A Community of Discipleship
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (II Timothy 2:2)
A disciple is one who embraces the teachings of Jesus and assists in the spreading of those teachings to others. A disciple can also be thought of as an apprentice of Christ.
This definition contains three assumptions. The first is that a true believer is one who trusts Jesus enough to embrace and apply his teaching. Since Jesus’ words are contained in Scripture and the Holy Spirit is active in illuminating the truth found there, the Bible assumes a major role in discipleship. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16, 17)
The second is that discipleship best takes place with community since the act of making disciples is something we do with others. We can’t make disciples in a room by ourselves.
And the last assumption is that discipleship is trans-generational. Jesus taught the disciples and now they are to take that teaching to others. Paul instructs Timothy to pass on the teaching he received to others who will be faithful to pass it on again. If we are faithful to this call, the gospel has the power to spread exponentially as more and more trained leaders share the work. The ripple effect continues when we graduate and continue to disciple people wherever God plants us.
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