content in progress…

When Jesus called his first disciples, he invited them into a teacher <—> learner relationship requiring close proximity and deep commitment. It is probably more akin to how we think of an apprentice, someone who is being trained to become like the one training them. We can think of a disciple as someone being transformed while being trained: to be like their master trainer and to do what He does.

Jesus is the Master Trainer and we are His apprentices. However, since we are sons and daughters of God, it is much more than that; it is a relationship founded upon love and our identity as His very own. We are family. So, in essence, we a part of the family “business”: making disciples of all peoples. We are co-heirs and co-workers in the Kingdom, as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father on mission with Jesus as King to accomplish His will.

A disciple is someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus. His mission requires intentionally helping others do the same (This is the multiplication piece; 2 Tim 2:2).

The DNA piece of the Great Commission (Matthew 18:18-20) …teaching them to obey all that I’ve commanded you, is central to disciple-making. We invest our lives deeply in others to help them love God, hear His voice, and obey Him. We disciple (verb) others to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit does what we cannot do. We are co-laboring with God as disciple-makers, watching God transform us and those with whom we walk in a discipling relationship as we abide and invest.

We lay down our lives for others as we walk with them to help them learn how to walk with Jesus on their own and then do the same with others, like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, modeled perfectly for us (John 10:11).

Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. — Matthew 16:24

There is a built-in total cost to being a true disciple of Jesus. We are no longer our own. We’ve been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20). We are His. He calls all the shots now. Ultimately, the good news of the Kingdom is that we become God’s children, AND therefore He becomes our Father. He dwells in us and us in Him - FOREVER.

• Jesus discipled people to Himself; we disciple people to Jesus.

• Jesus discipled people who didn’t yet have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

• We disciple people with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, or hopefully will.

———

NOTE: This content is in progress. Thank you for your patience.