Church Culture - Discipleship, Part 2

Discipleship is a biblical concept all throughout the Scriptures.  In fact, it is the very mission of the church.  First, it is taught as a pattern of life.  God “with” His people is a central theme in all of Scripture.  God created man so that He could be with him and have fellowship. In the beginning, God walked “with” Adam and Eve in the garden. 

Another word that is part of the pattern of life is the word “sent.”  From the beginning of creation, God gave a cultural mandate in Genesis 1:28 where He tells them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.  After man’s rebellion in Genesis 3, man’s with-ness is broken and their sent-ness is cursed.  But that was not the end of the story, we all know that God had a wonderful plan of redemption for His people. 

Jesus demonstrated discipleship first with the call: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).  In this short little sentence, Jesus brings together the concepts of following God, with-ness and sent-ness as He lives out the definition for discipleship.  Jesus’ ultimate mission was to accomplish redemption for His people, but He also shows us what it looks like to be followers of God and demonstrates it through discipleship; then He commands His disciples to partner with Him in His redemptive work and disciple the nations.

So then, what is a disciple?  A disciple is a follower.  All Christians are Jesus’ disciples, but we can also be disciples of others as they follow Christ, and we can disciple others as we follow Christ. 

In Luke 9:23-24, we can see that the characteristics of a disciple are that they:
1) deny themselves,
2) take up their cross daily, and
3) follow Jesus. 

Jesus then says that a “true follower” loses his life for Jesus’ sake.

This post has material taken from Life-on-Life Missional Disciupleship curriculum written by Perimeter Church in John Creek, GA