When we talk about discipleship today, we erroneously think only about Bible classes, Sunday School classes, and programmes, but the truth is, DISCIPLESHIP IS WIDER and DEEPER than that.
While these factors can be considered to be valuable and actually part of the components that make the work effective, they can also become DISTRACTIONS from the way Jesus actually made disciples expects us to.
If we truly want to follow Jesus’ example, then we must ask ourselves an honest question: HOW DID HE MAKE DISCIPLES, and HOW ARE WE MAKING DISCIPLES TODAY?
Jesus’ discipleship was PERSONAL and INTIMATE; He was not just preaching to the crowds, He LIVED, ate and played with a small group of TWELVE MEN. He WALKED with them, PRAYED with them, and TAUGHT them not just with words, but through His OWN PERSONAL example.
One of the things we were taught while we were much younger in the SCHOOL OF DISCIPLESHIP was that YOU ARE NOT YET A DISCIPLE IF YOU HAVE NOT LIVED AT LEAST THREE (3) MONTHS WITH YOUR DISCIPLER, LEARNING & OBSERVING.
The disciples of Jesus saw Him sleep, eat, confront injustice, pray, and show compassion to sinners. He INVITED into His life, not just meeting them somewhere to throw lessons at them from behind a pulpit.
For Him, DISCIPLESHIP was not just a CURRICULUM to cover and graduate from, it was a RELATIONSHIP to be eternal and rooted in LOVE, OBEDIENCE and TRANSFORMATION. He focused on a few, but went deep. He paid attention to raising FAITHFUL MEN who would one day disciple others who are then expected to do same.
By the structure of Jesus, every believer is expected to have DISCIPLES they are teaching so as for those disciples to teach and disciple others, not just one person dishing out instructions from ONE PULPIT. Before He sent them out to change the world, He spent years patiently TRAINING them, CORRECTING them, and PREPARING them for mission through the power of the Spirit.
In our days unfortunately, we have many believers who attend church regularly, listen to sermons, and join small groups, but they never experience the kind of PERSONAL GROWTH and LIFE-ON-LIFE TRANFORMATION that Jesus modeled for us.
We have traded DEPTH for convenience, RELATIONSHIP for routine, and MISSION for maintenance. We often settle for learning about Jesus instead of LIVING LIKE HIM, consuming knowledge but avoiding the very obedience that proves that we are truly disciples.
We must arrive at the point where we understand that TRUE DISCIPLESHIP is costly. True discipleship demands absolute surrender, sacrifice, and a willingness to follow Jesus into every area of life.
If we’re going to experience real transformation in our families, churches, communities, schools, workplaces and nations, we MUST return to the WAY OF JESUS – walking closely with few people, investing TIME and LOVE, teaching TRUTH with GRACE, and helping others not just to know about God but to live for Him but one thing we must be aware of is that this kind of discipleship doesn’t look impressive on the outside but we must be consoled that it would help our churches GROW the same way the early church grew, and became influential, truning the world upside down.
May the LORD help us to be humble enough to accept this TRUTH and work with it.
Grace to you.
