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This is the last part of a four part post.

Starting with the “Great Commission,” we have looked in [past] [posts] at what Jesus is actually about in this commission to his followers. He says:

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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. (Matt 28:19-20; NIV)

They are to make other people disciples of Jesus just as they are His disciples. [Jesus’ central concern], then, is that his followers truly be his disciples and that they train others to be disciples.

But what is a disciple? At the time of Jesus, it was someone who dropped everything to follow a master, to live with him, 24 hours a day, every day. His goal was to learn as much as possible from him, to imitate him even in little things. For this, he left behind his whole life: everything he had built, his business, his family.

The focus of a disciple, his attention, was completely on his Master. Jesus taught his followers by sharing his whole life with them. He traveled with his disciples, he ate with them, and he lived with them. 24 hours a day, the disciples learned to consciously imitate their Master.

So being a disciple was something incredibly radical. And Jesus gives his disciples in the “Great Commission” the order to pass on this way of life to other people, to make them his disciples as well.

But it is precisely this radicalism that frightens me. Some time ago, during an evening of prayer in my church, I put it this way: “Am I really a disciple of Jesus?”

Yes: I am a Christian. I grew up in a good Christian home. At home, we prayed together regularly, went to church as a family every Sunday. Afterward, my father read to us children from the children’s Bible. I am very grateful for this time. In my youth, I came into contact with free church groups, and in one service I explicitly “gave my life to Jesus”, as we called it.

The logical consequence for me was to study theology. I found a church, was soon allowed to preach there, was called to the teaching ministry, and finally to the church leadership, where I served for over 20 years.

So, why then can I raise the question of whether I am really a disciple of Jesus?

Of course, I have learned a lot in all these years. But it was very different for the first followers of Jesus. Just the decision to leave everything to learn, to learn intensively, is miles away from my life.

What did it mean to be Jesus’ disciple back then? The demand was great:

They wanted to live their lives as if Jesus was living it.

And there was only one way to get there: to always be with Jesus, to observe him closely, and to incorporate his behaviors into their lives.

And that is exactly what I am missing. Of course, I have internalized certain traits of Jesus, and I try to make them the basis of my decisions. And so I also grow a bit over time. I certainly have traits of a disciple, too, in those areas where my behavior and convictions are shaped by Jesus. But what I lack is what the disciples did back then: the constant observation of Jesus. The unconditional will to become more and more like him. And that is exactly what makes a disciple. That I live my life as if Jesus were living it.

So I would call myself an enthusiastic follower of Jesus rather than a disciple. A very important difference.

How do I become a more consequent disciple?

So I asked myself: How then do I become a more consequential, more intentional disciple?

For the first disciples, it was much easier in one respect: They could observe Jesus, discuss with him, try out behaviors that they saw in him. And he could help them when they got stuck.

We do not have these opportunities today. But what we do have are some tools to become better disciples of Jesus. To grow in being disciples.

Three aids

The Gospels

First, we have the Gospels, where we can see how Jesus lived. After all, becoming a disciple means imitating the Master.

To do this, it is helpful to read the Gospels with concrete questions, for example:

  • How did Jesus approach people?
  • How did he talk to them?
  • How did he react to attacks?
  • What did he do when he met someone who was in trouble?
  • How did he tell people about his Father-God?
  • What did his practical life of faith look like?
  • What teachings have come down to us from him?

Even if we can no longer meet the man Jesus directly, we can try to live for ourselves what we discover of him in the Gospels.

How does that work in concrete terms? If you want to get serious: what can that look like? I’ll tell you how I do it, and how you can try it. This is only a suggestion; it is just the way that is most helpful for me.

  1. Make a conscious decision to become a more consistent disciple of Jesus. It can help if you write this decision in your diary, for example. Or you might create a notebook or a document on your computer in which you record your experiences with being a disciple.
  2. Take a gospel as a guide, a manual. Start at the beginning of a Gospel and read it slowly and carefully. Pay attention to every passage where you can see what Jesus was like, what he did and how, or what he taught.
  3. As soon as you discover something like this, think: is this relevant to my life? Can I learn something from it? How can I implement this concretely in my everyday life? And then try it, for one or more days. Write down your experiences.
  4. After this time, think about how you did. Do you need more practice? Is there anything you can improve? Or do you need help? Who can you talk to about this? Again, record this in your diary.
  5. And then read on in your Gospel to the next passage where you can see what Jesus was like, what he did and how, or what he taught.

It’s not necessarily about experiencing the same things described in the Bible. It’s about finding out what being a disciple of Jesus means to you personally.

I believe that no one becomes a disciple in the sense of Jesus by chance. It takes a firm decision. I am also on the way right now. I started with my favorite gospel: the Gospel of Mark.

The Holy Spirit

The second help to grow as a disciple of Jesus is the Spirit of God. Jesus says:

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26; NIV)

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears […] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. (Joh. 16, 13f; NIV)

Powerful, isn’t it? When you set out to become a more consistent disciple of Jesus, you are never alone. When you work with a gospel, the Holy Spirit is there to explain what is important for you. He will help you.

But he is also there in situations for which you will not find an example in the Bible. The more you come to understand what Jesus is like, the easier it will be for you to discover the quiet hints of the Holy Spirit in your everyday life.

Friends who are on the same path

We can also help each other. Talk in your small group about your questions, your big and small successes and failures. Pray for each other, listen together to what the Holy Spirit wants to emphasize right now.

These are some ways we can grow as disciples of Jesus.

Danger: Perfectionism

Maybe you would like to become more like Jesus. That’s what attracts you. But then you get scared. What about all the radical statements in the Bible? Doesn’t Jesus ask for much more than you can accomplish? What if he wants to send you to Mongolia?

Well: Jesus does not mince words. He makes radical demands. For example:

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:34f; NIV)

So he’s all about unconditional loyalty. It doesn’t get more radical than that. Except perhaps with Paul:

[We all are to] reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:13; NIV)

Have you ever read this before? The standard for your life could not be higher: It is not less than the Christ in all His fullness. Impossible, isn’t it?

But don’t be put off by this seemingly impossible claim. Let’s look at how Jesus trained his disciples: He gave them small tasks. They could try their hand at practical things: organizing events, for example, getting food for the people who were listening to Jesus. Or Jesus sent them to the neighboring villages to speak to others about the kingdom of God, about the love of the Father-God. And then they came together again, and Jesus gave them feedback.

Jesus never assumed that a disciple would be perfect. The standard, the goal is high. But Jesus works with what his followers can give.

A wonderful example is the final mission of the disciples: the Bible passage we read at the beginning, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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.” But do you know what comes immediately before this passage in the Bible?

the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. (Matt 28:16f; EÜ)

Jesus knew that his disciples were not perfect. Despite all they had experienced with him over the years, some were still not sure. But the great thing is that even though some, in our opinion, certainly do not meet the standard, even though they still doubt Jesus after all these years, Jesus still entrusts them with his life’s work.

There is no place for meritocracy in following Jesus, or for worrying about not being good enough. Although Jesus does not take back his high standard: He works with what we can give. He does not even rebuke his followers for their doubts.

Our challenges today are different from those of Jesus’ time. Maybe your everyday life is already too busy: with work, children, school, volunteer work. There is not much left. Maybe you can only give a little. But that is enough. And that is exactly what Jesus wants to use.

So I want to encourage you to become a more consistent disciple of Jesus. I have shown you one possible way to do this. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Be blessed!


All parts of this series:



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Cover photo:

Lyricmac at [English Wikipedia]. [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.