Absolute: Disciple

By Daniel Davis

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV)

This passage, commonly called the Great Commission, was issued by Jesus with the light of Easter still glowing in the background. Here stood the risen Lord with all power in His hands, giving His great task to His followers of making disciples. What is a “disciple?”

The term is not used in the Old Testament but shows up frequently in the Gospels and Acts. We are most familiar with the term in reference to the 12 closest followers of Jesus (Luke 6:13). However, others outside of the Twelve who followed Jesus were also called disciples (Luke 14:26–27). The term was not limited to Jesus’ followers, however. John the Baptist also had disciples (Matthew 11:2); and so did the Pharisees (Mark 2:18).

The word is not a special word used only in the Bible. It was a common and proper Greek term used throughout the ancient world. Essentially, the word refers to a pupil, a learner, a student, or an apprentice of a specific teacher or master. From that master, the disciple learns the worldview or theory of the master, as well as how to lead a good life or practice well a particular skill or trade. A carpenter could be a master teaching his disciple the nature and skill of carpentry. A rabbi could be a master teaching his disciple the nature of God and the skill of living in God’s law. A musician could be a master teaching his disciple the theory of music and the skills of composition and performance. And so on.

Thus, we see that those who were called disciples of Jesus in the Gospels were not merely a sect who thought Jesus had interesting ideas. Rather, they understood the brilliance and magnificence of Jesus’ teaching and way of life. Consequently, they chose to learn from him the Truth about God and life, as well as to adopt his way of living in that Truth.

The remarkable thing for us today is to see how the word is used in Acts. The term is expanded, not to refer only to the Twelve or the larger group who followed the earthly life of Jesus in ancient Israel. When we come to Acts, we see that those who were becoming what we now call Christians were called disciples (Acts 6:1, 7; 11:26; 13:52). This means that the original disciples of Jesus were following that Great Commission: they were making more disciples of Jesus. Indeed, this is even reflected in the original meaning of the term “Christian.” The word referred to those who believed in and followed the way of the Christ; hence, they were “Christ-ians.”

We can emphasize this point even more when we look at the context of the Great Commission. The text highlights the term disciple through repetition: “The eleven disciples went away into Galilee... make disciples of all the nations...” (Matthew 28:16,19 NKJV). The Eleven were to make more of what they had become—people who believed in Jesus and learned to live their lives from him.

We should note that in the New Testament, all Christians were called disciples. The term was not reserved for an especially committed group. To be a Christian was to be a disciple—a non-disciple Christian was nonsense. Of course, there could be poor and excellent apprentices to Jesus, but they were all apprentices nonetheless.

This same task given to the Eleven rests with the Church today. The American church in the 20th century has produced incredible results through evangelistic ventures. Untold numbers have been led to “walk the aisle” so their sins might be forgiven. Yet, it might be that we have missed the whole charge of Jesus. We are not merely called to lead people in a “sinner’s prayer;” we are called to recruit apprentices to Jesus. We are called to teach them everything we have learned about who God is and how they can live the God-life here on earth. Every convert is a recruited disciple in need of our teaching of the truth and skills for following Jesus. For this task we have been given the immeasurable power of the Holy Spirit—the resurrection power of God that raised Jesus from the dead!

Eye 2 Eye: What Does It Cost to Die?

By Bishop Charles Scott
A recent article in Business Week, Lessons of a $618,616 Death, told the tragic account of a family’s struggle with a terminal disease and the associated costly treatments extending the life of the husband. Terence Foley was diagnosed in 2000 with kidney cancer at 61 years of age. A Chinese historian who earned his PhD in his 60s (my kind of guy), Terence played 15 different instruments, spoke 6 languages fluently, was a father of 2 teenagers and a noted expert on dairy cattle. He died on Friday, December 14, 2007.

The total amount billed for the medical care over seven years to keep Terence alive was $618,616, two-thirds of which were spent in the last 24 months. There were approximately 4,750 pages of medical records from six hospitals, four insurance companies, three oncologists and one surgeon. The New England Journal of Medicine reports (cited in the article) that 31 percent of health care costs are spent on paperwork and administration meaning that approximately $191,771 had little to do with actually extending Terence’s life.

Once the cancer reaches the final stage an average patient diagnosed with kidney cancer (this type and stage) without any treatment lives three months. The average patient receiving the same treatment of Terence is 14 months. Terence was blessed with 17 months of life. In those 17 months Terence visited Spain, moved his son into his college dorm, celebrated his anniversary with his wife by a carriage ride through Philadelphia and spent Thanksgiving Day with his family.

If an economist were to evaluate this scenario, he would say that it cost $242 a day for Terence to die. If a loved one evaluated the same set of numbers, he or she would say it only took $242 a day for Terence to live.

What does it cost for a church to die?

What does it cost for a church to live—really live—not exist on life support?

How much Kingdom resource is expended that actually has nothing to do with the Great Commission?

What does it cost for each Christ-follower to participate in:

• Daily prayer,
• Periods of fasting,
• Consistent Bible study,
• Weekly worship,
• Community service,
• Godly relationships,
• Biblical stewardship, including faithful tithing?

What does it cost when church members are apathetic to basic discipleship and content to sit idle with a profession of faith that never impacts the harvest, never intercedes in prayer, never develops leaders and never builds strong relationships? What does it cost when churches never engage their community to lead the lost to Jesus, never feed the hungry, minister to the homeless and never reach outside their own walls? What does it cost when pastors compromise the power of the Holy Spirit for the methods of seeker sensitivity? What does it cost to keep denying the evidence of death and practice the rituals of religion?

What does it cost to stay alive? It will cost your time to devote yourself to a disciplined lifestyle of prayer, fasting and Bible study. It will cost your money (it is really not yours anyway according to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”) to tithe faithfully, support missions and give generously to those in need. It will cost your affections to surrender habits to holiness. It will cost your pleasures to develop mentoring relationships. It will cost your friendships to reach those who are unreached. It will cost your comfort to work when you are weary.

It will cost more to die than to live.

In the words of Terence’s wife, “He had a passionate willingness to endure discomfort for a chance to see his daughter and his son graduate from high school.” A man was willing to endure ceaseless pain for the love of his children. True biblical discipleship offers nothing less—a pure willingness to endure undefined costs for the fulfillment of seeing our next generations mature in their faith and reach their destiny. We must see that eye to eye.