As we walk with Christ, we believe making Disciples is simply part of that walk!
Two thousand years ago, Jesus walked up to a handful of men and said, “Follow me.”Imagine being one of those original disciples. They were ordinary people like you and me. They had jobs, families, hobbies, and social lives. As they went about their business on the day Jesus called them, none of them would have expected his life to change so quickly and completely.
The disciples could not have fully understood what they were getting into when they responded to Jesus’s call. Whatever expectations or doubts, whatever curiosity, excitement, or uncertainty they felt, nothing could have prepared them for what lay ahead. Everything about Jesus—His teaching, compassion, and wisdom; His life, death, and resurrection; His power, authority, and calling—would shape every aspect of the rest of their lives.
In only a few years, these simple men were standing before some of the most powerful rulers on earth and being accused of “turn[ing] the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). What began as simple obedience to the call of Jesus ended up changing their lives, and ultimately, the world.
The disciples could not have fully understood what they were getting into when they responded to Jesus’s call. Whatever expectations or doubts, whatever curiosity, excitement, or uncertainty they felt, nothing could have prepared them for what lay ahead. Everything about Jesus—His teaching, compassion, and wisdom; His life, death, and resurrection; His power, authority, and calling—would shape every aspect of the rest of their lives.
In only a few years, these simple men were standing before some of the most powerful rulers on earth and being accused of “turn[ing] the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). What began as simple obedience to the call of Jesus ended up changing their lives, and ultimately, the world.
What Is a Disciple?
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? As you will discover, the answer is fairly simple, but it changes your life completely.The word disciple refers to a student or apprentice. Disciples in Jesus’s day would follow their rabbi (which means teacher) wherever he went, learning from the rabbi’s teaching and being trained to do as the rabbi did. Basically, a disciple is a follower, but only if we take the term follower literally. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is as simple as obeying His call to follow. When Jesus called His first disciples, they may not have understood where Jesus would take them or the impact it would have on their lives, but they knew what it meant to follow. They took Jesus’s call literally and began going everywhere He went and doing everything He did. It’s impossible to be a disciple or a follower of someone and not end up like that person. Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). That’s the whole point of being a disciple of Jesus: we imitate Him, carry on His ministry, and become like Him in the process. Yet somehow many have come to believe that a person can be a “Christian” without being like Christ. A “follower” who doesn’t follow. How does that make any sense? Many people in the church have decided to take on the name of Christ and nothing else. This would be like Jesus walking up to those first disciples and saying, “Hey, would you guys mind identifying yourselves with Me in some way? Don’t worry, I don’t actually care if you do anything I do or change your lifestyle at all. I’m just looking for people who are willing to say they believe in Me and call themselves Christians.” Seriously? No one can really believe that this is all it means to be a Christian. But then why do so many people live this way? It appears that we’ve lost sight of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The concept of being a disciple isn’t difficult to understand, but it affects everything. |
Count the Cost
As you work your way through this material [Multiply Book], you will be challenged to consider what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You will think through what the Bible teaches and its implications for the way you live your life today. Everything you study will be for the purpose of applying it to your life and teaching other people to do the same. But before you set out to teach other people to be disciples of Jesus, you need to examine your heart and make sure you are a disciple. Read the following words from Jesus slowly and carefully. Understand that Jesus is speaking these words to you. Think about what Jesus is saying and how it should affect the way you approach this material and your relationship with Him. After you have read this section, use the questions below to help you count the cost of following Jesus. "Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25–33) Questions:
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EXERTED FROM FRANCIS CHAN'S BOOK "MULTIPLY" Part 1 Chapter 1 "What is a Disciple"
Remember though, Making Disciples is not Something you do on Your Own
As a church, we desire to walk alongside of you in this process. While it may seem overwhelming at first, discipleship is done alongside of a Faith Family! We have D-Groups that are designed to help with this very thing. A D-Group is a closed group of a few believers that meet regularly with a culture of accountability, intimate friendships, and a life cultivated in the Gospel. This is also part of Discipleship Pathway that we join together in as we follow Christ together.
In our D-Groups, we often use Francis Chan's book called Multiply. The above text (What is a Disciples) is actually drawn straight from the book. So now, you already have a head start. To be clear, going through the book itself is not what makes discipleship. Discipleship is what happens when God, in His sovereign Grace allows us to walk with each other toward Him. Because of the Gospel, we are able to help guide each other to Christ. And the Multiply book does a great job of giving you an overview of the Scripture in light of the Gospel as you do that. Because, again, God has chosen to use the Gospel as the means to transform us as we are in Christ!
In our D-Groups, we often use Francis Chan's book called Multiply. The above text (What is a Disciples) is actually drawn straight from the book. So now, you already have a head start. To be clear, going through the book itself is not what makes discipleship. Discipleship is what happens when God, in His sovereign Grace allows us to walk with each other toward Him. Because of the Gospel, we are able to help guide each other to Christ. And the Multiply book does a great job of giving you an overview of the Scripture in light of the Gospel as you do that. Because, again, God has chosen to use the Gospel as the means to transform us as we are in Christ!
Every Chapter is available for free online HERE in text and audio!
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