I’ve met many sincere Christians who spend considerable time wondering and praying, “What is God’s will for my life?” Maybe you have thought about that question in your quiet moments, too. Some believers have settled the issue and are pursuing what they believe to be God’s special calling. Others don’t think the subject is even relevant and just live as though God was only involved in securing travel arrangements for their final destination.
Yet, in the pages of the Bible, the topic of God’s will and eternal purpose is paramount. As we come to understand Jesus’ core message and recognize His primary mission, the matter of God’s will for our lives begins to take shape. If He is the Messiah King and we are His subjects, then we must be willing to do nothing more, yet nothing less than all He commanded. I’m pretty sure Jesus had this in mind when He called His first disciples. Once we’re clear and acting on this point, we can then seek Him for more specific personal instructions as we faithfully follow Him.
But whether we have any specific sense of “calling” or not, we can observe Jesus with His disciples, learn what He asked them to do, and explore what that would look like for us in our busy 21st century lives.
Following Jesus
Often in the Gospels, we find Jesus meeting various people and giving them this simple instruction: “Follow Me…” (see Matthew 4:19-2, 8:22, 9:9, Mark 1:17, 2:14, Luke 9:59, John 10:27, 12:26, 21:22). In fact, this was His go-to first response to many who crossed His path.
For example, the first and last thing Jesus said to Simon Peter was this very statement. He told Peter, “Follow Me…” (Matthew 4:18-19 and John 21:22). It must have made a deep impact because Peter repeated this command years later in his letter. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21, NASB).
This verse is among the few in the New Testament referring to any sort of “calling.” As we see in nearly all of Jesus’ encounters with people, His calling was not to some special work or ministry. Rather, the calling was to follow Him―to go where He was going and do what He was doing. Of course, He had specific things He asked people to do. But the main challenge He laid before His audience was to simply leave their natural pursuits, come under His discipline, and join Him on His mission.
“The main challenge He laid before His audience was to simply leave their natural pursuits, come under His discipline, and join Him on His mission.”
In this regard, nothing has changed in 2,000 years. Jesus still calls people to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. Since we can’t literally follow Him in any physical sense today, we’re left with trying to figure out how to do what Peter taught—that is, follow in His steps. That means adopting His teaching and learning His ways so we can become like Him and serve as His designated representatives.
So let’s join Jesus and His merry band and see what we can discover about this calling to be His followers.
Jesus’ Primary Mission
In reading the Gospels, it becomes apparent that as Jesus went from town to town throughout Judea, He gave Himself to two primary activities. The first was to proclaim the arrival of God’s Kingdom (euaggélion) through His teaching, parables, and miraculous works. The second was to call and equip a handful of men to follow Him and become His disciples (mathétés). To these, He eventually entrusted His life and the future of His Kingdom movement.
The New Testament illustrates that the goal of proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom is to reveal the power and beauty of God’s Reign in a community of obedient disciples who love God, openly honor Jesus as Lord, and carry on His work.
This is at the heart of what many call the “Great Commission.” Jesus asked His first disciples to go into all the world and make more disciples, teaching them to observe all He commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). After His departure, Jesus expected His disciples to continue following Him, testifying to the joy of obedience, and introducing others to the same way of life under His leadership.
This command implies that all His disciples can and should be able to train others to obey His teachings and live as His faithful followers. No one was left out of this incredible privilege. According to the Master, every true disciple is, at the same time, a disciple maker. If there is any special “calling” on a Christian’s life, this is it.
“According to the Master, every true disciple is, at the same time, a disciple maker. If there is any special ‘calling’ on a Christian’s life, this is it.”
Apparently, Paul and Barnabas understood these two aspects of Jesus’ commission. We read in Acts 14:21 (NASB), “After they had preached the gospel (euaggelizó) to that city and had made many disciples (mathéteuó), they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.” Thus, in New Testament times, proclaiming the gospel and making disciples represent two phases of one unified mission objective.
This means that evangelism, in a biblical sense, is not only about saying something but about making something. Paul said the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). This power transforms the true believer into an entirely different kind of person. The New Testament called these people disciples, and it was to them that Jesus made the Kingdom of God available (Luke 12:32).
Since Jesus specifically asked all His followers to become disciples and also to make disciples, we must ask the crucial question: what is a disciple? What kind of person was Jesus talking about?
What is a Disciple?
This question is critical because Christians today rarely hear “disciple” outside of Bible reading and Sunday preaching. Moreover, we seldom correlate it with anything vital to today’s practical way of life. Consequently, we tend to associate the term with familiar Bible verses or use it interchangeably with other words common to our faith. After all, all Christians are disciples—right?
Let’s find out.
The word “disciple” in Greek is mathétés and refers to an adherent or apprentice studying under the hand of a skilled master. One was known as a mathétés when they committed to learning practical or academic knowledge from an expert. Therefore, a disciple is a devoted learner. A disciple studies and obeys the teaching of another who equips them for a productive and fruitful life.
Discipling was a common practice in ancient Greek and Hebrew cultures, where young pupils studied under the tutelage of a respected sage or Rabbi in their formal education. The teacher imparted basic knowledge and formed the life and mind of the student. It was easy to see who was discipling whom because the student began to think, talk, and act just like their master. A disciple is a life-long learner―a person in the process of steady growth and change directed toward reaching full maturity.
“A disciple is a life-long learner―a person in the process of steady growth and change directed toward reaching full maturity.”
After their formal training, the faithful ones also adopted their teacher’s central life purpose. Jesus referred to this process when He said, “A disciple (mathétés) is not above his teacher; but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40, ESV). The goal of discipling is that eventually, the apprentice becomes the master.
Based on this definition, we can summarize three key points. A disciple is:
- a learner who follows and obeys their master,
- to become like their master,
- and carry on their work
We can also recognize three observable attributes of a faithful disciple.
- Devoted: showing full faith and allegiance to Jesus as Lord
- Developing: growing in knowledge, character, maturity, and competencies
- Deployed: active in impacting their community and serving their Master’s interests
From these descriptions, we can see why Jesus called His followers “disciples.” He taught them to follow, learn, obey, and carry on His work.
“He taught them to follow, learn, obey, and carry on His work.”
Fans or Followers?
In reading the New Testament, it seems Jesus was not interested in building a large fan base. In fact, when it looked like there were too many casual seekers in the crowd, He said some hard things to intentionally offend their religious sensibilities (John 6:60-66). If He were on social media today, I’m pretty sure He wouldn’t care in the least about how many “likes” He had on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.
What Jesus was interested in was love, loyalty, and readiness to serve His mission. He taught His faithful followers to center their core values, activities, goals, and identity around Him. He said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, ESV). Then He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17, NIV).
Have you noticed that the terms “disciple” and “discipline” are closely related? When Jesus called His disciples, He expected them to come under His discipline. And that involved instruction, correction, encouragement, and rebuke. He invited them into His way of life and expected them to follow His example and submit to His instruction.
Ultimately, Jesus made room for only two responses―either one agrees to His terms and submits to a life of discipline under His leadership or they don’t. Noted pastor and theologian John Stott wrote, “At its simplest, Christ’s call was ‘Follow me.’ He asked men and women for their personal allegiance. He invited them to learn from Him, obey His words, and identify themselves with His cause.”
“When Jesus called His disciples, He expected them to come under His discipline. And that involved instruction, correction, encouragement, and rebuke.”
The gospel of the Kingdom is the only gospel that can produce this kind of person. Those who entrust themselves to it will progressively experience this life-giving transformation and, after being fully trained, will become like the Master, equipped for every good work.
Disciple Making the Jesus Way
Jesus gave Himself to twelve unruly young men and formed them into disciple makers and leaders through the influence of His life. They heard Him teach, saw Him heal, and experienced all the things Jesus said and did to reveal His Father’s Kingdom and fulfill His will. In this manner, He effectively imparted His life and teaching to them.
As a pastor and Christian leader, I knew of many churches and evangelistic organizations using various discipleship programs. You may have been part of one of these discipleship classes offered in your church. As good as these programs might be, they rarely produce a recognizable long-term change in the attendees. This is because they are usually classroom-based and information-driven and don’t address practical issues in a person’s character or daily lifestyle.
Discipleship is a noun―it’s a thing. Disciple making is a verb―it describes specific activities integrated into our corporate life intended to produce specific outcomes. Jesus didn’t talk about “discipleship.” However, He did explain how to receive Him, follow Him, obey His teaching, and live in community with one another.
Fortunately, disciple making does not imply or require a prescribed training program. Formal teaching may be involved, but the primary context for fruitful disciple making is not a classroom but a trusted relationship with a more mature disciple. Jesus established this model and evidently expected His followers to carry on in like manner. As the model disciple maker, He set the standard.
“Formal teaching may be involved, but the primary context for fruitful disciple making is not a classroom but a trusted relationship with a more mature disciple.”
Watching Jesus with the disciples, we can observe several key elements:
- Disciple making is relationally based – He spent considerable time with them before they entrusted themselves to Him (Mark 3:14). He wanted them close by and called them His friends. They laughed, cried, and did stuff together.
- Disciple making is mentoring based – He told them what to do, modeled it for them, and showed them how to do it. Then He sent them out to try it themselves, discussed what happened, and corrected them before sending them out again.
- Disciple making is community based – He taught them as a group and discussed the things they experienced together. They were a learning community building trust and healthy relational attachments.
- Disciple making is discovery based – He gave them many opportunities to discover who He was. He revealed Himself progressively until they finally recognized Him as the Messiah by revelation from the Father.
- Disciple making is obedience based – He always expected His followers to obey Him―to actually apply and do what He taught . . . no exceptions.
This process is what Professor Robert Coleman called “discipleship by association.” He wrote,
“Jesus had no formal school, no seminaries, no outlined course of study, no periodic membership classes in which He enrolled His followers. . . . Amazing as it may seem, all Jesus did to teach these men His ways was to draw them close to Himself.”
Why It Matters
The world is full of Christians. Yet, many are no different than their unbelieving neighbors except for holding different abstract beliefs. Jesus warned us about the people who confess, “Lord, Lord . . . ” but don’t honor God or follow His teachings (Matthew 7:21).
Jesus never called anyone to pray a prayer and “just believe.” That offer was never on the table. His was a robust calling that required repentance and faithfulness to His message and His mission. He expected them not only to believe but actually honor Him by following His teaching. This is what marked them as His true disciples and brought them into genuine Kingdom living.
Thus, we must move from believing to truly living our faith. As it was with Jesus’ first followers, we too will grow and change by consistently acting on what we know, empowered by the working of God’s extravagant grace. We surely can’t do any of this through our own human effort. We can be His disciples only by living in close fellowship with Him and other like-minded believers.
“We can be His disciples only by living in close fellowship with Him and other like-minded believers.”
Personal Reflection
At the heart of the matter, Jesus calls everyone into this way of life and invites them to join Him in working out God’s eternal purposes in their generation. He also clarified that one major part we have is reproducing our faith and lifestyle in others―that is, making disciples who make disciples.
So, where do you stand concerning this invitation? How are you walking in the truth of Jesus’ teachings?
Are you a genuine disciple . . . or just a “Christian”?
If you haven’t started following the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly and making yourself available to influence others, now would be a good time. As Jesus honored His Father through His loyal obedience, we also honor the Father by demonstrating our open allegiance to His beloved Son, the King of kings. Honoring Jesus as His faithful disciples and making other disciples who do the same is the primary point of our spiritual life.
But be assured, you will not be doing this on your own. Millions worldwide are joining the Jesus movement, enjoying the benefits of embracing Him as Lord, and openly living God’s way. After all, the New Testament describes the Kingdom of God as a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Who in their right mind wouldn’t want that?
He has already called you and invited you into this exciting life adventure. Why not say YES and start today?
