Discipleship Defined: The Journey of Following Christ

Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.

In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical words that have great significance to our faith.

The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are familiar with in scripture.

So come along with me, let's study.

The Word of the week.

Pastor Josh here with another word of the week.

The word of the week again this week is discipleship.

Last week we looked at discipleship and we looked at the definition of a disciple.

The Bible says in John 8.

31 that a disciple is someone who continues in the Word who follows Christ.

It says in John 8:31, then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, if you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples?

Indeed?

So simply, a disciple is someone who is a committed follower of Christ.

In the context of Scripture, a disciple is someone who loves God, obeys him, follows him, and becomes more Christ like.

And that's the measure of what it means to be a disciple if we want to grow in the understanding of who God is.

It's not about just going to church more.

It's not just about reading our Bibles more, even though those are great things.

The Bible clearly says that the measurable when it comes to the idea of discipleship is am I becoming more and more like Christ?

Well, how do I know more about Christ through His Word?

And so what Jesus says is that if you want to be like me, if you want to follow me, if you want to be my disciple, it means to obey me.

The way that you demonstrate love is through obedience.

And so we looked at that last week when it came to the idea of the definition of a disciple.

And, and we even see other passages of Scripture like James chapter 1, verse 22, but be doers of the Word and not hearers, only deceiving your own selves.

And so the challenge is, yes, number one, to believe in who Jesus is and what he has done for us.

But also the challenge then comes after that belief in, in the fact that are we going to believe and have faith in who he is in every element of our life, every aspect of our life.

The Bible speaks of that full commitment and the challenge that we have as individuals to follow in that way.

And then as we follow Christ, to lead other people to follow Christ.

And.

And so something that I've been sharing with the church recently and something that I've been working through in my own life is that if we want to make disciples, as the Great Commission calls us to do In Matthew, chapter 28, it tells us to make disciples.

If we want to make disciples in the church, we in the church must be disciples ourselves.

And so it's living by example.

It's taking what we have learned of Christ from His Word and demonstrating that to others and teaching others and encouraging others, and really in the sense of loving others, showing them what it means to follow Christ.

And so I want to take it a step further here today and talk more about that aspect of discipleship.

So we have the element of who is a disciple in the biblical context.

In the Christian context, the disciple is someone who is committed follower of Christ.

So then what is discipleship?

Well, all of us as believers are on a path of growth.

We should be on the path of growth.

The Bible calls that sanctification.

And so we have this, this path in our life that we are taking.

It's.

It's the spiritual growth process.

And so doing we as Christians hopefully each day are becoming more and more like Christ.

There's going to be ups, there's going to be downs, there's going to be victories, there's going to be setbacks.

But all in all, we know that all Christians are on that path for, for all the time of their life.

So it doesn't mean that when we reach the age of 50 or 60 or 70, 80, 90, 100, that we have reached some pinnacle of spirituality.

The Bible says that we should continue on in that process.

And so how do we do that?

Well, that's reading Scripture, that's dwelling with the Lord, communing with the Lord, talking with him in prayer, growing in our desire for his will in our life.

And then the Bible says that we are actually to demonstrate that to others passage of scripture that we get to, when it comes to that is second Timothy, chapter two, verse two.

And in, in context, this is Paul, who is the spiritual father of Timothy.

Not his literal father, but you could say it this way, he's a spiritual mentor.

And so Paul is talking to Timothy.

Timothy is a young pastor who obviously has a lot to learn, but he's growing in the Lord.

Paul says this to him and the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses.

So he's like, you've heard a lot of things that I have taught and demonstrated to you and others the same.

The same things that I have taught you about the Lord and about his.

His desires for us and in his love for us.

And in the Gospel message, he says the Same commit thou to faithful men, meaning you need to commit to teach that to other people yourself.

So you have been taught by somebody, and then you are to teach other people.

Why?

Well, the next step here, who shall be able to teach others also.

And so we really see this discipleship direction happening.

So it obviously starts from God.

And then as God extends salvation to an individual, there's now this progressive sanctification that's happening.

There are individuals within the church that teach individuals what it means to know Christ, to grow in Christ Point.

And really it's pointing people to His Word.

And then it says, as you have learned from someone, so you then commit to other people that same information, that same process of growth, and demonstrate to them not only by what you say by, but by what you do so that they can do the same thing.

And so that goes on and on and on.

So that has happened throughout the centuries within the church.

And so when everything is working in a healthy way, the church is the, we would call it, the breeding grounds of disciples.

And so this is the natural way that God has designed for the faith to continue on, to spread.

And so a Christian disciple is one who, who puts Jesus first, someone who obeys him, someone who has fruit in their life, and then someone who looks to spread that through evangelism and discipleship.

So.

So I need to tell people about how they can know God through Jesus Christ and salvation.

And then I need to teach them what it means to follow him, to obey Him.

And so all Christians should be dedicated to looking for folks who need Jesus and then teaching them what it means to find him in this world.

Where.

Where do we find Jesus in this world?

It's not in nature, it's not in the media.

We find Jesus in the truth of the word of God, and then the Holy Spirit changes us.

And so then the Holy Spirit then allows us to grow and become more and more like Him.

So that's the process of discipleship.

Now we're going to talk more about the practical application of how we can disciple in future podcasts.

But what I would like to address here today is just simply this.

What.

What is discipleship?

Discipleship is leading, demonstrating, and living the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those around us so that they can grow in the understanding of who Jesus is.

So we grow and others grow around us.

Like I mentioned before, there's going to be setbacks, even with Jesus and his disciples.

We know that Jesus had more than the 12, but certainly the ones that we are aware of are usually the inner Circle.

Sometimes we call them the apostles, but you have a fellow.

Let's look at Peter, for example.

Peter was around Jesus every day, all the time, for three years.

And Peter learned a lot from Jesus.

But yet, at the same time, Peter didn't always get it right.

Peter, like, like the others, didn't understand all of the things that Jesus was teaching him.

Though I believe through seeing later on in Scripture, Peter definitely absorbed many of the things that Jesus taught him.

But nonetheless, it was a process, right?

Jesus taught Peter things, and he received things and understood things and applied things, and then also had times where there needed to be some course correction.

Then ultimately there was the big failure in the fact that Peter denies Christ right before his crucifixion.

And for some, that might seem like that's the end.

But we know that in discipleship that when a person makes a great, great mistake, commits a terrible sin, that doesn't mean that they've lost it.

That doesn't mean that they've lost the hope that they have in Christ.

It just means that there's time for them to understand the forgiveness of Christ and to move forward.

And so discipleship is difficult.

It's sometimes messy, it's sometimes heartbreaking when we try to teach people the truth of Jesus Christ and it seems like they're understanding it.

And maybe they do, but maybe sometimes there's opportunities for them to be tested in their faith and there's a failure.

But we know that the Bible speaks of though, Though he fall, the righteous man, though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down because the Lord upholds him with his hand.

And so we as disciples should put Jesus first.

We as disciples should follow Jesus's teachings and obedience.

We should see fruit being manifested in our life.

John 15 talks all about that.

John, John 15, verse 5.

Jesus is speaking here, and he says, I am the vine and year the branches.

So we don't bear fruit in our own strength, in our own wisdom, in our own goodness.

Like, I'm not creating disciples of.

Of myself.

So, you know, I go by Josh, or in some cases in our church, Pastor Josh.

I'm not creating disciples of Pastor Josh.

I'm creating disciples of Christ.

So that means that we don't.

People point people to ourselves as much as we point people to Christ.

Now, Paul does mention in Scripture, hey, follow me as I follow Christ.

And so he says, just look at me as an example of how to follow Christ.

So Paul never says, follow me alone.

He says, follow Christ as I'm following Christ.

And so Jesus says, there in John 15, verse 5, he says, I am the vine, you are the branches.

He that abideth in me, or he that lives in me, dwells in me, and I in him.

The same bringeth forth much fruit.

For without me you can do nothing.

So Jesus says, you want to be a fruitful Christian?

Live in my truth, abide in me.

And so we know that the Bible speaks of a disciple being fruitful.

It doesn't mean perfect, it doesn't mean completely carefree, but it does mean that there will be fruit in our lives.

And you know, another element of discipleship and the other element of growing in our faith is, is loving the things that God loves.

And what does God love?

The Bible says that God loves believers, right?

He loves people, specifically his children.

And so a lot of times for us, we say we love God, but yet we have a struggle with loving those around us.

We struggle loving the church.

The Bible says that God loves the church.

And we know that Jesus loved the church so much that he gave his life for it.

And so one mark of a disciple would be someone who loves others, who loves the church, who loves what God has called the family of God.

And so we, we as believers should strive to be disciples and we should strive to follow Jesus completely in every element of our life, and then in so doing, pointing other people to Christ.

And so that's that maturity process.

So as I mature as a believer, I have the opportunity to not just think about myself and my own spiritual growth, but to invest into others.

And so that's what we're going to be talking about for the next few sessions here on this podcast.

Now we've talked about the definition of a disciple and we've talked about ultimately the process of discipleship, what that is pointing people to Christ, leading people to Christ and encouraging them, edifying them, building them up in Christ.

And now we're going to look at specific ways that we can actually practically put discipleship to practice within our own lives, within the church, within our homes, within our communities, within our workplaces.

And, and I think that that is important because we talked about the big picture ideas, but sometimes we leave it at the big picture and we miss the day to day necessity of putting these things to practice.

And so next week we're going to look at what Scripture has to say about actually teaching others about Jesus.

And just like we saw in 2 Timothy 2, 2, Paul says, hey, what you've learned of me, pass that on to other people so they can pass it on to other people.

So how do we pass it on to other people.

Well, you could say we teach them.

How do we teach them?

Is the classroom the best place for this to happen?

For some it is.

And we'll talk more about the different aspects and areas of which we as believers can implement discipleship within our own lives.

And then in some degree, how do we grow?

Because, like, everyone's on the discipleship path.

Just because I'm at the point where I can invest in other people's life, that doesn't mean that I'm exempt from the discipleship that's needed.

So I need someone to invest into my life.

I need to, to learn from other people.

I need to continue to grow in the Word of God.

So there is that never ending process of, yes, I am growing, but I'm not at my pinnacle yet.

I'm not at the point where I am stopping.

I need to push forward, press forward.

And Paul talks all about that in the book of Philippians.

And we'll talk more about that next week.

So hope that you have a wonderful rest of your week.

Hope that this study in discipleship is important enough for you to take some time to think about and to pray about and to see where you fall in that process of discipleship.

Have you even come to know Christ?

Is he real to you?

Is, is it a real relationship that you have with him?

And then number two, if that is real to you, have you looked at the aspect of investing into others for the kingdom of God?

Is it a priority for you to make those disciples around you?

Ultimately, it's the power of God that does it.

If you go back to the Great Commission, if you remember, Jesus says, it's all my power that is happening.

John 15.

Remember, you can do nothing without me.

And so it's important to know that we are not doing it ourselves.

We are just vessels of the work of God that He has called us to do.

And so he's looking for willing vessels.

And the question would be, is, are we willing to be a vessel of discipleship in someone's life?

And are we willing to grow closer and be a disciple of Christ?

Well, thank you so much for your attention.

I'd love for you to share this with someone around you.

That would be fantastic and love for you to come back next week and to follow along with this series looking at what is discipleship?

God bless you.

Take care.

We'll talk to you soon.

Hey, I really appreciate that you listen to the Word of the Week podcast.

If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church, Middletown Baptist Church.

You can find more information about us on Facebook or YouTube, or you can find the podcast on NBCPodcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch.org stay tuned for future Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that impact our life according to scripture.

Thank you so much.

God bless.

We'll talk to you soon.