Discipleship vs. Making Disciples (Part 1 of 3)

Why does the word discipleship make me cringe? Every time I hear it I picture two people sitting at Starbucks sipping a latte and talking about religious things for two hours. I don't think Jesus pictured the same when He commanded us to make disciples of all nations just before lift off into heaven. Therein lies the rub.

Whenever we have people work with us here in Mexico City, we have to do a little Western world detox. I sure didn't see Jesus doing any one-on-one discipleship in the Gospels, and Paul never practiced it either. Someone could probably tell me when the church began to employ this strategy. I'd prefer to unemploy it. In fact, our work in Mexico depends upon it.

What was Jesus' command? Did he ask us to disciple or to make disciples? This isn't just an issue of semantics. If He calls us to make disciples, that begs the question, "How does one make disciples?" Follow me here. The Western view of "discipleship" places a great amount of influence on the person discipling. We see a linear relationship between the disciple and the teacher. When I read my Bible, I can't find that same manner of thinking.

When Paul went to a city, he would spend anywhere from a few days to several months there. Yet he left disciples wherever he went. How did he do it? First of all, he relied heavily upon the Holy Spirit - the Teacher and Counselor. We can expect to fail miserably if we assume the role of the Holy Spirit in someone's life. Secondly, he helped them experience community (planted churches). Yes, he did teach, and through some basic teaching he trained them to live as a disciple of Christ.

Let me wrap up before I ramble much longer. The early Christians knew how to make disciples. They taught one another in community and authentic relationships. I think our view of discipleship is kind of like the Catholics' method of confession. What once started as a really good thing, became a cumbersome system that now misses the mark.

Read Part 2.

Read Part 3.