President’s Message, July 2004
The word “disciple” occurs 269 times in the New Testament. “Christian” is found three times. This illustrates the fact that the New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ.
The goal set for the early church was to make disciples without regard to ethnic distinctions—from all “nations” (Matthew 28:19). Having made disciples, these were to be baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. With this twofold preparation they were to be taught to treasure and keep “all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” The Christian church of the first century resulted from following this plan for church growth—a result hard to improve upon.
But perhaps in place of Christ’s plan we have substituted: “make converts (to a particular faith and practice) and baptize them into church membership. “This causes two omissions from the Great Commission. Most important, we start by omitting the making of disciples or enrolling people as Christ’s students, when we should let all else wait for that. We also often omit the step of taking our converts through training that will bring them ever increasingly to do what Jesus directed in maintaining a growing spiritual life and active involvement in meaningful ministry.
These two great omissions are connected. Not having made our converts disciples, it is impossible for us to teach them how to live as Christ lived and taught.
When Jesus walked among us there was a certain simplicity to being his disciple. Primarily it meant to go with him in an attitude of study, obedience, and imitation. Simon Peter exclaimed: “Look, we’ve left everything and followed you!” Mark 10:28.
Though costly, discipleship once had a very clear, straightforward meaning. The mechanics are not the same today. We cannot literally be with him in the same way as his first disciples could. But the priorities and intentions—the heart or inner attitudes—of disciples are forever the same. In the heart of a disciple there is a desire, and there is decision or settled intent. Having come to some understanding of what it means, and thus having “counted up the costs,” the disciple of Christ desires above all else to be like him. Thus, “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher” Matthew 10:25. And moreover, “After he has been fully trained, he will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40.
The disciple is one who, intent upon becoming Christ like and so dwelling in his “faith and practice,” systematically and progressively rearranges his affairs to that end. By these actions, even today, one enrolls in Christ’s training, becomes his pupil or disciple. There is no other way.
“Am I a disciple, or only a Christian convert? Examination of our specific responses and choices can show whether there are things we hold more important than being like him. If there are, then we are not yet his disciples. Being unwilling to follow him, our claim of trusting him must ring hollow. We could never claim to trust a doctor, teacher, or auto mechanic whose directions we would not follow.
