Discipleship - Goals and Definitions

Discipleship is not a word that appears in Scripture. However, the noun form of the word occurs ('disciple'), as does the verbal form of the word ('make disciples'). 'Discipleship' is a word that we commonly use to describe action in obedience to Christ's command, 'Make disciples.'

Simply put, a disciple is one who has submitted and is submitting to Christ in all areas of life: in his affections, belief-structures, and behavior. In other words, a disciple is one who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and who is learning to obey all that Christ has commanded.

Thus, the goal of discipleship is the obedience of faith to all the commands of Christ, for the sake of his glory. The object of discipleship is people from every nation. The source or authority over discipleship is Christ himself. We are to make disciples of him, not us.

To summarize, then, to 'make disciples', means to explain Christ's words (the Scriptures) to people in such a manner that those to whom he grants repentance learn to obey everything he has commanded.

In saying this, much is remaining unsaid. However, it must be emphasized that discipleship means explaining all the words of God such that a person obeys all the words of God for the glory of God.

And as one explores the content of discipleship, we must remember that we also are disciples. We should be asking about areas in which we need growth and putting together a plan for said growth as well as planning for the obedience of others.

In what follows, because they're basically my notes, I have left out Scripture references for the sake of brevity. However, if the need arises I can add them or footnote them later.

Discipleship - Content
The Scriptures teach us that the information which must be passed down to a disciple involve three categories: doctrine (what a disciple must believe), character (what a disciple must do), and ministry skill (how a disciple must serve others with the word of God).

What follows is a list of necessary components of the content of discipleship under these three headings. Though the following list is not exhaustive, it is purposefully broad.

Doctrine
-The nature of God
-The person of Jesus
-The role of Jesus as Messiah
-The historical nature of the acts of God
-The human race and its sin
-The penalty of sin
-Jesus Christ as a substitute for his people
-The role of faith in salvation
-The nature of the Scriptures (authoritative, without error, historical, sufficient)
-The sovereignty of God in having a purpose in all of history
-The vindication of Christ in his resurrection
-The status of Christians resulting from Christ's resurrection
-The current status of Christ as reigning ruler of all things
-The current status of Christ as the intercessor for his people
-The return of Christ to complete his reign in judging all humanity

Character
-The role of the Holy Spirit in producing obedience
-The role of the Gospel and faith in it in producing obedience
-The role of repentance and effort in producing obedience
-The uses of the Moral Law
-The content of the Moral Law
-The means of grace (the word of God, especially taught by the ordained men; prayer; the sacraments; fellowship; church discipline)

Ministry Skill
-Learning about people (listening, learning using questions, discerning idols)
-Learning how to boast about Christ in front of Christians and non-Christians
-Evangelism
-Making wise decisions
-Interpreting Scripture or recognizing teachers who do
-Applying the truths of the word of God to different people in different situations
-Planning, executing plans, and evaluating results with regard to the advancement of the word of God

Discipleship - Praxis

What follows is a list of 7 steps that are intended to be helpful in defining the means of discipleship. These steps, however, are to be taken in light of the answers to two questions. First, is the person a believer or unbeliever? Second, is the goal of discipleship moving the person to Christian maturity or Christian leadership? Not all Christians are called to be leaders, and it is okay for someone not to be. (Leaders in this context refers to positional leaders in the church rather than the 'type' of leaders all Christians are called to be i.e. we're all a kingdom of priests to God). The answers to these questions can actually be made clear as the steps are taken.

Seven Steps to Making Disciples
1) Establish credibility as a person whose life is submitted to Christ, who can teach a person what it means to live in obedience to Christ.
2) Invite the person or people into a relationship with the expressed purpose of learning about Jesus from God's word.
3) Investigate, by means of questioning, the person's spiritual state and real spiritual needs.
4) Plan the person's or people's discipleship with a specific goal or end in mind.
5) Teach the person, from the Scriptures. Involve the person in your obedience to the Scriptures (according to the preceding list, in all categories, as you are able). These are two different things; however, they must be happening simultaneously. It is far too easy for Christians to do a bunch of teaching without the involvement of the disciple.
6) Delegate specific tasks to the disciple that are directly related to the promulgation of the word. Help them grow as they serve.
7) Release the person into the care of properly appointed elders or into the role of elder.

Discipleship - A Summary
Discipleship involves the expression of Christ's words for the purpose of bringing people into obedience to him. This will involve what they believe, the way they live, and the way they help others. Some disciples will help others (or serve/minister to them), by becoming elders and Christian leaders in churches. We are called, as missionaries, to make disciples of Jesus according to all the commands of Jesus in dependence on the sovereignty of Jesus for the glory of Jesus.

Grace & Peace,
Onesimus