July 28, 2024
Discipleship Essentials
Week 1 – “Beyond Belief”
Service Overview: More than just belief, being a disciple of Jesus entails living a life that seeks to follow, obey, and grow in relationship with Jesus, by the help of the Holy Spirit.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “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 (NIV)
Pre-Series Insights:
- The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence. (Dallas Willard, The Great Omission, xii)
- Jesus does not hide His extreme requirements in the fine print but proclaims them boldly in headlines… Faithful discipleship that will stick it out to the end does not rest on a momentary burst of feeling. Enthusiasm may wane as quickly as it blazes up. (David Garland, Luke, 605)
- A life of resolve comes with a price tag. You will be tested by the lure of the world. But you must turn a deaf ear to the crowd and live instead for the approbation of Christ. There will always be a cross before a crown, sacrifice before success, and reproach before a reward. The call of discipleship will cost you popularity, possessions, and position. But God will use your commitment. The grace of God will be multiplied in you if you cultivate a fixed resolution to live for the glory of God. (Steven Lawson, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, 75)
- Jonathan Edwards suggested that true growth in Christian discipleship is not finally mere excitement, increasing use of religious language, or a growing knowledge of Scripture. It is not even an evident increase in joy or in love or concern for the church. Even increases in zeal and praise to God and confidence of one’s own faith are not infallible evidences of true Christian growth. What, then, is evidence of true Christian growth? According to Edwards, while all these things may be evidences of true Christian growth, the only certain observable sign of such growth is a life of increasing holiness, rooted in Christian self-denial. The church should be marked by a vital concern for this kind of increasing godliness in the lives of its members. (Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, 201)
What is a disciple?
One who seeks to learn from, imitate, and serve an expert.
The nature of discipleship-learning is to bring about a formative change or transformation in the life of the learner. A disciple then is not only a learner, but also an apprentice or practitioner who has come to Jesus to learn how to do the things he did (Jim Herrington & Trisha Taylor, Learning Change, 119)
Jesus’ disciples seek to…
- Learn from, imitate, and serve, Jesus.
(Mark 8:34; Luke 5:11; John 8:12; 12:26; 14:12; 1 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:1)
Who, among Christians today, is a disciple of Jesus, in any substantive sense of the word “disciple”? A disciple is a learner, a student, an apprentice—a practitioner, even if only a beginner. The New Testament literature, which must be allowed to define our terms if we are ever to get our bearings in the Way with Christ, makes this clear. (Dallas Willard, The Great Omission, ix)
While information plays an important part in our understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, information alone will not transform a person into the image of Christ. (Jim Herrington & Trisha Taylor, Learning Change, 110)
- Trust God and the truth of his Word.
(Ps. 19:7-11; 119:160; Prov. 3:5-6; Is. 55:11; John 8:32; 17:17; Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 2:15)
It is impossible to be a follower of Christ while denying, disregarding, discrediting and disbelieving the words of Christ. (David Platt, Counter Culture, 17)
God’s words are not simply true in the sense that they conform to some standard of truthfulness outside of God. Rather, they are truth itself; they are the final standard and definition of truth. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 196)
- Rely on the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit in all areas of life.
(John 14:15-17, 26; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Rom. 5:5; 8:26; 2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 1:13)
Jesus did not die just to save us from the penalty of sin, nor even just to make us holy in our standing before God. He died to purify for Himself a people eager to obey Him, a people eager to be transformed into His likeness… This process of gradually conforming us to the likeness of Christ begins at the very moment of our salvation when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and to actually give us a new life in Christ. We call this gradual process progressive sanctification, or growing in holiness, because it truly is a growth process. (Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace, 105)
- Love God with heart, soul, and mind.
(Deut. 6:5; Matthew 22:37-38; Luke 10:27; John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6)
The primary meaning of the word “love” in Scripture is a purposeful commitment to sacrificial action for another. In fact, loving God is demonstrated by obeying His Word. Powerful emotions may accompany biblical love, but it is the commitment of the will that holds love steadfast and unchanging. Emotions may change, but a commitment to love in a biblical manner endures and is the hallmark of a disciple of Jesus Christ. (John Broger, Self-Confrontation Manual, Lesson 13, Page 4)
The Christian life is not about all the things we do for God – it’s about being loved by Him, loving Him in return, and walking in intimate union and communion with Him. (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, A Place of Quiet Rest, 43)
To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God. (William Temple, The Hope of a New World, 30)
- Love others as they love themselves.
(Mat. 5:43-48; 22:36-39; Luke 10:27; John 13:34; 15:12; Rom. 12:10; 1 Cor. 13; Eph. 4:32; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:18; 4:7-8, 11)
Discipleship does not afford us a point of vantage from which to attack others; we come to them with an unconditional offer of fellowship, with the single-mindedness of the love of Jesus. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 184)
Those who believe the gospel the deepest are most acutely aware of their own sin and increasingly gracious toward others when they sin. They act on their belief. (Noel Jesse Heikkinen, Wretched Saints, 68)
- Take personal responsibility in helping others follow Jesus.
(Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 145:4; Mat. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 11:1; Titus 2; 1 Peter 5:1-5)
Discipling is deliberately doing spiritual good to someone so that he or she will be more like Christ. Discipleship is the term I use to describe our own following Christ. Discipling is the subset of that, which is helping someone else follow Christ. (Mark Dever, Discipling, 13)
Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God’s sovereign grace, and our work as His disciples is to disciple others’ lives until they are totally yielded to God. One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened to His Spirit. As workers for God, we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, and those lives will be God’s testimony to us as His workers. God brings us up to a standard of life through His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that same standard in others. (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 4-24)
In conclusion… Are you a disciple, or merely an admirer?
(Matthew 7:13-14; John 8:31; 13:15; 13:35; 14:33; 15:8; 1 Corinthians 4:20; 1 John 4:6-7)
A disciple is literally a follower, a pupil, a learner, an apprentice. He is one who has dedicated not only to follow his master but also to become like Him. (Dann Spader, Growing a Healthy Church, 18)
Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 59)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What markers in a person’s life serve as indicators that they are a disciple of Jesus?
- In what ways can a disciple of Jesus obey his command to make more disciples of Jesus? What opportunities exist in your life to join in this commission?
- What tools are available to both grow as disciples and grow in making disciples?
- What aspects of Jesus’ life and teaching are easy to imitate? What aspects of Jesus’ life and teaching are more challenging to imitate?
- In what practical ways can we love God? In what practical ways can we love others?
Quotes to note…
The kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it. (D.A. Carson, Matthew, 328)
Jesus did not expect more from his disciples than they could do, but He did expect their best, and this He expected always to be improved as they grew in knowledge and grace. His plan of teaching, by example, assignment, and constant checkup, was calculated to bring out the best that was in them. (Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism, 94)
Imagine how difficult it would be to coach a team where each player refuses to follow because he or she has a better plan than the coach. Welcome to the American Church in the twenty-first century. (Francis Chan, Letters to the Church, 25)
People are generally better persuaded by the reasons they themselves have discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others. (Blaise Pascal, Pensées, translated by Roger Ariew c. 1660)
How can anyone profess to be a follower and a disciple of Jesus Christ and not be overwhelmed by His attributes? These divine attributes attest that He is indeed Lord of all, completely worthy of our worship and praise. (A. W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship, 106)
Few follow Him for love, but for loaves, John 6:26; few follow Him for His inward excellencies, but many follow Him for their outward advantages; few follow Him that they may be made good by Him, but many follow Him that they may be great by Him. (Thomas Brooks, A Puritan Golden Treasury, 279)
Maybe you’ve thought that you really need to be discipled before you can disciple. It is certainly crucial to be a disciple. But Jesus gave the command to make disciples to you. And part of being a disciple, in fact, is to disciple. Part of growing in maturity is helping others grow in maturity. God wants you to be in churches not merely so that your needs are met, but so that you will be equipped and encouraged to care for others. (Mark Dever, Discipling, 20)
The good news is that making disciples is fairly easy. You simply bring people along in your spiritual journey. Making disciples is more about intentionality than technique: Discipleship means teaching others to read the Bible the way you read it, pray the way you pray, and tell people about Jesus the way you do. If you have Christian habits in your life worth imitating, you can be a disciple-maker. It doesn’t require years of training. You just teach others to follow Christ as you follow Him. (J.D. Greear, Gaining by Losing, 137)
Discipling someone is walking them through life and teaching them to perceive all of its experiences with a divine insight. That’s what discipleship is. It’s not a class on Thursday night, or any other night. It’s not two hours of reading a book. It’s interpreting life with the mind of Christ. (John MacArthur, “A Mission of Mercy”, www.gty.org)