[“Anyone Can Disciple!” is a course I’m developing for my church; it’s a simple, 6-week tool for developing disciple-makers.]
Anyone Can Disciple: Week 1: What is a Disciple?
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Discussion: Where are you on the discipleship spectrum? Are you an expert who could teach this class? Or, are you terrified at the idea of “discipling” someone?
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Matthew 28:18-20
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What is the main command (imperative) in this passage? “Make Disciples.”
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What are the implications of that? The Great Commission is more than just sharing the gospel and leading people to Christ. Making disciples is the process of helping people grow in Christ. Another implication is that we need to know how the Bible defines “disciple.”
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“Make Disciples”
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What is a “Disciple”?
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How does Luke 6:40 help?
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Luke 6:40—“disciple” is one who is “like his teacher” (i.e., Christ-like.). In the epistles, there is much about Christ-likeness, maturity and being prepared to make more disciples.
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Strongs: Mathetes /math·ay·tes, n. m.; 269 occurrences; a learner, pupil, disciple. (James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995)).
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“Disciple” is never used after Acts—the epistles never use the word. As important as the Great Commission is, the word “disciple” was dropped for some reason!
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Dr. Charles Ryrie: “The word disciple never appears in the New Testament outside the Gospels and the book of Acts. This may be because a disciple was expected to physically follow his teacher wherever he went, and this meant leaving his family and occupation so as to be able to be with that teacher all the time… After Christ’s resurrection and ascension, this aspect of discipleship (of Christ) was impossible (go and make disciples …), so the word was used less frequently in the book of Acts and not at all in the remainder of the New Testament.” (Ryrie, C. C. (1997). So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ (p. 95). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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Are disciples made or born? IOW: Does “disciple” = “Christian”? If so, what are the implications?
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Two Main Perspectives:
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Disciples are born? Some claim “the call to discipleship is the call to salvation. The calls are identical. The conditions of discipleship, hard as they may sound, are also the indispensable conditions of salvation…that one cannot merely relate to Jesus as Savior, but one must also give total control of his or her life to Jesus as Lord and Master in order to be saved. The term disciple therefore emphasizes the obedience and “costliness” of salvation in contrast to the “cheap grace” purportedly found in “easy believism,” which is the name given the opposing view… Likewise, the term follow denotes a commitment to faithfulness and obedience by which true believers can be identified.” (The Making of a Disciple by Dr. Charles C. Bing; September 1, 1992 by GES Journal Article.)
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Disciples are made? “The opposing view… holds that discipleship is a separate issue from salvation. This does not mean that committed discipleship cannot be a continuum originating with one’s initial faith in Christ for salvation from sin. Obviously, discipleship should be the logical choice of those who truly understand the issues of salvation, and often it is. However, the call to salvation is distinct from the call to follow Christ in discipleship… Disciples are made, not born. When we understand this, our Gospel remains truly of grace. Then as those saved by grace, we are motivated to cooperate with God and commit and submit ourselves to His purpose of conforming us to His Son, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.” (The Making of a Disciple by Dr. Charles C. Bing; September 1, 1992 by GES Journal Article.)
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The Distinctions between Salvation and Discipleship:
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Questions to consider:
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Which of the two perspectives do you think is most accurate?
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What are the implications of each perspective?
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Look at Matthew 16:24 and Luke 14:26-27. These verses explain what it means to be a “disciple” of Jesus. Are they explaining how a person is saved?
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If so, what is the gospel message?
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If not, how does this help us define “disciple”?
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Further Reading: Three Part series by Dr. Charles Bing (available for free):
