Home » Thoughts for the Week » Even Doubters can Disciple

Even Doubters can Disciple

Who does the discipling in your church? Is it the Spiritually Super? Those who have been Christians a really long time? Perhaps it is people who appear to have a faith that never wavers?

Who did Jesus ask to make disciples of all nations?:

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28)

When reading this passage recently, I noticed that some of Jesus’ disciples doubted in the very moment that he commissioned them to go and make disciples.

Churches are often set up as places where a few people with expertise disciple the rest. In contrast with this, Jesus calls all of his disciples to become disciples who in turn disciple others. This applies, even to those who have doubts!

On the day of Pentecost when 3000 people became followers of Jesus, the ‘all disciples make disciples’ model coped. The 120 disciples (Acts 1.15) began to disciple the new believers. These new believers were all discipled in such a way that they became disciplers of others and so the church could continue to grow.

If 3000 people became christians in your community, would your church cope? The only way that this would be possible is if we have adopted an ‘all disciples make disciples’ model.

It occurred to me recently that a definition of disciples of Jesus might be:

A group of people who are trying to work out together what it means to follow Jesus and to become more like him.

As Baptists, we talk about meeting to discern the mind of Christ when it comes to church meetings. Really though, this should apply to every area of our lives. In our main gatherings, in homegroups as we meet for coffee or go for a walk with fellow believers, what  are we sharing and learning from each other?

The body of Christ is designed to function where each part is doing what it is supposed to and it is my prayer that we would each experience this more and more in our church communities.

For the Body of Christ to function fully and freely, it may require those of us in leadership positions to let go of things and to release others into all that Christ is calling us to together.

For me, discipleship should be:

Relational: What are we learning from each other as we read the Bible and explore faith together?

Real: How ae we equipping, praying for and supporting one another to live out our faith in our everyday lives? How are we making space in our gatherings to hear stories of the way that God is at work?

Repentant: Following Jesus is about choosing to continually surrender to him, turning to what he wants so that his will is done. This is about us choosing to change our minds, but also trusting in his power to change and transform us.  (Repentance means to change your mind or to turn around)

To consider:

1. Do you find ‘A group of people who are trying to work out together what it means to follow Jesus and to become more like him’ a helpful definition of discipleship?

2. What do you think about the 3 R’s of discipleship? What else would you add? How might we see these three areas emphasized more in church life?

Written by Graeme Ross, EBA Regional Minister