What is a Disciple? Conclusion by Dan Roach

Stephen Smallman writes, ‘The essential work of our churches is to be making disciples. It is not one “program” of the church, but the essence of its mission.’ Discipleship was Jesus’ priority, and when we look at the early Church in Acts, we see exactly the same thing. A key passage here comes in Acts 14 where Luke is recounting part of Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journey first to Derbe, and then elsewhere in modern-day Turkey. Here we catch a glimpse of exactly what their work involved:

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.[1]

This passage emphasises two things: the making of new disciples and the strengthening of existing disciples. Discipleship involves both. While we often speak of evangelism and discipleship as though they are separate things, the New Testament does not make this distinction. Biblical discipleship is far broader than this. Colin Marshall and Tony Payne show how helpful and practical this kind of thinking is:

“Disciple-making” is a really useful word to summarize this call, because it encompasses both reaching out to non-Christians and encouraging fellow Christians to grow like Christ…Disciple-making, then, refers to a massive range of relationships and conversations and activities – everything from preaching a sermon to teaching a Sunday school class; from chatting over the proverbial back fence with a non-Christian neighbour to writing an encouraging note to a Christian friend; from inviting a family member to hear the gospel at a church event to meeting one to one to study the Bible with a fellow Christian; from reading the Bible to your children to making a Christian comment over morning tea at the office…If this disciple-making vision is correct, than an integral part of making disciples is teaching and training every disciple to make other disciples…This sort of training is more like parenthood than the classroom. It’s relational and personal, and involves modelling and imitation.

Making disciples involves people at every stage: new and old followers of Jesus and those who aren’t yet following him. As we seek to grow and develop as disciples we need to constantly turn and return to the five basic aspects of discipleship: the call, the cost, the community, the cross and the commission.

This is how disciples are built.

Further Reading

Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Revell, 1963).

Jonathan Dodson, Gospel-Centred Discipleship (Crossway, 2012).

Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything (Matthias Media, 2009).

Steven Smallman, The Walk: Steps for New and Renewed Followers of Jesus (P&R Publishing, 2009)

Steven Smallman, What is Discipleship?  (P&R Publishing, 2011).

Michael J. Wilkins, Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship (Zondervan, 1992).

[1] Acts 14:21-23.