What is discipleship training?
Jesus said to “make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you”
— Mt. 28:19-20
Jesus spoke the words above to His disciples just days after He had risen from the dead.
We commonly call these words “The Great Commission.” In this charge, Jesus commands all His people of all time to their great task – that of making disciples. If you have turned from sin to trust Christ fully, then you are a Christian, and by definition, a
follower of Jesus Christ.
When you hear the word discipleship, what thoughts come to your mind? Like other words, it may have lost the significance of its original meaning. In your church do believers tend to think of discipleship as knowing facts about Jesus or following Jesus in a personal, dependent, obedient relationship? Biblically, discipleship is not a program but a process of becoming Christlike and being zealous to see others become disciples also.
The Gospels and the Book of Acts include 260 references to the word disciple. Every time the word is used, it refers to a declared relationship with Jesus Christ, not a level of spiritual or religious achievement. Becoming a Christian, in New Testament understanding, was the same as becoming a disciple of Jesus. The word disciple in the New Testament, then, refers primarily to any Christian, not to a subdivision of the Christian community.
You will notice that the process of making disciples includes “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Becoming a Christian is more than just believing the right truths about God. It also involves a reshaping of the entire person into the image of Jesus Christ.
The link below is a free discipleship training guide that is intended to help you get to the point where you are actually making disciples. So, pray that God would send you someone that you can pour your life into. Let that person know at the outset that you expect them to pour their life into someone else who will pour their life into someone else who will… you get the point! May God richly bless you as you continue to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Free Discipleship Training Guide
Download this 194-page PDF document to help guide your understanding of biblical discipleship.
This resource includes:
- Biblical definitions of discipleship
- Foundational tenets of Christian discipleship
- Reflection questions for engaging discipleship in your church
