What Does It Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus?

Jesus called people to believe in Him.

But He also called them to something more.

He called them to become disciples.

Today, the word Christian is familiar. The word disciple may sound more unusual. We may think of the twelve disciples who walked with Jesus two thousand years ago and assume that discipleship belonged mainly to them.

But Jesus never intended discipleship to end with the Twelve.

Before returning to the Father, Jesus told His followers to go into the world and make disciples.

That means discipleship is not an advanced level of Christianity reserved for pastors, missionaries, or especially devoted believers.

It is the normal Christian life.

Every follower of Jesus is called to become His disciple.

So what exactly is a disciple?

And what does discipleship look like in everyday life?

A Disciple Is a Learner

The word disciple refers to a learner, student, or apprentice.

But biblical discipleship involves more than sitting in a classroom and collecting information.

In the ancient world, a disciple often learned by living closely with a teacher.

The student listened to the teacher.

Observed the teacher.

Asked questions.

Imitated the teacher.

And gradually learned to live according to the teacher's ways.

That is what Jesus' first disciples did.

They traveled with Him.

They listened as He taught.

They watched Him pray.

They saw how He responded to suffering.

They watched how He treated sinners, religious leaders, children, outsiders, and enemies.

They witnessed His compassion.

They saw His courage.

They observed His obedience to the Father.

And eventually Jesus sent them out to do what they had seen Him doing.

We are learning from Jesus how to live like Jesus.

A Disciple Responds to Jesus' Call

The first disciples did not begin their journey by enrolling in a religious program.

Jesus called them.

Peter and Andrew were working as fishermen when Jesus approached them.

Matthew was sitting at his tax booth when Jesus said:

The invitation was simple.

But responding to it changed everything.

They left behind the direction of their former lives and began walking with Jesus.

The same call comes to us.

We may not physically walk the roads of Galilee beside Jesus, but the invitation remains:

Follow Me.

Discipleship begins when we respond to that call.

A Disciple Trusts Jesus as Savior

We do not become disciples by trying hard enough to imitate Jesus.

Discipleship begins with the gospel. To explore more deeply why Jesus died, what His sacrifice accomplished, and why the Cross stands at the center of Christian faith, see What Is God Doing on a Cross? .

Before we can truly follow Jesus, we need to be reconciled to God through Him.

Jesus died for our sins.

He rose from the dead.

He offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who trusts Him.

We do not earn salvation through discipleship.

We become disciples because we have received salvation by grace.

This distinction matters.

We do not follow Jesus so that God will love us.

We follow Jesus because God has loved us in Christ.

We do not obey Him in order to purchase forgiveness.

We obey because forgiveness has already been freely offered through Jesus.

Grace comes first.

Then discipleship grows from grace.

A Disciple Recognizes Jesus as Lord

Jesus is not only Savior.

He is Lord.

That means He has authority over the life of the disciple.

Calling Jesus “Lord” while continually refusing His authority is a contradiction.

A disciple therefore learns to bring every area of life under the leadership of Christ.

Our relationships.

Our ambitions.

Our sexuality.

Our finances.

Our speech.

Our habits.

Our priorities.

Our time.

Our possessions.

Our decisions.

Our future.

Discipleship asks a different question from the one our culture often teaches us to ask.

Culture frequently asks:

“What will make me happy?”

The disciple increasingly asks:

“What honors Jesus?”

That change does not happen instantly.

But it becomes the direction of our lives.

A Disciple Remains in Jesus' Word

Jesus connected discipleship directly with His teaching.

Notice the word abide.

Jesus did not describe a disciple as someone who occasionally hears a Bible verse.

A disciple remains in His Word.

Scripture becomes a continuing influence upon the way we think and live.

We read it.

We study it.

We meditate on it.

We allow it to correct us.

We allow it to comfort us.

We allow it to reshape our assumptions.

We learn to evaluate our thoughts, beliefs, and choices in light of what God has revealed.

A disciple does not approach Scripture merely asking:

“What does this mean?”

We eventually ask another question:

“How should I live because this is true?”

Biblical knowledge that never reaches our lives is incomplete discipleship.

A Disciple Learns Obedience

Obedience is not always a popular word.

It can sound restrictive.

But Jesus consistently connected love with obedience.

Christian obedience is not cold rule-keeping.

It grows from relationship.

We obey because we trust the One who is leading us.

Think about a young child walking beside a loving parent.

The child may not understand every instruction.

But the parent sees dangers the child cannot see.

In the same way, there will be moments when God's commands challenge our preferences or our understanding.

The disciple learns to trust the wisdom of Jesus.

Sometimes obedience makes immediate sense.

Sometimes it does not.

But discipleship means learning to say:

“Jesus, I trust You enough to follow even when I do not fully understand.”

A Disciple Is Being Transformed

Jesus does not merely want to modify our behavior.

He wants to transform us.

The goal of discipleship is that our lives increasingly reflect His character.

Paul described God's purpose for believers as becoming conformed to the image of His Son.

That transformation affects the inner person.

Our attitudes.

Our motives.

Our desires.

Our thoughts.

Our reactions.

Our character.

Over time, the Holy Spirit produces qualities in us that reflect Christ:

This is spiritual formation.

The question is not simply:

“How much Bible knowledge have I gained?”

A more searching question is:

“Am I becoming more like Jesus?”

A Disciple Learns to Deny Himself

Jesus was very clear that discipleship involves surrender.

Self-denial does not mean believing that we have no value.

Our value is demonstrated by God's love for us.

Rather, denying ourselves means that self is no longer the highest authority in our lives.

Our natural tendency is to say:

My desires.

My plans.

My comfort.

My rights.

My reputation.

My way.

Jesus teaches us another way.

His own life demonstrates it perfectly.

That is the heart of discipleship.

Not my will above everything else.

Your will, Lord.

A Disciple Depends on Jesus

There is a danger in talking about discipleship.

We may begin thinking that following Jesus depends entirely on our own discipline and determination.

Jesus taught exactly the opposite.

He compared Himself to a vine and His followers to branches.

A branch does not struggle to manufacture life.

It receives life from the vine.

Likewise, discipleship is not self-improvement powered by human determination.

We depend upon Christ.

We pray.

We seek Him.

We rely upon the Holy Spirit.

We remain in His Word.

We receive His strength.

We confess our weakness.

Spiritual fruit grows from our continuing relationship with Jesus.

The goal is not becoming independent.

The goal is becoming increasingly dependent upon Christ.

A Disciple Learns to Pray

The first disciples noticed something distinctive about Jesus' prayer life.

They watched Him withdraw from crowds to pray.

They saw Him seek the Father before important decisions.

They heard Him pray during times of suffering.

Eventually they asked:

That is the request of a disciple.

Teach me.

Prayer is not merely presenting God with a list of requests.

It is relationship.

We worship.

We confess.

We give thanks.

We ask.

We listen.

We surrender.

We bring our fears, needs, questions, hopes, and decisions before God.

Through prayer, our hearts gradually become aligned with His.

A disciple learns not only to work for God but to walk with God.

A Disciple Is Part of a Community

Jesus did not call twelve isolated individuals who occasionally met Him privately.

He formed a community.

They learned together.

Served together.

Failed together.

Argued together.

Prayed together.

And eventually carried the gospel into the world together.

The New Testament continues this pattern.

Discipleship is personal.

But it was never meant to be solitary. To explore why believers are called to grow, worship, serve, and belong together, see Building the Faith .

We need other believers.

Sometimes they encourage us.

Sometimes they challenge us.

Sometimes they teach us.

Sometimes they carry us through difficult seasons.

And sometimes God asks us to do the same for them.

We grow together.

A Disciple Loves Others

Jesus said something remarkable about how the world would recognize His followers.

He did not say people would know His disciples primarily because of their buildings, programs, knowledge, or influence.

Love is one of the clearest marks of discipleship.

Not sentimental love.

Christlike love.

Love that serves.

Love that forgives.

Love that sacrifices.

Love that tells the truth.

Love that cares for the hurting.

Love that welcomes the forgotten.

Love that remains faithful when relationships become difficult.

Jesus demonstrated this kind of love by washing His disciples' feet and ultimately giving His life for them.

A disciple learns to love because he has first been loved by Christ.

A Disciple Serves

Our culture often associates greatness with recognition, influence, wealth, or power.

Jesus turned that idea upside down.

Jesus Himself demonstrated this.

He served people others overlooked.

He touched those others avoided.

He stopped for people others ignored.

He washed His disciples' feet.

Following Jesus therefore changes the question from:

“Who will serve me?”

to:

“Who can I serve?”

Some acts of service will be visible.

Most will not.

But nothing done faithfully for Christ is insignificant.

A Disciple Makes Other Disciples

Discipleship eventually turns outward.

Jesus did not tell His followers merely to remain together and enjoy everything they had learned.

He gave them a mission.

Notice that Jesus did not simply say:

Make converts.

Gain an audience.

Build organizations.

He said:

Make disciples.

That means helping people come to know Jesus and then helping them learn to follow Him.

Every Christian may not be a pastor or teacher.

But every disciple can participate.

We can share what Christ has done in our lives.

We can answer questions.

We can invite someone to read Scripture with us.

We can encourage a younger believer.

We can pray with someone.

We can model faithfulness.

We can walk beside another person as they grow.

One disciple helps another disciple.

And the story continues.

Discipleship Is a Lifelong Journey

There is no point in this life when a Christian graduates from discipleship.

We never reach the point where we no longer need Jesus.

We keep learning.

We keep growing.

We keep surrendering.

We keep discovering areas that need transformation.

We keep returning to grace.

There will be seasons of rapid growth.

There will be difficult seasons.

There will be times when following Jesus feels joyful and natural.

There will be times when obedience feels costly.

There will be victories.

There will be failures.

But through all of it, Jesus continues calling us:

Follow Me.

Discipleship is not about perfection.

It is about direction.

Our lives are increasingly directed toward Christ.

What Does a Disciple Look Like?

A disciple is not defined by a particular personality.

Some disciples are outgoing.

Others are quiet.

Some teach publicly.

Others serve almost unnoticed.

Some have followed Jesus for decades.

Others have only recently believed.

Yet certain characteristics should increasingly appear in every disciple.

None of these happens perfectly.

But together they describe the direction of a life shaped by Christ.

A Question Worth Asking

It is possible to ask:

“Am I a Christian?”

But discipleship encourages us to ask a more searching question:

“Am I actually learning to follow Jesus?”

That difference between identifying as a Christian and living as a genuine disciple is explored more fully in Two Kinds of Christians .

Not perfectly.

Not without struggles.

Not without failures.

But genuinely.

Is His Word shaping me?

Am I becoming more obedient?

Am I becoming more loving?

Am I learning to surrender?

Am I depending upon Him more deeply?

Am I becoming more like Christ?

Those questions are not meant to produce fear.

They are invitations to growth.

Jesus does not merely call us to believe something once.

He invites us to walk with Him for a lifetime.

Reflection

Take a few moments to consider these questions:

1. Before reading this teaching, how would you have defined the word disciple?
2. Which aspect of discipleship seems strongest in your life right now?
3. Which area needs the most growth?
4. Is there something Jesus has been asking you to obey that you have been resisting?
5. Are there other believers who are helping you grow as a disciple?
6. Is there someone you could begin encouraging in his or her walk with Christ?
7. If someone observed your life closely, what would they learn about following Jesus?

Take the Next Step

Discipleship can feel overwhelming if we think we must change everything at once.

Jesus usually leads us one step at a time.

So ask a simple question:

“Jesus, what is my next step?”

Perhaps your next step is establishing a daily time in Scripture.

Perhaps it is prayer.

Perhaps it is joining a church or small group.

Perhaps it is forgiving someone.

Perhaps it is confessing a hidden sin.

Perhaps it is serving.

Perhaps it is trusting God with an area you have been trying to control.

Perhaps it is helping another person grow spiritually.

Do not worry about taking every step today.

Take the next one.

Then keep following.

Continue Week Three

Complete the Week Three Study Guide

You have finished the Week Three teaching. Now take time to explore the key Scriptures more closely, reflect on what discipleship means in your own life, pray, and consider the next faithful step Jesus is asking you to take.

Begin the Week Three Study Guide →