Discipleship in Christianity: Giving God Your Best

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Table of Contents

What Is a Disciple?
Are You His Disciple?
The Cost of Discipleship?
The Disciple in the Word
The Disciple in Prayer
The Disciple in the Church
The Discipling of Others
Works cited

What Is a Disciple?

Living our Christian life as it was lived by Jesus Christ is what depicts the meaning of one being a true disciple. This is because the first true believers lived their Christian lives the way Jesus did. In the Bible, Mark 24:14 Jesus told Mathew Follow me. By these words, Jesus meant that to be a true disciple one has to follow the life of Jesus as a whole. All true disciples have to bear fruit and lead by example. The lives of the disciples should be dominated by the love of God and it is only through this that they can forgive others and be forgiven by God. For one to bear fruit, he or she should be in a deep relationship of love with God. All those who will work for the Lord need to be disciplined and have a lot of perseverance and this also applies to worship. One should cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit so as to enjoy living in Christ (Laurie 3-6). A trademark of true discipleship is found in John 13:35, Jesus says that By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have a love for one another.

Are You His Disciple?

Quoting Dwight Pentecost, who highlights what makes a true disciple. He argues that every Christian must have the urge to follow Christ, they should envy the way he lived his life and practiced his teachings. He refers to this as radical Christian living or true discipleship. For one to attain the full status of a disciple, he has to be curious about the Word of the Lord, be convinced then get fully committed to living in the ways of the Lord (Laurie 24).

To be fully committed to Christ, one must deny himself the pleasures of life and give up all his earthly possessions and follow Jesus. In Luke 14:27, Jesus says that those who do not bear his cross and come after him cannot be his disciple, Jesus continues to say that those who desire to save their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for my sake will be saved (Luke 9:23, 24). If anyone takes up the cross of Jesus and lives in his way and life then he will get the true meaning of being his disciple.

The Cost of Discipleship?

In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus says that no one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for Gods kingdom. If anyone wants to follow Jesus, it should be immediate (Laurie 36). In his words, Laurie says that all those who want to follow Jesus should be fully committed to His ways and one should never look back no matter the tribulations one undergoes in life (39). All those willing to follow and live in the ways of Christ should fully commit their lives to Him. They should let God control their lives absolutely (41).

The Disciple in the Word

In John 15:7, Jesus gives the true meaning of abiding by him i.e. abiding in him and his word abiding in you. Those who do so will have their hearts desire fulfilled. All the disciples of Christ should use the word of God as their shield, their source of strength and security at all times.

True understanding comes from the Lord and one should pray for it (Laurie 16). The word should be treasured at all times since it is the reference point in our lives. It should be in our memory always and it should dictate all that we do. The Word of the Lord should be seen in our activities and actions in our day-to-day living.

The Disciple in Prayer

The model of the Lords prayer is shown in Matthew 6:5-13 and it shows all disciples how they should pray. Prayers are termed the most crucial thing in a Christians life. It is what connects the Christians to God (Laurie 14). Through prayer, one gets to communicate with God, ask for mercy, forgiveness and protection from evil. This communication draws us near to God. When praying, everyone should avoid having pride in the spirit like the man in the synagogue. All should humble themselves in front of God, believe in Him and should pray genuine prayers. God does not have any interest in our eloquence, rhyme, or ritualized prayers (15). He wants us to be close to Him, glorify His name and then request for our needs from Him. Most people today want their needs to be satisfied without getting intimate with God.

The Disciple in the Church

Christians should consider one another so as to stir up love and good words and not forsake their assembly together, as is the manner of some, but should exhort one another more as the Day [of the Lord] approaches (Hebrews 10:24-25) All the disciples should contribute to the church for the sake of building one another( Laurie 12). Everyone should be responsible for supporting each other in getting spiritual nourishment. The early church relied heavily on devotion, the spirit empowered the disciples and they were passionately devoted to God and his Word. All those who desire to love like Jesus should rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and depend on it entirely till the Lord comes. So the disciples should be able to do according to the will of God, they should be passionate about the Lord and his word. Fellowship is sharing the communion, being together, sharing the word of God, having spiritual intimacy and caring about others as they partner in doing the work of the Lord (18).

The Discipling of Others

Jesus commanded his disciples to go forth onto the rest of the earth and make other people his disciples. This way, they will spread radical Christianity throughout the world. All of his disciples should pray for His boldness in sharing his word as this will lead to many people changing their spiritual destinies. Practical Christianity is emphasized by symbolizing it as Salt, it states that salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? (Luke 14:34). When Jesus said these words he meant that all his disciples hold to be the salt of the earth (Laurie 14). They are supposed to show the difference by the way they live. They are supposed to spread the Gospel all over the earth.

Jesus said, Let us light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Their lives should exemplify the life of Christ and through that others may learn and live like them.

Everyone in the church must be ready to spread the word of the Lord in any circumstance. In evangelism, there should be a great and sincere concern for all those who are lost and wallowing in sin because they do not know God.

In 1 Corinthians 9:20-23, Paul gives us a key to effectively sharing our faith. He writes, And to the Jews, I became a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak, I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might, by all means, save some. One has to identify and recognize the condition of the lost so that he can be able to get onto them (Laurie 22). All evangelists need a lot of strategies for getting into the hearts of the lost without necessarily using words that will offend them (20).

The testimony given to the flock should profess the faith of God and lead others onto believing in the power of God. Romans 3:23 declares all men to be sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. These are the best words that an evangelist should use instead of calling those who are lost, sinners. Calling them sinners may castigate them and they may leave the church.

In nurturing the new disciples, one should help them to grow and mature spiritually in the spirit of God. This will make them be committed, dedicated and faithful disciples. In discipling others, one gets an outlet for sharing, guiding and this will add a new spark to a Christians life. This in turn prevents spiritual stagnation.

Works cited

Laurie, Greg. Discipleship: Giving God your Best. Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1990.

Pentecost, Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Zondervan, 1965.670.

King James Version Bible. Challenge Press Publications. 1990.

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