There are two questions that we often ask of believers as we look at the vision and mission of Jesus when it comes to discipleship.
The first question is, “Before God, with a sincere heart, would you call yourself a Christian?”
The second question is, “Before God, with a sincere heart, would you call yourself a Disciple of Jesus?”
When asked in a church setting many hands confidently go up for the first question, but there is hesitancy with the second. Many Christians think that a “Christian” and a “Disciple” are different, but the Bible says they are the same. Why is there a separation gap on this question of being a Christian and a Disciple of Jesus?
We see in church history the unhealthy idea that clergy’s activities are sacred while laymen’s efforts are secular. The Bible is clear that someone who is Christian is a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Christ (Luke 14:26, John 8:31). One definition of a disciple is: one who is called by Jesus, who has repented and is trusting in Jesus for their salvation, and as such they are seeking to follow Jesus with their WHOLE life while training others to do the same.
In this article, we will explore the way that Jesus, the ultimate-disciple maker, viewed discipleship and then seek to understand what his model means for today.
The role of discipleship in the mission of Jesus
As Jesus prays the high priestly prayer in John 17 (ESV), we see a glimpse into how Jesus viewed His mission from His Father. He taught his disciples that eternal life comes from knowing His Father, the only true God. Jesus was given authority by the Father to give eternal life to all those who believe in his name.
In verse four, Jesus says, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” One might think Jesus’ only purpose was to die on the cross and wonder why He would say this before his crucifixion.
It makes us consider all of Jesus’ work and begs the question, “What work was Jesus referring to before he went to the cross?”
Jesus’ ultimate and primary mission was His work of redemption, His atoning sacrifice for our sins. This is evidenced by His mission statements in the Bible such as “I came to seek and to save the lost,” and “I came not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Luke 19:10, Mark 10:45)
John 17 also explains that part of Jesus’ mission included the selection and training of men who would carry on his work. His disciples grew in their maturity as they were with Jesus, and he equipped them as they ministered together.
They became disciple-makers, and, after Jesus delegated the ministry to them after His resurrection, it was said of them, “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). It was their relationship with Jesus that made all the difference (see also Luke 4:18-19).
Jesus modeled the best approach to discipleship
According to our success-oriented culture, it would appear that Jesus really messed up in the way He set up His world-changing initiative. He unwisely spent more time with just a few ordinary and uneducated men rather than traveling and speaking throughout the known world.
After He rose from the dead, He should have gone around showing the people who killed Him that He was alive. Jesus messed up! Or did He?
For these reasons, the church should ask itself if Jesus’ example of ministry is a viable model for its spiritual formation today. Most churches put a great deal of emphasis on the proclamational aspects of ministry (preaching and teaching) and neglect the incarnational aspects (relationships).
Preaching is effective and necessary but not sufficient for bringing people to maturity in Christ. The Holy Spirit takes the written Word of God spoken by a fallen yet forgiven preacher, and regenerates and sanctifies on the spot. But why do we only have one recorded sermon that Jesus preached?
Jesus’ preaching was speaking into the hearts of a few. He commissioned His church to “make disciples,” but the methodology of the post-Reformation church seems to understand this as “preach sermons.”
It is interesting how Christians want to be like Jesus in their character, but very few are seeking to follow Jesus in their methods of ministry.
Consider the power of transformation if biblical, Gospel-driven, Christ-centered preaching was also coupled with intentional Life-on-Life Missional Discipleship in our model of ministry. This model led to the explosive growth of the early church – if it is the preferred model of Jesus, then it should be the preferred method for us today.
An excellent resource to study the ministry of Jesus is found in Robert Coleman’s Master Plan of Evangelism. Although the title says “evangelism,” it is about the process Jesus used to train a few to reach the masses. This is a classic work, a must-read for any church and follower of Jesus who is serious about disciple-making.
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