What is a True Disciple?

by | Jan 29, 2021 | Lifestyle, Outreach

Acts 14:22

“…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”“

What is a Disciple? That is a question a lot of Christians have starting out. Who walked with Jesus? What was their mission? Their call? A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. ​So lets look further into the details revolving around true Discipleship. 

Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the trials of this life and become more like Christ along the way.  This process requires people to respond and be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The Holy Spirit guides us to spiritual growth in our ideas, thoughts, words and actions. When things may feel confusing it is our job to pray and compare everything to the Word of God. I find that this truly works when we are proactive and in the word daily. When we are purposeful with our time and dedication to the growth of our relationship with Christ, and when we ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit, we begin to change from the inside out. Additionally, we should be willing to share our testimony with others (1 Peter 3:15) and to disciple others to walk with Christ. We then should encourage others to do the same and continue to allow God to make disciples (Got Questions Ministries, 2017)!

 Being a disciple of Christ involves personal growth. These 5 characteristics are the basis of what discipleship looks like. Let’s take a peek!

  1. Putting Jesus FIRST in EVERYTHING (Mark 8:34-38). To be a disciple of Christ, we are called to be set apart from the world. Our focus should be on our Lord and pleasing Him in every area of our lives. We live in a culture that pushes the opposite of this, so it is up to us to remain diligent and faithful to this. We must put off self-centered behavior and put on Christ-centered behavior. By doing this, God is able to use you for amazing things (Got Questions Ministries, 2017)!
  2. Following Jesus’ teachings (John 8:31-32). As Christ-followers, we must be obedient children and follow what the Word of God says. Obedience is the ultimate test of faith in God. We see this all throughout the Bible (Genesis 22). Jesus is a perfect example of obedience and following the Word. Jesus lived life on earth in complete obedience to our Father in Heaven (Philippians 2:6-8) (GotQuestions Ministries, 2017).
  1. Being Fruitful (John 15:5-8). Our job is not producing fruit. Many people believe that it is their job to do this, but our job is to follow Christ. By doing this, the Holy Spirit produces fruitfulness, and this fruit is the result of our obedience. We are the direct representation of Christ to the world. The more we are obedient to the Lord and learn to walk in His ways, we can see how our lives change. The biggest change will take place in our hearts, and the overflow of this will be new conduct (thoughts, words and actions) representative of that change. The change we seek is done from the inside out, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t something we can accomplish on our own (GotQuestions Ministries, 2017).
  2. Love for others (John 13:34-35). We are told that love of other believers is the evidence of our being a part of God’s family (1 John 3:10). Love is defined and elaborated on by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. These verses demonstrate to us that love is not an emotion; it is action. This is different than the love that society has explained to so many of us. Quite frankly, I am a huge fan of Biblical love. We must put our ‘love’ in action and motion. Furthermore, we are told to think more highly of others than of ourselves and to look out for their interests (Philippians 2:3-4).  Philippians 2:5 gives us the depiction of what we are to do when it comes to everything in life. Our attitude about things should be the same as Jesus’. Jesus gave us the perfect example to help us in our walk with God (GotQuestions Ministries, 2017). Being Fruitful (John 15:5-8). Our job is not producing fruit. Many people believe that it is their job to do this, but our job is to follow Christ. By doing this, the Holy Spirit produces fruitfulness, and this fruit is the result of our obedience. We are the direct representation of Christ to the world. The more we are obedient to the Lord and learn to walk in His ways, we can see how our lives change. The biggest change will take place in our hearts, and the overflow of this will be new conduct (thoughts, words and actions) representative of that change. The change we seek is done from the inside out, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t something we can accomplish on our own (GotQuestions Ministries, 2017).
  3. Love for others (John 13:34-35). We are told that love of other believers is the evidence of our being a part of God’s family (1 John 3:10). Love is defined and elaborated on by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. These verses demonstrate to us that love is not an emotion; it is action. This is different than the love that society has explained to so many of us. Quite frankly, I am a huge fan of Biblical love. We must put our ‘love’ in action and motion. Furthermore, we are told to think more highly of others than of ourselves and to look out for their interests (Philippians 2:3-4).  Philippians 2:5 gives us the depiction of what we are to do when it comes to everything in life. Our attitude about things should be the same as Jesus’. Jesus gave us the perfect example to help us in our walk with God (GotQuestions Ministries, 2017).

Once we accept Christ into our lives, we are called to be his disciples. Hopefully, this article encouraged you all in the fact that serving Christ for the kingdom is pretty simple! We all have something to contribute. Now more than ever our world needs YOU Christ’s Disciple to stand up and proclaim the truth to this next generation. During this COVID -19 Quarantine, we encourage you all to meditate on these scriptures and ask the Lord to show you what your gifts are. Ask him to teach you, and train you up for this mission field. We promise you won’t come out of it empty-handed…

Heather Mellott  instagram – @hopedailynews

Heather is a writer for CCG and a beloved daughter of Christ! She is an anti-abortion activist who started her own organization called http://adoptionfinder.org! Been a Disciple for 6 years, she loves the youth and ministering to those who need help and healing. Check her out!