Real Discipleship

"Discipleship" is almost a catch-phrase these days in church circles.  We lament the fact that we need more of it, that church fellowships are too impersonal, and people young in faith in Christ have difficulty connecting with experienced followers of Christ.  For most people, when speaking of discipleship it is usually to reference a course on biblical doctrine, a one-to-one fellowship meeting, or an opportunity to study through a book or part of the Bible.  It's amusing and also sad that what passes for discipleship quite often is not discipleship at all!

Part of the role of being a Christian is making disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ.  Jesus made disciples of people by calling them to follow Him.  That was all.  Following Jesus made a man a disciple.  The only decision which remained was to forsake all for Christ in obedience, or choose to abandon Christ.  There was no curriculum, books to read, questions to answer, or tests to take.  All was summed up in a lifestyle of faith and absolute surrender of a life to Jesus Christ.  That is discipleship.  Today we think discipleship lies in facts, knowledge, and experience.  This is simply not the case.  Instead of making disciples of Christ, most often our attempts at discipleship make followers of men and women other than Christ.  Instead of Christ becoming the only one relied upon, we can fall into the trap making ourselves crutches which make lame those we attempt to instruct.

Perhaps this is why discipleship is so difficult to cultivate in a church fellowship.  Most of us aren't quite sure what it is and why we need it!  It is very easy to start new believer's courses, have men and women's Bible studies, and read through a book together on "The Life You've Always Wanted."  But to be frank it is much harder to fulfill perfectly one command of Christ:  "Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me."    This is not the life we always wanted!  But it is Christ who we want:  therefore we obey joyfully and follow Him along the narrow path goaded on by faith empowered by the Holy Spirit.  If we had a church filled with such people in complete submission to Jesus He would have more disciples than all the programs in the world can generate.  "Love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you.  Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."  Jesus is the only one who can make disciples.  We shouldn't be surprised when fellowship with other believers isn't enough to live a life of victory over sin.  Following Jesus is the critical, necessary, and all-important aspect of the Christian life.

Forgiveness is easy to talk about, but forgiving someone is completely different because it is personal.  We can have all the facts, define forgiveness biblically, cite examples, and explain the Christian's obligation to forgive others, but this does not guarantee we have forgiven all who have wronged us.  Our relationship with Christ is deeply personal and requires faith.  When Jesus told the disciples to forgive not only seven times but seventy times seven they begged, "Increase our faith."  Being a disciple of Jesus requires faith, and demands constant action based upon trust in Christ alone.  Discipleship is a lifestyle of "followship" with Jesus.  It is a life not built upon knowledge but upon active reliance upon the person of Jesus Christ.  Those who follow Christ are examples to others and the good that others see is simply the sacrificial love and life of Christ being lived out through us.