What is a Disciple?
If we're called to make them, we should have an idea of what they are, right?
Lottie Moon once wrote:
Should we not press it home upon our consciences that the sole object of our conversion was not the salvation of our own souls, but that we might become co-workers with our Lord and Master in the conversion of the world?
We as Southern Baptists have a strong commitment (at least in theory) to the Scriptures and to missions. Jesus spoke to His disciples and ultimately to us about going and making disciples.
So, what is a disciple? It’s interesting that this question is before us. Our Next Steps team at our church is working on a project called our Disciple-Making Relationship Curriculum. Our aim is to see 50% of our church engaged in a DMR by this time next year. For the first session, we’ve been asking, “What is a disciple?” I mean, if we plan on making disciples, shouldn’t we know what one looks like when we see it? Here are some insights.
A disciple is a learner who sits at the feet of Jesus, the teacher, and Master.
R.C. Sproul defines a disciple as, “one who directs his mind toward specific knowledge and conduct. So, we might say that a disciple is a learner or pupil.”
A disciple is one who follows Christ so Christ is formed in him/her.
It is not passive but an intentional, daily journey.
They reproduce themselves.
Did you catch what one of those bullet points articulated? “It is not passive but an intentional, daily journey.” Journey—as opposed to a destination.
Daniel Im, formerly of LifeWay, reminds us that:
A church that focuses on destination is one that measures the maturity of disciples based on how much they have achieved, what they know, their observable behaviors, and whether they have completed certain classes.
By contrast, a church that focuses on direction is one that sees maturity as an ongoing process without an endpoint in eternity. Maturity is first measured by the direction the disciple is moving--toward Christ or away from Christ--and then how far along they are in that journey.
I preached on this more in-depth this past Sunday in a sermon entitled Joyful, All Ye Nations, Rise: Reaching the Nations Together. You can listen to it here or on your favorite podcatcher.
Please give this a listen and leave any questions or comments you have in the comments section below.