True Discipleship
Can you have evangelism without discipleship or discipleship without evangelism? In the days of the early church the answer was an emphatic “no.” But what of today? Do we see people responding to a gospel message but showing no desire to take any further steps? Yes we do. And do we see people truly believing they’re maturing in Christ but displaying no heart to share the gospel message with others? Again, yes we do.
Are people today fundamentally different to people 2,000 years ago? People certainly are different, but not in any fundamental way. Then what’s the difference?
Could it be the message we share today is not exactly the same as the message of the early church? The early church preached Christ as Lord (Acts 2:36), sin as disobedience to Him (Acts 3:22,23) and His clear standards (Acts 7:51-53; 1 John 3:4). Those who came to Christ came with hearts surrendered to His will. There was no distinction between receiving Christ as Saviour and receiving Him as Lord (Acts 2:36). Conversion led naturally into discipleship.
Discipleship was a method of training where a ‘learner’ apprenticed themselves to a ‘master,’ so they could become like their master. In the New Testament discipleship is a command and not an option (Matthew 28:19). We are to apprentice ourselves to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; John 15:4-8) so we can become more like Him (Romans 8:29). Did Christ witness to others? Obviously so. True discipleship to Christ then will see us following Christ in evangelism as in each and every other area. Any form of discipleship today that omits evangelism or fails to grow a heart for the unsaved is less than New Testament discipleship.
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