The Bible has a lot to say about discipleship. Being a disciple means following Jesus, learning from Him, and living like Him. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus called His followers to be disciples and disciple-makers.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commissioned the Twelve to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” This passage, known as the Great Commission, expanded the disciples’ mission to a global scale. Through it, Jesus pushed His disciples beyond their personal and physical boundaries of comfort.
The Great Commission frames discipleship as a commitment to follow Jesus and an active responsibility to teach His Word to others. Discipleship is a continuous and expansive journey where believers learn to follow Jesus and then teach others what they’ve learned.
The Meaning of Being a Disciple
Being a disciple means more than just believing in Jesus. It means disciplining yourself to live according to His teachings. Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” This means putting Jesus first, even when it’s hard. Disciples study Jesus’ words and actions and apply His Word to their lives.
Think of discipleship as working out a muscle. Just as physical exercise requires effort and can be painful, growing as a disciple is challenging. When you work out, your muscles ache, but pain increases strength and endurance.
Similarly, following Jesus can be challenging sometimes, but it strengthens your faith and character. Making a daily commitment to live by Jesus' teachings helps you grow spiritually, just as regular exercise helps your body grow stronger.
While physical pain leads to muscle growth, emotional pain can lead to spiritual growth. Discipleship often requires you to sit with someone and hear their struggles or share your burdens. This can be challenging, but it builds a deeper connection and fosters growth in all disciples. Sharing burdens and supporting each other through difficult times strengthens relationships and deepens faith.
The Importance of Discipleship for Believers
Discipleship is essential for several reasons:
- It helps you grow in your faith.
- It increases your knowledge of God’s character.
- It offers accountability to apply God’s Word to your life.
- It builds a stronger church community.
When we disciple others, we help them grow, and we grow, too. However, one of the most challenging aspects of being God’s disciples is always being open to correction, chastening, and growth. You will never be done growing as a disciple while on this side of heaven. To be an effective disciple-maker, you must be disciplined to be filled with God’s Word and intentionally seek out people who will lead and disciple you.
Preparing Your Heart for Discipleship
Before you can disciple others, you need to be ready yourself. This means spending time with God, reading the Bible, and praying. Ask God to guide you and give you wisdom as you lead. Be open to learning and growing. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” A prepared heart is essential for effective discipleship.
Here are some ways you can prepare your heart for discipleship:
- Ask God to guide you and give you wisdom.
- Be open to learning and growing.
- Continue to be discipled by other mature believers.
You might wonder if you're ready to disciple someone. You are likely ready if you are growing in your faith and want to help others grow. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being willing to share what you know and committing to learn together. Jesus' disciples weren’t perfect, but they were committed to learning from Him and growing in spiritual maturity. You must foster a humble heart to continue growing your faith and making disciples.
Discipleship Tools to Help You Grow
We offer several discipleship resources for families, couples, and individuals who want to grow in their faith:
Discipleship 1 and 2 courses are designed for those looking to deepen their understanding and commitment to following Jesus. They provide structured learning and guidance to help you grow in your faith and prepare to disciple others.
Merge pre-marital class provides wisdom, biblical counsel, and guidance for engaged and seriously dating couples. The class teaches couples a biblical view of marriage and offers strategies to address, respond to, or fix problems before they arise in marriages.
Re|engage contains 14 marriage principles you work through with other couples to learn how to effectively communicate, resolve conflict, and grow closer to your spouse. The discipleship course brings couples together to learn about God’s design for marriage and apply biblical principles for building a healthy relationship.
Castles Family Discipleship Course is a 7-week discipleship program designed to help you build a solid foundation for spiritual growth within your family. The course helps parents build a strong foundation for spiritual growth within their families and provides tangible ways to incorporate faith into daily life.
These discipleship tools help people in various stages of life become disciplined followers of Jesus and effective disciple-makers for the kingdom.
Commit to Being a Disciple-Maker
Discipleship is a journey of following Jesus, growing in faith, and helping others do the same. It’s about commitment, learning, and teaching. Whether you are new to faith or have been a believer for a long time, there’s always more to learn and share.
Discipleship strengthens our faith, builds our community, and fulfills Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations. Will you commit to being a disciple and a disciple-maker?