Who is a disciple?
The word “disciple” is one that is often used in Christian arena’s, often when talking about the Great Commission. Jesus commands all who are followers of him to go out and make disciples, but what exactly does that look like and how do we know once we’ve made a disciple?
Jesus states in John 8:31, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (NIV)
So we see that those who hold onto Jesus’s teachings are true disciples. Meaning, that is we are to be people who make disciples, we need to be people who both hold onto those teachings ourselves and communicate what those teachings are to others. We must keep in mind that making disciples is a process that takes time. Jesus himself spent the last 3 years of his life teaching his disciples. Jesus did this by doing 2 important things, he spent consistent time communicating to his Father, God, and he spent time with his disciples regularly. To make disciples of our own, we must do so as well
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Colossians 3:16 ESV
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV
Simply going to church does not make someone a disciple of Jesus. The key words from the verse in John are that we must hold on to Jesus’s teachings. I know for myself, I grew up my entire life going to church almost every Sunday, but I held on to virtually nothing. The concept of just how much God loves me was one that I never truly grasped, I rarely opened my Bible, and did not meet up with people on church related topics anywhere outside of the church building itself.
I stayed on the path of drifting farther and farther away from God until someone came into my life who reached out to me and asked to disciple me. How did they do it? They believed in Jesus’s teaching, spent time dwelling in God’s word, and they made it a point to set a time to meet together with me on a regular basis. By them making this investment in me, I learned to embrace what this concept of “holding on” looks like and knew what to hold on to. And now, I get to return that favor and display those teachings to others.
With that I say – What has God been teaching you lately, and how can you spend time sharing it to those around you?