How to Disciple: Follow Jesus’ Example of Discipleship
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NLT)
In the previous post we discussed the importance of Jesus’ mandate to make disciples and that it is not just an event of merely converting people to Christianity but an ongoing process of teaching people to follow Jesus Christ. In essence, to disciple someone is to teach them how to be a Christian, a follower of Christ. Discipleship is the process by which Christians grow and are equipped to follow Jesus and mature spiritually.
John Piper says of discipleship that it’s a lifetime of process—“So get them converted. Baptize them. And then spend a lifetime teaching them to obey all that Jesus said. That is what the verb “disciple” in the New Testament would include.”[1]
Now that we know that it’s an ongoing process and not an event, it can feel a bit intimidating. HOW then do we do disciple? Fortunately, we have an example of the process to follow and imitate!
Follow Jesus’ Example of Discipleship
- Teaching
- Modeling/Acting as an example
- Loving others
- Connecting with others
- Correcting them
- Serving and outreach
- Inviting others to walk alongside to do the same
Teaching
As mentioned in the last post, to disciple someone is to teach them. The original Greek words used in the New Testament for “disciple” are “Matheteuo” or “Mathetes” which as a noun means a learner, pupil, or disciple and as a verb means to disciple, enroll as a scholar, instruct or teach. Below are just a few scriptures (there are over 40 total in the New Testament) about Jesus going around teaching: Continue reading