Got the following questions from someone I do not know who is writing a paper for a class about whether discipleship “has value in today’s context.”
Here are my quick answers to his questions:
Q: What is a disciple?
A: A disciple is someone who follows Jesus, “fishes” for people, and does this in fellowship with other disciples while carrying a cross. (Discipleship is not complicated. Difficult, yes. Complicated, no. It is so simple that a carpenter described it to uneducated fishermen 2000 years ago in one sentence—Matthew 4:19.)
Q: Do you have to be saved to be a disciple?
A: Yes. But since evangelism is the starting point of making disciples, the discipleship process starts long before one is saved.
Q: Are all Christians disciples? If not, what are the differences?
A: All should be, but unfortunately not all are following Jesus, fishing for people, or fellowshipping with others. And not all are carrying a cross.
Q: Does church membership make one a disciple?
A: No. Most churches spend a lot of time and energy developing a membership process, but no time developing a discipleship process. Therefore they are good at making members, but weak when it comes to making disciples.
Q: What does a disciple’s life look like?
A: Following Jesus (devotion). Fishing for people (evangelism). Fellowship with other believers (community). Carrying a cross (self-denial).
Q: Is being a disciple important in today’s culture or to one’s life?
A: If the Bible is important, then discipleship is important. Of course, if the Bible is no longer valid, then discipleship is an outdated concept and a waste of time—so we might as well do whatever it takes to build a crowd and call it a church.
Q: Who is responsible for making disciples?
A: Every person who is a follower of Jesus—no matter how old, no matter how long they have been saved, no matter where they work. Every believer should be a disciple and every believer should make disciples—EVERY believer.
Those are my quick, knee-jerk answers. If I had time to edit, I might change some of these answers, but I’m out of time and gotta go pack for my Manila-HK-Paris-Innsbruck flight to participate in the Every Nation Europe Cross Culture Conference. Let me know what you think and how you would answer my friend’s questions.