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What is Discipleship and Why is it Important?

By February 15, 2023No Comments

What is Discipleship and Why is it Important?

Discipleship is the act of living out a life-long relationship with Jesus in which you learn His ways and follow His teachings. Being a disciple or a learner is important because it’s in that humbling act of submitting to Jesus as our teacher that we open our hearts to be changed and begin to understand what life in Christ is really like. Here’s what happened when Chip Ingram said yes to True Discipleship

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Meet One of Our Favorite Discipleship Podcasters-Chip Ingram 

“What I want to help you see is that when God asks you and I to make a radical step and say no to our will and yes to His will, what I want you to see is His will is great. It’s wonderful. It’s good. It’s powerful! It’s better than anything you could dream up for yourself. But you have to let go of yours to get to His.”

4 Characteristics of a Disciple

A Christian disciple is marked by the following characteristics:

  • Submission to Jesus as their teacher and lord
  • A heart that seeks to be in fellowship with God 
  • Prioritizing communion with God and with The Holy Spirit by praying and reading God’s revealed word the Bible.
  • A renewed mind empowered by The Holy Spirit that seeks to see people and circumstances God’s way instead of the world’s way.

By putting priority on these four traits, the disciple of Jesus will begin living out the greatest commandment of all: To love God with your everything, and the second greatest commandment: to love your neighbor as yourself.

What Discipleship is Not

A Disciple is not someone who follows Jesus perfectly and without error as we shall see in the following examples. Nor is a disciple someone who makes up their own rules and imposes them on others. A disciple is someone who follows God to the best of their ability and encourages others to do the same. 

3 Examples of Disciples in The Bible (Plus a Bonus Example)

Here are three examples of Disciples found in the Bible:

  1. Samuel. Samuel was committed to God’s service from birth and lived in that commitment. As he grew up he began to hear God’s voice and take seriously the call of God on His life and he spent his years as a prophet and priest encouraging his fellow Israelites to do the same.
  2. David. David is known as a man after God’s own heart and this is because from an early age he sought to be in fellowship with God and even as God entrusted Israel to David and he made the biggest mistake of his life by committing adultery and murder, his heart was still turned to God as he recognized, remorsed, and repented over his sin. 
  3. Peter. Peter who was one of Jesus’ earliest followers, is frequently criticized for being reckless in words and rash in action. Yet even that burning zeal and opinionated disposition can be an asset when turned toward the love of God and man.
  4. Paul. I add Paul to this list because I want you to consider that even an enemy, by the mercy of God can be turned into one of the most fiercely loyal disciples. Paul was once hunting down followers of “The Way” (aka Christians) and sending them to their death. But when the risen Jesus met him on the road to Damascus,…and that same passion and zeal for persecuting Christians was used for proving Jesus is the messiah and promoting Him instead.

Why is Being a Disciple Important?

Being a Disciple is important because it’s in learning to follow Jesus and willingly submitting our lives to Him that we go from knowing about Jesus to knowing Him personally. We develop a life-long relationship with the one who came to rescue us and restore us into right relationship with God.

The Peace That Discipleship Brings

In my opinion, the peace that being in right relationship with God and in fellowship with Jesus and The Holy Spirit brings, is the most powerful benefit to being a devoted follower of Jesus. It is a kind of peace that is tangible, it washes over you in the most unexpected of times like a wave that you don’t want to leave. It’s wonderful and I want you to have it as well!

How Can I Be a Disciple of Jesus? (Plus 4 Scriptures)

If you’ve read this far into the post, discipleship is something important to you. Maybe you already are a disciple of Jesus or maybe you want to be one. Either way, here’s how: Believe in Jesus and Abide (live life) in Him.

Here are four selections from the Bible to get you started:

  1. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
  2. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
  3. But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:8-11
  4. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:28-31

If you just put your faith in Jesus, here are some great Devotional Podcasts to help you grow in that relationship with Him.

A Few Additional Posts on Discipleship

If you’d like to know even more about following Jesus, here are a few posts on discipleship from across the web:

 

Tom Wilcox

Tom Wilcox

Tom has been a follower of Christ since 2012 and has developed a hunger to learn more and teach others about Jesus, Christianity, and The Bible. With that, he has finished his Bachelor's Degree in Ministry and Church Business Administration, one Masters of Ministry specializing in Biblical Counseling, and another specialising in Religious Education. Tom lives in the Philippines and is married to Pia; they are blessed with two wonderful kids Naomi & Hezekiah

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