What is a Disciple and How are they made?

On September 12, 1962, an American President delivered a speech on the campus of Rice University that set the country's course on a project for the next 8 years. President John F. Kennedy said:

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the presidency.”[1]

President Kennedy launched an effort that defined a generation with these words. He inspired many to work tirelessly to achieve the goal. There were many unknowns to engineering and what the astronauts would find once they arrived at the moon. The 8-year journey was not without its setbacks or challenges; the costs, both in funds and other resources, were extensive. On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. JFK’s ambitious charge was completed; the United States of America was the first nation to send people who landed on the moon and returned safely.

Our text today centers on verses where the charge to Christians dwarfs the moonshot with respect to the scope of the command. The directions are far more ambitious, and the power behind them is vast and incomprehensible, far beyond the engineering and financial might of the United States so ridiculously, in fact, that some of you might question the comparison. I couldn’t come up with anything better. I tried, but nothing compares to the power and authority of God.

The incredible thing about this command given to every believer is that by the grace of God, we all have a part in it, and we already know how the Great Commission will turn out. There will be multitudes of saints in heaven, followers of Jesus beyond counting. We will focus on the Great Commission this morning. “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 that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). Most of the time, when I hear these verses, I think about missions and evangelism, which are a part of it. I think most of the time when these verses are preached, missions and evangelism are typically the focus. We will focus on a different topic in these verses this morning. We will consider two questions: “What is a disciple, and how are they made?” Before we dive into that, we should observe some significant things in these verses.

The first thing I see in these verses is the unspecific but long time to complete the goal.  Jesus finished the Great Commission with the words “to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b ESV). When one describes a period of time as an “age,” it should be assumed that we are talking about a long time. Commentators think that Jesus is setting the bounds of the Great Commission, the time between His departure and when He returns.[2] We can observe that this goal is ongoing nearly 2,000 years after He said these words to the disciples; in human terms, that’s a long time. Another item we can see in these verses is that the goal has the backing and the power of Christ applied directly to its accomplishment. Jesus promised that He would be with us, empowering this work always.[3] Another critical aspect of the Great Commission is that it is directed at the entire world. Jesus said to make disciples of all nations. No one is excluded; this theme is echoed throughout the New Testament.[4] Finally, and most pertinent to what we will discuss, this command is full of action words. Go. Make. Baptizing. Teaching. These words were directed to the disciples and, by extension, to us. No one is excluded. If you are a Christian, this applies to you; there are no qualifying or narrowing statements in the Great Commission. We are to Go, Make, Baptize, and Teach.

Before I explore this further, I want to mention something fundamental about all this going, making, baptism, and teaching that we are commanded to do: We are called to do this as we walk in the Spirit, not by the deeds of the flesh. I mention this a lot when I teach because I do not want to be misunderstood.  Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV).

OK, so what is a disciple? In first-century Judaism, discipleship involved a close student-teacher relationship that went beyond the delivery of instruction.[5]  While Jesus was often addressed as "Rabbi" or "teacher," His method of discipleship was quite different compared to what is understood as traditional rabbinical practices.[6] While rabbinical students were concerned with their teacher's teachings and the Law, similar to what one might find in small seminar courses at a university, Jesus' disciples had a direct, personal connection to Him.[7]  They lived with Him. Think of Peter and the other fishermen who left their nets behind to follow Jesus. They didn’t just listen to His words; they began to live as He did, learning to love, serve, and sacrifice. They lived alongside Him. The great theologian and preacher James Montgomery Boice put it this way: “You cannot follow Christ unless you have forsaken all that keeps you from Him. Peter and Andrew left their nets. James and John left Zebedee. Matthew left his money tables. You must leave your sin, your personal sinful aspirations, your own conception of yourself. Moreover, you must continue to do so throughout your Christian life.”[8] This is what Paul meant when he wrote “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). This is what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25 ESV).

Let’s return to the Great Commission.  As I mentioned, many of us have focused on the central message of these verses, which is evangelizing the world, myself included. It is undoubtedly in the “Go” part– go and make disciples. Jesus did not say to go and make converts; He said to make disciples. He also described His vision of a disciple in verse 20: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). I think we can all agree that discipleship is much more than evangelizing the world; it is much more than someone repenting and making a confession of faith.  A disciple is taught. A disciple observes Jesus’ commandments. The pastors, some of our leaders, and the elder board have been discussing what the practical application of this teaching at MBC looks like. As leaders, are we correctly approaching this command “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20a ESV)? Is there something more?

The first question I posed, “What is a disciple?”, is at the core of this question. “The word disciple means student or learner. It describes a protégé who learns and follows his teacher’s precepts and instructions.”[9] Jesus put this into words in John chapters 14 and 15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15 ESV). “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14 ESV). A Christian more mature in the faith than I am recently told me something: read the sermon on the mount if you want a succinct summary of Jesus’ commandments. Then, realize there is only one way for a Christian to live in a way consistent with that sermon, through the power of God. Remember the verse I quoted earlier, John 15:5, it means that with Him we can do this, without Him we can do nothing. 

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon defined a disciple as someone who comes to Christ wholeheartedly.[10] Spurgeon said that Christ must take first place in our hearts, more than our family and our own lives, we must love Him that much.[11] He was referencing the verses up on screen. Spurgeon said that a disciple has faith in Christ and what He said, a disciple obeys and that faith and obedience endures, even when we face problems and troubles.[12] Spurgeon said that disciples of Christ love one another.[13] Finally, Spurgeon pointed out that disciples of Christ are “fruit bearing.”[14] So, a disciple places his faith in Jesus, loves Jesus and his neighbor, obeys Jesus, treasures His commandments and words, and sees the fruit of the Spirit expressed through him or herself and sees people come to faith.

A few minutes ago, I made some observations about the Great Commission – Jesus charged His disciples to Go, Make, Baptize, and Teach. Making involves the first part of verse 20: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (ESV). It could look like this: when a person comes to faith in Christ, a mature believer walks alongside them and disciples them. This is what the Apostle Paul described in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (ESV). Think about it this way: we need examples to follow. Put another way, Christian living and service is “more caught than taught,”[15] at every stage of our Christian life, but especially at the beginning, we need good examples to follow. The apostles had Jesus for three years and then had each other.

Let me tell you how this looked for me. Many years ago, when I came to faith in Jesus Christ, a slightly older guy who had been a Christian for a long time approached me and befriended me. He quickly became a mentor - he lived His faith right in front of me. I shared questions I had and challenges I was facing, and he constantly pointed me towards Jesus. His influence at the beginning of my walk with Jesus was essential. His name is Luke, and I learned a great deal from him. He is my oldest friend. Up on the screen, I have a picture of him with our son Luke, and yes, I was delighted to name my fourth child after my mentor. God used big Luke to set me on a path I am still walking. “Disciple-making is about helping individuals develop to their full potential for Christ and His kingdom.”[16] We need each other.

Discipleship is a lifelong journey that leads to change and action. Following Jesus’ commands includes the Great Commission for all of us: Go, Make, Baptize, and Teach. As I said, this is more than evangelism—it means investing our lives in people.  We know that baptism after conversion is essential, right?  It is in the Great Commission, right before Jesus describes discipleship: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20a ESV). Baptism is at the beginning of our great adventure with Christ, not the end, and those who are baptized need to be taught.  This is more than going to church every Sunday. This is more than reading the right books, watching good YouTube videos, or listening to Christian podcasts.  This is more than being a part of a life group. All of these things are important and good and should be pursued. This is why we encourage participation in life groups. Discipleship is where the living and the learning happen together, and it is just as crucial for the teacher as it is for the learner. It means sharing our lives and learning from one another.

We can see in Scripture three essential relationships that a Christian needs to grow in their faith, all of which are a part of discipleship. We need mentors, all of us.[17] Timothy had Paul. Paul described Timothy as his “son” in the faith. Timothy assisted Paul in his ministry; he learned from Paul and grew. As he progressed, Paul trusted him more and more. Paul trusted Timothy so much that he occasionally sent him out to build on his evangelistic and teaching ministries in churches on his own.[18] For example, just three years after his conversion, Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to establish and exhort the Thessalonians in their faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:2, 6 ESV).[19] We also need the inverse of Timothy and Paul’s relationship; this is the second critical relationship. Paul needed someone to invest in, and one of those people for him was Timothy.[20] The third critical relationship is friends who can hold us accountable. This is a Christian friend with whom we share our struggles, who we pray for and with, who encourages us in the Lord and loves us enough to tell us when we are wrong.[21] For the Apostle Paul, this was Barnabas.[22] Barnabas vouched for Paul when the believers in Jerusalem would not trust him. Paul and Barnabas went on missionary journeys together, and Barnabas encouraged Paul and opposed Paul when he thought Paul was wrong.[23]

This is something every Christian should consider.  Who am I investing in? Who is investing in me? Who is my Barnabas, who is holding me accountable? Who do I call when I need to talk to someone? Do they have my blessing to tell me the truth even if it hurts? This is not about self-help; let me be clear about this. It is about Jesus. We should be praying and looking for opportunities for these kinds of relationships. Do you recognize a Timothy, a Paul or a Barnabas in your life? Has God put someone on your heart?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great 20th-century German preacher and writer, defined the goal of discipleship this way. Discipleship is responding to the call of Jesus and following Him.[24] Bonhoffer denied that discipleship was about rules; he said it was purely about following Jesus.[25] For Bonhoeffer, discipleship is about complete allegiance to Jesus Christ, lived out in faith, and reliance on God's Word.[26]

Let’s return to our verses: “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 that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). As we help one another, hold one another accountable, pray with and for one another, and teach one another, by the grace of God and the Holy Spirit within us, we observe His commandments and bear fruit. We tell the world about Him. Christianity is a team sport, which is somewhat appropriate today.

Returning to the story of the moon shot for a second, we have been called by the creator of the universe, who died for our sins, to go, make, baptize, and teach the world, to make disciples. His Great Commission is far greater than anything humanity could ever have conceived of. It is certainly more awesome than a few men traveling the tiny distance between the earth and the moon compared to the heavens God created and measures with His mighty arm (Isaiah 40:12 ESV).

We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, teaching and guiding us, but we also need one another. This is how Christ designed the church. We certainly need to be together on Sundays and prioritize church attendance, but there is more to it than that. We need to be disciples and make disciples; we need a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas on our team as we faithfully obey Jesus's final command before He left the earth, the Great Commission, Let’s Pray.

[1]John F. Kennedy, "We Choose to Go to the Moon," Rice University, 19622025, https://www.rice.edu/jfk-speech.

[2]John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005), 1271, Logos Bible Software.

[3]Donald A.  Hagner, Word Biblical Commentary, ed. Bruce M. Metzger, Hubbard, David A,. Barker, Glenn W., Martin Ralph P., vol. 33B, Matthew 14–28 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1995), 889, Logos Bible Software.

[4]Nolland, 1267.

[5]Hans Weder, Disciple, Discipleship, vol. 2, The Anchor Yale Bible Disctionary (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1992), 209.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8]James Montgomery Boice, Philippians: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 78, Logos Bible Software.

[9]Dave Earley, and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is-- : How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2013), 49, Logos Bible Software.

[10]C.H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons., vol. 45 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1899), 566-68, Logos Bible Software.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid., 570-571.

[13] Ibid., 572.

[14] Ibid., 575.

[15]Earley, and Dempsey, 276.

[16] Ibid., 191.

[17]Robby Gallaty, and Chris Swain, Replicate: How to Create a Culture of Disciple-Making Right Where You Are (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2020), 206, Logos Bible Software.

[18] Ibid., 63.

[19] Ibid.

[20]Gallaty, and Swain, 206.

[21]Gallaty, and Swain, 206.

[22]Roy B. Zuck, Darrell L. Bock, and Dallas Theological Seminary., A Biblical Theology of the New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 149-50, Logos Bible Software.

[23] Ibid.

[24]Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Geffrey B. Kelly, and John D. Godsey, Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), 57, Logos Bible Software.

[25] Ibid., 58.

[26] Ibid., 19.