Every year books are written on the topic of ‘discipleship’ promising new methods with greater success. What becomes clear though is that people have very different understandings on what they mean by discipleship and success. As the methods recommended flow out of that understanding it becomes important to first clarify what scriptures teaches in regard to discipleship and success.
We have the command of Christ (to make disciples of all nations) and we have the need (people’s eternal destiny) but the goal of discipleship will help us clarify successful discipleship. If our goal is to become the next pumping mega-church obvious success will look like getting many people in the door and keeping them in the door. The Bible gives us a different vision for discipleship. Rev 7 speaks of a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne worshipping and giving glory to Christ. Titus 2 speaks of Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. God’s goal for all of human history is to glorify His Son in the midst of the people he has rescued and transformed. This is why we make disciples. Successful discipleship thus leads a person more and more to corporately praise, worship and honor Christ and individually glorify Him in their lives.
A disciple is a learner. What makes a disciple different from other learners is that they are not learning a subject but a person. In this case a disciple is one who learns Christ. It is a kind of transformational learning which involves a lot of unlearning as well. We are unlearning who we are (patterns of thought, habits, attitudes …etc) in order to learn Christ (to think as He thinks, to love as He loves, to act as He acts …etc). Successful discipleship thus leads a person more and more to be able to say with Paul “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
Rather than primarily relying upon the latest light shows, emotional songs, or motivational speakers, God has given us the primary tools we need for the task; the Spirit of God working through the Word of God (John 6:44, Luke 8:12, John 16:8, Acts 11:18, Romans 10:13-17). As a result for any discipleship to be successful (i.e, Christ glorifying and life transforming) faithful prayer and reliance on the Spirit and preserving proclamation of the Word (whether initial engaging and evangelising of unbelievers, or, long term establishing and equipping of believers) must be at the center of all we do.
It is not uncommon to think of discipleship as the job of a select few (i.e. a pastor or missionary) but scripture paints discipleship as the mutual purpose of the church as a whole, even its very life. (Eph 4:11-16). Paul describes it as speaking the truth in love. In this way we are all not only engaged in transformational learning ourselves but become prayerful preachers of the word to one another to assist in the transformational learning of others to the glory of Christ. Therefore successful discipleship equips and exhorts all members towards prayer and the work of the ministry.
Discipleship is hindered to the extent that any person is outside of or separated from the proclaimed word and faithful prayers of the church community. But it does and can happen wherever the Spirit of God uses the faithfully proclaimed word of Christ. This includes but is not limited to Sunday. It flows into all the that church does corporately and individually. The beautiful thing is how this can happen in many various ways (talking with one another about the sermon after church, getting coffee with a church member or unbeliever, listening and praying with hurting members …etc). Therefore successful discipleship can not simply be reduced to a program to be learned but is rather a living a culture within the church community that one must enter into.
To sum it all up, discipleship is a kind of transformational learning which has its aim conformity to and glorifying of Jesus Christ. This is accomplish through the Spirit working through the Word as the church (corporately and individually) faithfully prays for and proclaims the word of Christ to those outside and inside. Are you currently learning Christ? Or are you currently involved in assisting others in your church community to learn Christ?