What is Discipleship?
By definition, a disciple is a person who follows, watches, listens and does what they have learned by example from another. A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ through word and action. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christ-like.
According to John’s Gospel, Jesus began discipleship the day after he was baptized (John 1:35-39). According to this passage, the first two men who followed John the Baptist (discipled by him) heard him declare that Jesus was the Lamb of God. Andrew and his friend (most likely John) believed what they heard and followed Jesus.
From Matthew 28:16-20 we see Jesus who has been murdered on the cross, buried for 3 days and had risen from the dead reveal himself to his disciples and give the Great Commission to them and to all believers in all times and all places.
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When theysaw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said,”All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
At Logos Community we take this very serious as a command and not as a recommendation and through scripture we see this done in 3 forms. The first 2 are required for members of Logos Community and the 3rd form we HIGHLY recommend.
Corporate Discipleship - As we gather together as the body of Christ and worship through song and the preached word of God we become disciples of Christ. Through this we as the body serve, teach, pray, share, fellowship, and love one another as Christ would have us. This is the first form of discipleship. Look into our services HERE
( Hebrews 10:25, Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 134:2 , Acts 14:21-22)
Peer to Peer Discipleship - At Logos Community this is done through our involvement and commitment to community groups. We have small groups of 8-20 men and women meeting in homes and businesses across the valley to discuss scripture, talk about life, pray for one another, hold each other accountable, serve one another, and love one another. This is the second form of discipleship. View and join one of our Community Groups HERE
(1 Peter 1:22, Acts 2:46-47, Philippians 2:3-4, Hebrews 6:12)
One on One Discipleship - At Logos Community this is an important step we don’t see in many churches in America and we believe is one of the most valuable forms of discipleship. We have seen AMAZING fruit in the lives of many of our members who have come under the authority of another person who loves and serves the Jesus of the Bible and may be just a little further ahead in their relationship with Christ. In essence, the discipled person is saying, “I give you authority in my life, please show me what it looks like to follow Jesus.”
This is a player/coach model. This means it is not a consultative, buddy relationship; it is one of authority (coach/discipler) and submission (player/disciple). As the discipler follows and submits to Jesus, the person being discipled should come under the authority of the discipler, and obey for the purpose of growing rapidly in his/her relationship with the Lord. If the discipler is not following Jesus, then the discipled individual should walk away.
We see this example in scripture. As one person submits to another and gives them full authority to speak into their life we see a beautiful example of Jesus and His submission to the Father even though He has full authority with the Father (Philippians 2:5-10). We believe this is absolutely necessary for the new believer and beneficial for believers in any stage of life. This is not a lifelong process and we have seen some be as short as a couple months and others as long as a couple of years. The desired outcome is that the person who has been discipled will now disciple others: Gospel through replication one on one.
(Matthew 28:16-20, Philippians 2:5-8, 3:17, 4:9, 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 4:16-17, 11:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7)
The drug addict that comes to Christ is still a drug addict the next day. The stripper is still a stripper, and the liar a liar. A person who has come to Christ does not know what it means to submit and follow Christ and too many times churches are looking for conversions but not the hard work in taking that person to a place of identity in Christ, which is our calling of discipleship.
We are ALL as Christians called to “make disciples” and it is not a suggestion but a command from Jesus Christ himself. If you are in a healthy place with your relationship with Jesus and want to be a “coach” in our one on one discipleship model please let your community group leader know and/or one of the Pastors and they will get you in touch with someone that will be willing to lead you. Let us encourage you as Paul did the Church in Ephesus in Ephesians 5:21, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
