Discipleship: A Unified Understanding

New Perspectives – Discipleship:
A Unified Understanding
Joshua Bush, Discipleship Minister

Last year, we talked a lot about discipleship.  We talked about who has been called to be disciples.  The answer is everyone!  We talked about how we have to be intentional–Noticing people and Jesus, Naming people and naming Jesus as savior, and Knowing others and knowing Jesus on a level that brings life and transformation.

We also talked about some of the characteristics of Discipleship.  We know that we’ve all been called to be Faithful, Reliable, Teachable, Mature, and Committed to the Body and to Christ.  These attributes and conversations give us a great starting point to launch from on our journey toward being a better disciple.

Yet the question remains:  What is discipleship and what is the goal of being a disciple of Jesus Christ?  This may seem like an obvious question, but let’s break it down a little bit.  Take a moment and in one to two sentences write down your definition of a disciple as concisely as possible.  Take your time, I’ll wait… OK!  Now right below that, write down the goal of being a disciple.  Waiting…waiting… Good!  Okay.

Now go to your spouse, your mom, your brother, your dad, your daughter, or your son.  Don’t share your own answer with them!  This step is important.  Ask them first to give you their answer to the same questions:  “What is discipleship and what is the goal of being a disciple of Jesus Christ?”  You can even ask them to write it down and you two can compare it together in just a second.  Once they’ve given their answer, take a look back at your answer.  Are they the same?  Most likely, both of your answers are completely different.  There may be similarities like characteristics, practices, an agreed belief in Jesus as Savior, etc.  Yet, notice that your definitions and goals are more likely than not completely different.  Why?

If the answer seems so obvious, then why were your answers different?  You see, if we are to be a body of believers who are all on the same page when it comes to how we live out our faith, we should all have a baseline, unified, and identical understanding of what a disciple is, what Jesus meant when he said “Go and make disciples,” and what our goals are regarding our faith in Jesus.  We should all be on the same page, because if we’re not then we’ll all be going in different directions.

Now having variety is always a good thing but when we are trying to all walk towards the Kingdom of God, our goal and understanding of our faith should be the same.  We don’t want one person headed this way and another that way.  It’s counterproductive to have people pulling in different directions when we are all trying to reach the same goal.  If one person’s understanding of being a disciple is A, but another person thinks being a disciple means B, that ultimately frustrates the process of disciple-making.

Let me show you simply where we’re headed.  Next month, I’m going to flesh out the answers to the questions you’ve just answered for yourselves.  So here is a quick and easy definition and goal of discipleship.

What is the definition of discipleship:  Following Jesus, being formed by Jesus, and being on mission with Jesus.

What is the goal of discipleship: Maturity in Jesus Christ.

It’s that simple.  Yes, there is a LOT behind these statements that we will get into in the coming months, but for right now I want you to think about what these statements mean for both you and for the church.  Not just the church as a whole, but also for Cornerstone specifically.

As you let these sit and ripen in your mind, I encourage you to go back all the way to May of 2023 and take a look at the beginning of this Discipleship series we’ve been working on.  See if you can piece together where we’re going to be going with this and what this will mean for our lives and for the direction God is leading Cornerstone.

We want to be a church that makes disciples.  Disciples that can’t help themselves but to make other disciples of Jesus Christ.  Let’s all get on the same page so we know what direction we’re going in, the end goal we are seeking, and how we are going to get there.  With the new year, let’s be intentional about what Jesus calls us to do.