Be a Book Disciple!

What is the aim of a disciple of Christ, or more specifically a book disciple in this case? We need to progress toward maturity in Jesus Christ. This involves becoming more and more like Jesus. More holy...

As I said on the homepage, the Bible warns in Heb. 12:14b that “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (NIV).

This leaves disciples of Jesus Christ with a crucial responsibility. We must grow up!

Christian Myth

Let me dispel a big Christian myth... We believe that when Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20 to “go and make disciples of all nations,” that He tells us to evangelise the lost, and then spend lots of time with them, holding their hands and walking the discipleship road with them indefinitely.

But, looks what he says next. After we make them disciples, we should be “baptizing them”. Mmm... Does that mean that discipleship is mainly for the lost? Yes, it does.

And I always thought evangelism is for the lost, and discipleship for Christians! Maybe the line between those two terms is a little thinner than we thought...

See, we baptize people right after they become Christians. Then, they receive the Holy Spirit. If they are truly saved, there will be proof of salvation, including an unquenchable hunger and thirst for knowledge about God and a deeper relationship with God.

Finally, Jesus says that after we baptize them we should be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

An Example

Allow me to illustrate this by using an example. Bob have just been ‘made a disciple’ by giving his life over to Jesus Christ. Bob has just been baptized and Jen, Bob’s friend who had the privilege to lead Bob to Christ, is very thankful that her prayers for Bob have finally been answered.

What happens next? Bob needs to be taught to obey everything that Jesus has commanded, right? Consider the following, and decide which makes more sense:

Scenario 1:

Jen spends the rest of his or her life helping Bob do everything right, correcting him where he goes. Jen act like a schoolmaster and ensure that Bob do not put one foot wrong. They get together almost daily and Jen reads to Bob from his Bible.

Jen constantly buys Bob good Christian books to read (you guessed it, she is a book disciple), DVD’s to watch and CD’s to listen to. And then she checks that he does as she suggested, and actually read, watches or listens. Without Jen, Bob is lost and will fall back to his old habits in a matter of days.

Scenario 2:

After receiving the Holy Spirit, Bob has a hunger to learn about God and to go deeper into relationship with God. Possibly, Jen meets with Bob on a couple of occasions and discusses his new life with him over coffee. Jen recommend a few good books, DVD’s or CD’s to get Bob started and place a big emphasis on the importance of spending time with God on a daily basis.

Bob eagerly follows the advice of Jen, and starts doing what she recommended. Bob now has a personal relationship with God, and starts putting what he learns into practice. He sees that the Bible teaches us that faith without action is dead. Soon, Bob starts changing the world, sharing his witness and leading others to Christ.

Which option makes more sense? Which is more practical? Which do you think is what Jesus intended for discipleship?

Which is the model that you think Paul followed with Timothy? I am sure you would agree that the second option is the way to go.

Lessons Learned

What does this example teach us? In your quest to become a book disciple, always try to remember the following: