The Disciple-Maker: Vol III, Issue 1

Vol. III, Issue 1

What is a Disciple?

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to make disciples and fulfill the Great Commission. But what is a disciple? What is an accurate definition of this important Biblical word? And, if we don’t know the Biblical definition of disciple, how can we fulfill the Great Commission?

If a church or a believer doesn’t understand the Biblical definition of a disciple, it is impossible to fulfill Christ’s command. Without a clear-cut understanding of both the definition of a disciple and God’s plan for disciple-making, a church will inevitably divert its ministry focus toward making converts (i.e., evangelism), church members, or church attendees and fail to fulfill Christ’s command. To make disciples, we must know both the Biblical definition of a disciple and God’s plan for disciple-making.

The Meaning of Mathetes

The Greek word for disciple in the New Testament is mathetes. It appears 268 times in the Gospels and the book of Acts (264 times as a noun and 4 times as a verb). Its primary meaning is that of “a pupil, apprentice or follower of another.” The emphasis is on following a master’s teaching, not merely knowing about the ways of the teacher.

The word disciple is used to describe followers of three groups or individuals in the New Testament:

1.	John the Baptist’s followers were called disciples (Matt. 9:14; 14:12)
2.	The Pharisees’ followers were called disciples (Matt. 22:16) and the Pharisees referred to themselves as disciples of Moses (John 9:28)
3.	Many of Jesus’ followers were known as His disciples

The Three Types of Jesus’ Disciples

Great multitudes followed Jesus during His earthly ministry. Some followed Him because of the miracles He did and some because He fed them (John 6:26). Still others followed Jesus as disciples with various levels of commitment.

1.	Casual Disciples (Matt. 8:19-22) – They were followers of Jesus but only to a point. As soon as following Jesus interfered with their personal agenda, they stopped following because other things took priority.
2.	Convinced Disciples (John 6:60-66) – They were followers of Jesus, but their willingness to follow Him was also limited. When Jesus taught about eating His flesh and drinking his blood (John 6:55-56; a vivid word picture used to demonstrate Jesus’ expectation of His immersion into the believer’s life), these disciples complained (John 6:61) and ceased to follow Him (v. 66).
3.	Convicted Disciples (John 8:31, Luke 14:25-33) – When great multitudes followed Jesus, He presented three qualifications of being a convicted disciple (Luke 14:26-33). In John’s Gospel, Jesus added a fourth characteristic of a convicted disciple. Together they present a complete portrait of a convicted disciple – the kind Jesus is likely referring to in Matthew 28:18-20 (Note: In the next Disciple-Maker [April, 2007] we will look more closely at the four characteristics of a convicted disciple).

An Important Question to Ask Ourselves

What kind of disciple are you? Are you a casual disciple – one who follows Jesus only when it is convenient? Are you are convinced disciple – one who is sure Jesus is the Messiah, but unwilling to accept the hard teachings of Jesus? Or are you a convicted disciple – one who is willing to follow Jesus wherever He leads you?

Because of His Mercy,