A Disciple Is a Jesus Follower and a Jesus Follower Is a Disciple: A Study in Discipleship

By Elden Daniel

Most of us have heard of Jesus's disciples. Most probably know the names of several of them. But what exactly is a disciple of Jesus? We know there were twelve and one turned out to be a betrayer. We know that Jesus asked them to follow Him and they did. This makes them Jesus followers. What do Jesus followers do? They follow Jesus.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Elden Daniel
• Release date: Feb 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781087915777

Elden Daniel

...the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8 KJV). ...the endless treasures available to them in Christ (Ephesians 3:8 NLT). ...the boundless riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8 NIV).

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Preface

Most of us have heard of Jesus’s disciples. Most probably know the names of several of them. But what exactly is a disciple of Jesus? We know there was the twelve and one turned out to be a betrayer. We know that Jesus asked them to follow Him and they did. This makes them Jesus followers. What do Jesus followers do? They follow Jesus.

A close look at the Gospels reveals that there were many others who were Jesus followers. Through the last two centuries many people have followed Jesus and many still do today. Being a Jesus follower was very important to Jesus.

The Great Commission was given by Jesus after His resurrection and before He returned to heaven. Today we would call this a Mission Statement.

Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-21).

Being a disciple must be very important. When Jesus began His public ministry one of the first things He did was choose and call His disciples. The last thing He did before departing to return to heaven was give the instruction to make disciples. To me it is clear the Lord Jesus’ intention was that every believer was to become a disciple.

A disciple is a learner. Jesus was the teacher for the twelve as well as many others. We see from the Great Commission that disciples are to be disciple-makers and this is done by teaching potential disciples to obey everything that Jesus commanded.

In this book we will explore significant information about disciples and being a disciple. We will look at what are Jesus’s commandments. We will discover how a disciple can be a disciple-maker. Interestingly we will see how obeying the Great Commission results in a chain reaction in which disciples, Jesus follower make other disciples. This chain reaction of making Jesus followers continues generation after generation throughout the history of the church. If you are a Jesus follower, it is a result of this wonderful plan.

Note that Jesus starts out the Great Commission by declaring All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me and ends it with And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

If you are a Jesus follower, you will find this information useful in becoming a more effective Jesus follower. If you have not yet decided to be a Jesus follower, I am hoping this book will inspire you to become a Jesus follower.

Presentation style.

Some authors very effectively insert phrases from Scripture to support their text. Other authors will list references to support their text assuming the diligent listener will pause and look up the references. I have chosen to quote the entire Scripture passage. My reasoning has been based upon the truth that the Holy Spirit indwelling the reader will apply the Word of God in the personal life of the reader in an appropriate manner that only the Holy Spirit knows. Every believer is on a personal individual journey in which the Holy Spirit is renewing their mind and transforming them into the image of Christ. 

The truth that impacts and changes lives is found in the Word of God. It is important to remember when we read Scripture it is the Lord speaking to you and me. The words we read from Scripture are meant to be taken personally.

 My comments may or may not be helpful but the Scriptures will be helpful. Many times, I have grouped several Scriptural passages around a specific topic, this way, the message from the whole of Scripture somehow seems clearer.

My personal experience has been and this may be true for you as well, sometimes, usually during a time of solitude and quiet, the Scriptural concepts, principles or benefits move from my head to my heart. It is not unusual for the move from head to heart to also generate a few tears of thankfulness and blessing.

The Word of God is God speaking to mankind. Think of it, Almighty God the Creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in it is speaking to you and me. Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth as a man and died for the world’s sin, was buried and rose again, is speaking to you and me. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to teach and guide believers in Jesus is speaking to you and me. This reality is both humbling and wonderful. It is good to listen to hear and obey.

You may wonder why so many Scriptural references are quoted including at times rather lengthy passages. Although I cite the reference of the passage, if there are multiple verses, I include them continuously without dividing them into individual verses. I believe this supports the continuity of the passage.

Each separate topic is part of a whole. My goal is to separate some content from Scripture, focus on it, and indicate or imply its importance to the whole of Scripture. I also want to provide insight into the application of the Word in the life of the Jesus follower.

When presenting passages, I deliberately left out the numbering of verses. When you read a passage that involves several verses, it will be one continuous passage. That is the way it originally appeared. Noting chapter and verse is a wonderful tool for referencing. We often see numbering in legal documents. However, it is my view that often breaking up a passage with the numbering of verses can be a distraction that hinders grasping the full meaning. Think about it. If you write a letter to a friend, you don't number the sentences or the lines. You want your thoughts to flow together.

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Part 1

What is a disciple? What does a disciple look like? What does a disciple do? What does a disciple not do? Why would I want to become a disciple? How do I become a disciple? Are there other disciples? How many disciples are there? What are the benefits of being a disciple? What is the decision to become a disciple?

So many questions! I discarded the question-answer format in favor of going on an explorative adventure looking at what the Scriptures say about disciples and discipleship starting with the Great Commission from Matthew 28. The Great Commission was given by Jesus after His resurrection and before He returned to heaven. Today we would call this a Mission Statement.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-21).

Jesus begins by establishing the basis upon which He is giving these orders. Jesus has all authority both in heaven and on earth. There cannot be a higher authority and a more inclusive and exclusive authority. The order is to go and make disciples. This was to be in every nation.

Pause: Did this happen? When we look at the history of Christianity, we see that it absolutely happened. It is still happening today. Just think of all the missionary efforts that we read about. The tremendous courage of missionaries. The multitudes that have come to know Christ through these efforts. Think of all the translations of the Bible into other languages. Think about the health care, education, feeding, and other provisions administered by disciples. These efforts are still going on today.

After people were made into disciples, they were to be baptized in the name of the Trinity. This part of the command teaches the unity of the Trinity and that each, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are involved in this mission.

Why baptism? A baptism is a symbolic act of identification. When a person is baptized, they are openly declaring that they have made the decision to believe in Jesus and now belong to the category of those who believe in Jesus. In believer baptism often the person being baptized gives a statement that is a profession of faith. It goes something like this, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was crucified in payment for my sins and then He was resurrected and I am now saved and have received eternal life. Sometimes the person doing the baptizing will ask some questions to the person about their profession of faith. The baptism ceremony is a time of celebration and other believers are there rejoicing.

However, if persecution were to come to a community of believers, having been baptized would be the identifying act to mark a person as a believer. That’s okay. A believer who loves Jesus and is thankful for their salvation has no desire to hide their identification with Jesus.

In immersion baptism, the believer is symbolically buried when they go under the water and are symbolically resurrected when they come up out of the water. Paul explained it this way.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4).

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead (Colossians 2:12).

The mission is to make disciples, to baptize disciples, and to teach disciples. What were the new disciples to be taught? The disciples will be taught to obey every one of Jesus’ commandments. Think of it. Obey every commandment. Now a little logic. Before the new disciples could obey the commandments, they would need to know