#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...as Christ-Centered
Dean Ingraham
Unfortunately, discipleship in many churches has become very man-centered instead of Christ-centered. A lot of preachers advocate the idea that being a disciple is becoming more like your Pastor or spiritual leader, doing what they do and taking on their standards or personal convictions, but is that really what scripture teaches? Is that what Christ commanded when he gave us the great commission?
Matthew 28:18-20 - English Standard Version:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
In the great commission we see that the first order of business is to evangelize and preach the gospel, which will inevitably lead some to repent, be baptized and become disciples. On this, I think most evangelicals agree, however, where things tend to get a little murky is our instruction to teach.
What are we to teach these disciples? Does Jesus instruct us to teach these disciples to be like us and to hold to our personal standards and convictions or does he instruct the disciples to teach these new disciples something else? We see in verse 20 that Jesus instructs the disciples to teach these new disciples to "observe all that I commanded" or put another way, we are instructed to teach the word of God.
But doesn't Paul say "imitate me as I imitate Christ?" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Doesn't that imply that a disciple will become like their Pastor or spiritual leader? To some extent yes, but the question is, to what extent? NIV puts it like this, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." In other words, Christ is the standard, not us. The fact is, we should all be able to say to a younger believer, “follow me as I follow Christ,” because our lives should reflect the teachings and example of Christ. But the moment our teachings or our lives cease to reflect the teachings and example of Christ and His word, that is the moment that our disciples should take a step back and defer to the word of God.
Even Paul made the point that "even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!" (Galatians 1:8). Paul very consistently taught that our standard is Christ and His word and that sectarian loyalties to man not only causes division within the body, but that this mentality is carnal and spiritually immature (1 Corinthians 3).
So as much as it might stroke our egos to have a disciple become just like us, taking on our standards and personal convictions and giving us honor, discipleship is not about making replicas of ourselves, but disciples of Christ. It is not about getting disciples to follow our rules or standards or live like we live or do what we do. Discipleship is about preaching the gospel, baptizing new believers and teaching them to obey Christ. That also means equipping them spiritually so that they can fulfill the calling that God has on their lives, not ours. This may mean that at times we will receive little to no benefit from that relationship and possibly no recognition for the part we played in their sanctification.
When we come to realize that discipleship is really not about us, but about Christ and His mission, it won't bother us when those disciples don't reflect who we are or become or do something other than what we expect of them. We will be satisfied in knowing that we have taught them to follow and obey Christ and we have properly equipped them to fulfill the calling that God has on their lives, even if that means that one day they move on and fulfill their destiny somewhere else and to someone else's benefit.
Taking the focus off us is not only liberating, but it produces healthy and spiritually mature Christians who will in turn disciple others with a Christ-centered focus, rather than a self-centered focus.
The problem is not that our disciples don’t become like us or our leaders, the problem is when we expect them to and look down upon them when they don't.a
SCROLL for additional content: Commentary ~ Resources~ Replies ~