. Paul wrote that all Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. There should be both doctrinal and practical training in the church.
Basic Christian discipleship should include training in righteousness. Hebrews 6:1 points out that some of the foundational principles of the faith are repentance from dead works and faith towards God. While it is important to know these general truths for salvation, it is also important that believers know what repentance and faith look like. Anyone can say they repented, or that they have faith. However, the Bible gives clear indications of what a repentant, faithful person acts like.
One can find a good introductory syllabus for training in righteousness in Matthew 5–7. Most Christians are familiar with the Sermon on the Mount. What they may not notice is that this was Jesus’ basic training for His disciples (see Matthew 5:1–2). As we look at this passage, we can see some essential lessons that all Christians should learn. The following paragraphs will give only a basic summary of these teachings.
Jesus began that sermon with His famous “Beatitudes” (Matthew 5:3–12). Robert Shuller wrote a book calling them the Be-Happy Attitudes. Although that may trivialize some of what Jesus said here, it does point out that attitude is central to the Christian life. Psychologically speaking, faith is an attitude. Jesus’ disciples will be recognized by a unique attitude, one unlike that of the heathen. That faithful attitude will guide the person’s entire life.
Next, Jesus taught His disciples about their relationship to the world. He told them that they were to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). That Christ-centered attitude, described in the Beatitudes, should draw people to the Father. Some ministries today teach about friendship or relationship evangelism. This should be introduced early into a discipleship program. Jesus introduced evangelism to His disciples early in the ministry, but He gave them more in-depth training in this area the closer He drew to the cross. Disciples should learn, as soon as possible, to be witnesses to those around them and to present the Gospel to the unsaved.
It is never too early to introduce a disciple to evangelism. Some writers have claimed that the average Christian leads more people to Christ during his first year as a believer than he does during the rest of his life. At least two factors may cause this. First, the “baby Christian” usually has more unsaved friends to whom he can minister. When I first came to Christ, the vast majority of my friends had no relationship with the Lord. Over time, as old friends faded out of my life, new ones from within the church took their place. After several years, many Christians may have almost no actual unsaved friends. Second, the new Christian usually has a certain zeal (“first love,” in the words of Revelation 2:4). Jesus and everlasting life seem so new, fresh and exciting, the young Christian just wants to shout about it from the rooftops! After a while, the Christian life may begin to feel less like a honeymoon and more like a routine. No pastor should allow that fire to die out without sending a few sparks out!
Training in righteousness should spread out into all areas of life, and challenge the believer to cultivate inner purity, not merely an outward appearance of holiness (Matthew 5:17–48). Discipleship should address the everyday challenges and temptations of life, and show the Christian how to defeat sin at the roots, before it blossoms into outward actions or addictions.
The disciple should also be instructed about the importance of humility. Jesus gave several specific examples of this attribute in Matthew 6: Charitable donations, prayer, and fasting should all be done with a desire to please God. The disciple should not seek the praises of man.
This brings us to an important chapter of the disciple’s training: Prayer. This is perhaps the most important spiritual discipline. Many churches tell their members to pray, but few pragmatically teach them how to pray. Many young Christians can feel discouraged when they hear the older saints in the congregation pray in flowery, King James English. Those prayers intimidate them. “I could never pray like that,” they think. This is unfortunate, since they are missing the essence of prayer. A pastor could accomplish much by using the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5–15) as a guide.
Fasting is another spiritual discipline that students need to learn. Most Christians today neglect this practice. In Jesus’ day, many Jews fasted twice per day. Unfortunately, few modern Christians make a serious effort to fast on a regular basis. The Christian should learn the Bible’s teaching about fasting. The minister could also pass on some advice based on his own experience with fasting.
Having learned about temporarily denying life’s necessities to oneself, the disciple should also learn about stewardship. Jesus taught His disciples not to lay up treasures on earth, but to store them in heaven (Matthew 6:19). He also told them that they cannot serve both God and material wealth (Matthew 6:24), and instructed them not to be anxious about their financial situation. Jesus knew that money is important to humans. We need a means of exchange to survive. Unfortunately, the world gives us dangerous messages: You need this cell-phone calling plan; you need that fancy outfit, sports car, shampoo, etc. The world tells us how to spend our money, and shames us into thinking we need to go for the gusto. The Christian needs to learn God’s perspective about money. Believers need to know that they must not serve money, but they can use money to serve God.
Jesus followed His teaching about prayer by instructing His disciples about the importance of forgiving others. This may have been inspired more by context (since forgiveness is requested in the Lord’s Prayer) than by necessity. Nevertheless, Jesus felt it was important to teach His disciples about prayer. I, for one, do not consider myself wise enough to ignore what Jesus deemed essential. The disciple should learn about the importance of forgiveness. He should also learn what forgiveness is and how to release it to others.
A related issue is judging others. Jesus told His followers, “Do not judge lest you be judged.” The mature Christian does not look down on people who struggle with sin, or make assumptions about a person’s spiritual condition, or take pride in being better than others. Sadly, many churches virtually encourage judgmentalism. We might assume we are more spiritual than people who smoke or listen to secular music. The mature Christian, however, realizes he has his own issues to deal with. How many nonsmoking Christians have lousy diets? Which is worse? Christians should learn to judge only one person: Themselves, with a desire to find out what God wants to change in their lives.
The Sermon on the Mount covers a lot of essentials, but some important topics appear elsewhere in the Bible. For example, the disciple should learn how to use his spiritual gifts. Several passages of Scripture discuss spiritual gifts and all disciples should study them closely. For example, 1 Corinthians 12 lists several gifts and provides instruction for their proper usage. An effective discipleship program will not stop there, though. This is one area where the one-on-one approach to discipleship is most valuable. In discipleship, the teacher can not only help the student understand biblical principles. They can work and pray together to discern the gifts God has instilled in the student. Christians need to learn more than the basic biblical theology of spiritual gifts: they need to find out which gifts they have and how to properly exercise them.
It is also helpful to study the nature of bearing one's cross. As we saw earlier, a major mark of a disciple is that he takes up his cross, denies himself, and follows Jesus. This often requires self-sacrifice and enduring trials in life. In America, we have grown soft in this area. As a song by Christian rock band Daniel Amos puts it, “Our trial is which car to buy, temptation is that extra dessert.”6 We are not accustomed to the kind of trials endured by many Christians throughout history, and even currently in many countries. Good discipleship will prepare believers for times of testing.
Finally, good discipleship will train the believer to exercise self-control. Discipline is the root of the word “discipleship.” The Christian should learn not only how to resist temptation, but also how to integrate his relationship with Christ into every area of his life. Maintaining consistent times of prayer and Bible reading are vital aspects of the Christian walk. A wise teacher can help a student discern a devotional style that works best for him.
Summary
In conclusion, a true disciple places Jesus first in his life. Everything else—hobbies, relationships, even career and possessions—is secondary. He sacrifices himself to follow Jesus. A disciple is committed to the Word of God and makes every effort to understand and live by it. As he obeys God's Word, a disciple obtains spiritual freedom and lives in victory over sin. A true disciple also prays with a desire to see God glorified through his life.
The local church should focus on helping disciples achieve these goals. Jesus calls His church to make disciples, not merely believers, in all the world. We should not stop at bringing them to the altar and then hoping they catch the Holy Spirit by osmosis. We should expect more out of our church members than a warm body in a cold pew every Sunday, or a tithe envelope in the offering plate.
We should expect our church members to grow to maturity. More than that, we should challenge and encourage them to grow. Just as earthly parents train their children for years to function in human society, the church should train its members to function as ministers of Christ, expanding the Kingdom of God.
1Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
2The Greek word for imitate here is mimeomai, or mimeomai, from which we get our English word "mimic."
3Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, "A Mandate for Mentoring," in Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper, edited by Al Janssen (Focus on the Family Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO, 1994), pp. 53-54.
4Andrew Murray, The True Vine (Whitaker House, Springdale, PA, 1982), pp. 15-17.
5Much of what I write in the last few paragraphs was inspired by A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve, electronic version on WORDsearch 7 (WORDsearch Corp., 2003). My comments here are a combination of Bruce’s analysis of Jesus’ ministry, combined with my applications thereof to the modern-day church.
6Daniel Amos, “It's Sick,” from the CD Vox Humana, © 1984 Twitchen Vibes Music. Music and lyrics by Terry Taylor.