A. Meaning

The Greek word for discipleship means “learner” or “pupil.” The New Testament uses it to refer to three particular categories of learners. The first type are those who are merely curious. An example of the curious disciple is John 8:31. Jesus pointed out that this group would prove to be true disciples upon moving from curiosity to true acceptance of His teachings.

The second category is the convinced disciple. These start out as merely curious, but they have become convinced that what Jesus says of Himself is true. They are not, however, willing to make a commitment to it or willing to risk their lives on it. This second category is found in John 2:11 and John 6:60-66.

The third type is the committed disciple, and this is actually what we mean by discipleship in the spiritual life. The committed disciple is willing to follow the truth, no matter where it leads or what he must suffer. He identifies with Christ’s rejection and bears the cross of total commitment. This kind of disciple is spoken of in John 6:67-69, where Peter and ten of his fellow disciples describe the third category of discipleship. These committed disciples started out as being curious, became convinced and, then, committed to Christ. This category is seen again in Luke 14:27-33 and 9:23-26.

What is discipleship among those who are committed disciples? The best definition of discipleship is found in II Timothy 2:2. Notice the three-stage progression here, with Christ’s teachings going from Paul to Timothy and, then, to others and on, again, to still other believers. This is discipleship: being willing to commit oneself totally to the Lord, to study of Him and to follow the truth no matter where it leads. This is the meaning of discipleship in the context we will be discussing in this study.

B. The Call to Discipleship

The best passage portraying the call to discipleship is Matthew 11:28-30. In this context, the call to discipleship meant submission to Jesus as Messiah as opposed to submission to Pharisaism (a point also made by Matthew 23:1-12 and Mark 2:18-22). The issue faced by a would-be disciple was: which yoke to follow, that of the Pharisees or that of the Messiah? In the context of Matthew, discipleship means freeing oneself from the yoke of the law of Moses and Pharisaism to take on the new yoke, Messiah’s yoke. The means of doing this is: learn of me. Again, the basic meaning of “disciple” is “learner.” One who is willing to become a disciple, to take on the yoke of Christ, will then learn of Him. This involves learning the Law of Christ and the willingness to obey those laws no matter what they may entail.

This is the call to discipleship – a call that goes out to every believer. If you are a believer, but all you have ever done is to accept the Lord, then you are a regenerate, saved person. But you are not a disciple. To become a disciple, you must dedicate your life and body to Christ (Ro. 12:1-2) and, then, become a learner of the Messiah and His law.

C. Becoming a Disciple

The single best passage concerning becoming a disciple is Luke 9:23-26. Becoming a disciple involves two elements: a negative one and a positive one. Negatively, the commitment is, Let him deny himself. This means, let him say “no” to himself, which is what happens when one dedicates oneself and one’s body to the Lord. Positively, the commitment is to take up his cross daily. To “take up the cross” means to identify with Christ, specifically with His rejection. Positively, taking up His cross daily means being willing to be despised and rejected.

D. Obedience and Discipleship

The key passage regarding this is Luke 9:57-62, which teaches three principles. The first is to count the cost – which may mean living a very uncomfortable life – before becoming a disciple (vv. 57-58). The second principle is do not delay (vv. 59-60). Here, Jesus called a man to discipleship, but the man said, let me first go and bury my father. Jesus responds, Let the dead bury their own dead. This passage is problematic to many who do not understand the Jewish frame of reference in which it was written. The Pharisaic teaching of that day was that a son had to stay at home until after his father died, so that he could recite the special (Kaddish) prayer for the dead for his father for one year. Only then could the son leave. In this particular case, the father was still living, and the son was not yet willing to become a disciple. The point is that once you are faced with the call to become a disciple, do not delay in making your decision. The third principle is to not turn back once you have made the commitment (vv. 61-62).

Obedience is the mark of discipleship, as stated in John 14:23-24. A believer who is not obeying the commands of the Lord, the commands of Scripture, is not a disciple.

E. The Word and Discipleship

Three main points regarding this are found in John 8:31-47. First, a disciple is one who is controlled by the Word of God, as opposed to feelings, materialism, denominational loyalties and other such concerns. A disciple is filled with the Word of God, meaning he knows the Word well and studies it with a willingness to conform to it no matter where that may lead. Second, a disciple is one who abides in the Word. The word “abide” means drawing from something that nurtures or sustains life. Thus, our spiritual life is sustained by means of the Word of God. The third facet here is that there must be a continuous control, according to John 15:7. This means that we are to continually submit to its demands, as we learn new truths from it.

F. The Mark of Discipleship

The important passage here, John 13:34-35, tells us that the mark of a disciple is love. Someone who has dedicated himself and his body to the Lord, as well as exercising these various facets of discipleship, will show love – love for the brethren, especially for fellow disciples. John 15:9-13 also points out that this love is to be continuous.

G. Authority and Discipleship

Luke 14:16-27 is crucial in terms of understanding that the issue of authority and discipleship is not in the realm of the emotions but rather in the realm of the will. All our authority and our will must be submitted to the Lord, so that He becomes the Lord with full authority over our lives. This is stressed in verse 26, which again often proves problematic unless viewed from the Jewish perspective. Without the Jewish understanding, many mistakenly think that Jesus is saying we must hate our family members in order to become His disciple. But in Christ’s time, the expressions “love” and “hate” were not restricted to the realm of the emotional, but were also used in regard to the will. In the latter vein, “to love” meant “to choose,” and “to hate” meant “not to choose.” In the Jewish literature of the day, it was used in a mundane manner, such as to describe a man choosing between two pairs of shoes. Of all the shoes available to him, only two would fit. He was only going to buy one, however, and, so, he “loved” one and “hated” the other. Obviously, this was not in the emotional sense, but rather in the sense that he chose one over the other.

We are called as believers to discipleship, which means a total submission of a person's will and life to the Lord. Now, if a family member - be it parent, wife, husband, child or sibling - is hindering us from becoming a disciple, i.e., if there is a choice to be made between Jesus and family, we must choose Jesus. In that way, we "love" Him. We do not choose our family members, and, so, in that way we "hate" them.

H. Sacrifice and Discipleship

Two important points are contained in Luke 14:28-35. First, discipleship requires us to so totally identify with Christ, His sufferings and rejection, that we are willing to forsake all. Second, this passage emphasizes Christ’s lordship over every penny. We must be willing to sacrifice everything to become a disciple.

I. The Ministry of a Disciple

A disciple’s ministry should consist of four things, according to John 6:1-14. The first is a willingness to feed the sheep. The next is to reveal the Father by teaching the Word of God. The third ministry means that a disciple is sent by Christ just as Christ was sent by the Father (Jn. 17:18). The disciple’s fourth ministry is the great commission of Matthew 28:18-20. The great commission is to make disciples, and this involves three things: evangelizing; baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and, teaching all that Jesus commanded.

J. The World and Discipleship

The fundamental passage here – John 15:18-25 – makes three points. First, the world will hate the disciple because he is no longer of the world (vv. 18-19), which tends to convict the world. The world does not like this sense of conviction, and, therefore, will hate the disciple. Another point is that the world will hate the disciple because the world hates Jesus Christ (vv. 20-21). But because Jesus is no longer on this earth and its inhabitants cannot harm Him, they will try to harm His followers or disciples. Finally, the world will hate the disciple because the walk of the disciple convicts the world of its sin (vv. 22-25). Take note at how today’s world reacts to believers demonstrating against abortion to remind the world of one of its key sins. Still, this unpopular stance is appropriate in terms of the world and discipleship. A disciple cannot remain friends with the world.

K. Discipleship and Accountability

Two key passages bring out the relationship here. The first is Luke 16:1-13, the story of the unrighteous steward who used his position in an unrighteous way. The Scripture’s main point is that there will be an accounting of believers for all their material possessions. We must be willing, then, to commit all our material possessions to Him. The other passage, Luke 19:11-27, tells us that not only will we be held accountable for the use of our material possessions but also for the use of our spiritual gifts. As spiritual gifts can be misused, have we used them correctly or incorrectly? We need to invest our spiritual gifts by using them to build up the local body (I Cor. 12:13-14). And according to Luke 19:11-27, our future rewards will be determined by how we have used our spiritual gifts. These rewards will, in turn, determine our degree of authority in the Kingdom. Working out our discipleship in this world today will also put us in good stead when the Kingdom is established.