This paper defines Christian discipleship as a learning relationship with Jesus Christ and examines how discipleship and leadership function within the framework of the Great Commission. The study traces Jesus's method of developing disciples through personal investment rather than mass appeal, and establishes that Christian leadership is fundamentally servant-oriented. The paper analyzes three core components: the definition of discipleship and the disciple, the theological basis of the Great Commission, and the relationship between follower, leader, and servant. By connecting these elements, the paper argues that effective discipleship directly influences the health and growth of the modern church.
The website Discipleship Defined accurately describes Christian discipleship, explaining that after Jesus's resurrection, "all authority was entrusted to me" came to fruition. Jesus is not waiting passively in heaven for His glorious arrival as king; rather, He is already exercising His lordship. The literal translation of His instruction is a command: "You disciple." The word disciple translates as "to become a learner or pupil." Grammatically, Matthew uses the aorist active imperative tense, which simply means an action that is absolutely required and occurring without end. It is surrounded by three participles: Go, Baptize, and Teach (Discipleship Defined, 2015, p. 1).
Additionally, discipleship was the method Jesus used to win the world to Himself. In fact, Jesus converted very few people in His earthly ministry in a clear-cut way. He literally staked His whole ministry on twelve men. As popular as He was during His earthly ministry, Jesus did not focus on the momentary applause of men but quietly poured His life into those who would multiply. Jesus was not trying to impress the crowd, but to usher in a kingdom. Christ expects His followers to be fruitful, but often we are not without external motivation and accountability (Discipleship Defined, 2015, p. 1).
Therefore, Christian discipleship is a learning relationship with Jesus Christ in which the learner, or disciple, receives instruction and undergoes spiritual transformation. This transformation is not passive but requires active commitment to multiply the faith by teaching and leading others into the body of Christ.
Jesus gave His followers what is known as the "Great Commission," which can be understood as an appointment to go into the world preaching the Gospel of Christ—a gospel of God's love, forgiveness of sins, grace, and mercy through Jesus Christ to all mankind. The authority, theology, and philosophy of ministry contained in the Great Commission derives from Matthew 28:18–20 in the Holy Bible, which states:
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.'"
A confirming and complementary scripture is contained in the Book of Acts, Chapter 1, Verse 8, which states:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
These direct instructions from Jesus Christ focus on the building of the church of God, revealed through Jesus Christ's earthly ministry and known to Christians as the Great Commission—the direct instructions given by God through His Son Jesus Christ during His time on earth.
According to Matthew Slick (2015), "The 'Great Commission' is God's three-fold plan for building His Church, the Body of Christ. His plan involves the making of disciples, the confirmation and affirmation of disciples, and the ongoing teaching of disciples. A person cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ until he or she is born-again—until he has come to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, the first step in fulfilling the 'Great Commission' is evangelism. A person must be made a disciple before he can be a disciple. Christians are commanded by God to go everywhere, from their living room to the farthest reaches of the earth, to bring the gospel to an unsaved world" (p. 1).
Slick further states that after an individual becomes a "follower of Jesus Christ—a learner, a student, a disciple—he must testify publicly through the ordinance of baptism. Baptism has a two-fold purpose. For the disciple, it is the outward proclamation of the inward change of the heart and soul, accomplished by Jesus Christ. Baptism also serves as a means for the local assembly of believers (the church) to confirm the disciple as a follower of Christ and to affirm the disciple's entrance into the Christian family" (2015, p. 1).
Finally, Slick states that once an individual becomes a disciple and is affirmed and welcomed into the Body of Christ through baptism, "it is the ongoing responsibility (until the Lord returns) of fellow believers to 'teach them to observe all that Jesus has commanded.' The 'Great Commission' does not end with evangelism. That is only the beginning. The 'Great Commission' includes the responsibility of every Christian to help their fellow Christians to grow in their faith in Christ and their understanding of His Word" (2015, p. 1).
Therefore, following the Great Commission means that one becomes a learner, a follower, and ultimately a leader as one learns the Word of God, follows the Word of God, and finally leads others into the Christian faith through discipleship.
The work of JC Tomlinson (n.d.), entitled "The Great Commission: Discipleship and Followership," addresses the tension between worldly and Christian leadership. Tomlinson states: "When one considers the term influential, the concept of leadership comes to mind. Yet, Jesus did not espouse leadership the way we envision, instructing 'whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all' (Mark 10:43–44, NIV). This appears to be significantly different from our current concept of the influential, take-charge leader" (p. 1).
In other words, to provide leadership in the perspective of the Great Commission, one is required to be a servant. This means that in order to lead others into the Christian faith, one must serve. This service may take the form of serving or cooking food in a local soup kitchen, doling out the love of Christ along with nourishment—providing not only food for the body but food for the souls of the hungry, lost, and despairing in society. Through this type of service, the individual is empowered to demonstrate the love of Christ. Since love is undeniably an action word, demonstration of the love of Christ is necessarily required if the love of Christ is to be real—not only in the life of the disciple-leader but in the lives of those who need the discipleship and leadership into the Body of Christ.
"Summary of discipleship's connection to church health"
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