Leadership Thought: Are You a Disciple or Just a Believer?

Dear Friends,

We are a church committed to making disciples, and last night at our Life Group eight of our church members sat around a table discussing discipleship.

Jesus gave the Great Commission to all who claim His name. 

He taught, "All authority. has been given to me in heaven and on earth.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Making disciples should be the goal of every church and of every church member.

But what is a disciple?

A disciple is not a deluxe version of a Christian. Every believer is called to be a disciple.

The view that every believer should be a disciple is foreign to many church members who believe discipleship is for the mature super saint, the one who is entirely sold out to Jesus.

But that was not the case for those first disciples. Uneducated, ill equipped, and just newly saved, they went everywhere gossiping the gospel, so much so that by the fourth century there were over 30 million believers in the Roman Empire.

I have often wondered if Christians should change their names. 

When you fill out a religious survey, one of the choices given to identify you is the term Christian. But what if instead of Christian, we were to read the word "disciple?" Would that make a difference in how we see ourselves? I am no longer just a Christian, but I am a disciple.

The early followers of Jesus were called Christians, resulting from their testimony and witness in the city of Antioch. (Acts 11: 25), but before the word Christian became widely known to describe a follower of Christ, the word disciple was used. Followers of Christ were known as disciples and very rarely described as Christians in the Bible. 

A disciple is a Christian who is a follower of Jesus and who seeks to share his/her faith, and who seeks to disciple others as they have been discipled. 

The word disciple comes from the Latin word 'discipulus' which means a pupil or a student or a learner. A disciple learns about Jesus so that he/she can become more like Him. A disciple loves Jesus and wants to learn about Him. A disciple lives in such a way that he/she reflects the qualities of His life in all they say and do. 

I wonder if we should call ourselves disciples if we are not obedient to the command of Jesus to be a one and to become a disciple maker.

To be a disciple is not simply a request Jesus makes; it is a divine command. 

Pastor and author David Platt writes: "Disciples are to be disciple makers. Disciple making is what happens when we walk through life together, showing another how to pray, study the Bible, grow in Christ, and lead others to Christ." (Church Growth Magazine, David Platt).

How are we doing? Are we disciples or just believers?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom