by Stephan Cobbert

I am convinced that many Christians have misunderstood the role of a disciple.  For many, the term signifies one who is simply a “student” or “learner” of Christ.  This position is no better then the Pharisees of John 9:28 who prided themselves on being followers of Moses without the benefit of obedience to what Moses taught.  Jesus, however, calls for a much deeper level of discipleship.  When he called Matthew to follow Him (Matthew 9:9), Jesus was demanding a total surrender of Matthew’s life.  He requires the same from us. This might be why making disciples is not the norm for Christians.  We’re not readily willing to make that type of committed surrender.  We’re not willing to completely deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Christ (Matthew 16:24).

Yet I don’t believe that there is or should be a major difference between being a Christian and a disciple of Christ.  The Christian who is fully committed to Christ must be one who has counted the cost of following Jesus and must be willing to follow no matter the circumstances.  Christianity is about completely adhering to the teachings of Christ and making Him the first priority in our lives.  In addition, we must be actively and consistently involved in the disciple-making process (Matthew 28:19-20).

Still, if making disciples is Christ’s chosen method of spreading the Good News of Salvation to the world, then why isn’t making disciples the norm for us Christians?  We might not be active in the disciple-making process because we have cheapened the grace of God.  That is, we do not see ourselves and our sins the way God sees them.  Therefore, we don’t appreciate the sacrifice Christ made to free us from the penalty of our sins.  So for some of us, it’s easy to halfheartedly obey Christ in some areas of our lives because we know that we are forgiven. But we don’t take into account the fullness of that forgiveness.

Another reason why many Christians aren’t actively making disciples might be that we aren’t willing to be disciples ourselves.  We can’t teach what we don’t know.  Nor can we demand of others what we’re not willing to obey.  Paul touched on this issue in 1 Corinthians 4:15, “Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the Gospel.” Paul speaks to our need for one-on-one training from a seasoned mentor in the faith, which means holding ourselves accountable to others.

Finally, disciple making may not be the norm for Christians because it involves being in a genuine, deep relationship with others.  Jesus spent quality time with His disciples and He knew them intimately (Mark 3:14).  But to be with someone is also to make yourself available and vulnerable.  It might be the case that we don’t want others to know just how marred we are.  Regardless of the reason, we must become true disciples who make other disciples.  Yes, we are marred, but for those of us who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), “There is now no condemnation.”

It all comes down to one issue—obedience.  We must drop our pride and see ourselves the way God see us and allow Him to use us to win others like us to Christ.  Then we too just might be able to turn this world upside down.

Stephan Cobbert is a church planting resident at Family Church.