Several years ago the editor of a magazine contacted me and asked for an article on discipleship. I had not written much on discipleship at that time, but I thought his request would be a good opportunity for me to clarify what I believed the New Testament taught on discipleship.
I began my work on the article by reading from Matthew 1 to Revelation 22. Anytime I saw a description or action of a disciple I wrote it down on a piece of scratch paper. After reading through Matthew 1 to Revelation 22, I had compiled a list of more than sixty identifications of what a disciple looks like based on the New Testament.
While I compiled a list of sixty descriptions of a disciple from the New Testament, you probably are familiar with Jesus’s teaching about discipleship. We are told about discipleship from Matthew when he records Jesus saying, “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” (Matt 28:19–20, NASB).[1] I’m guessing this is a verse you’ve read and heard discussed before.
Steve Elliott was one of the first people to disciple me and walk with me as a new Christian. He often said Matthew 28:19–20 was the most quoted yet least obeyed passage in the entire Bible. He originally taught that to me almost twenty years ago. I believe his words are truer now than ever.
Because of that, I’m going to dedicate the coming months to us examining what the New Testament says about discipleship. I am excited to go on this journey with you this year as we explore different passages of scripture that teach us what being a disciple looks like.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION:
- Have you been discipled by someone? If so, who was that person and what was the experience like for you?
- Have you ever discipled someone? If so, who was that person (or persons) and what was that experience like for you?
- What have you heard people teach related to Matthew 28:19–20?
- How has your church fulfilled or failed to fulfill the command of these verses?
- In what ways do believe you and/or your church can better follow Jesus’s command to make disciples?
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.