Discipleship Defined
Part 1 - What is it?
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Over the last couple of weeks, we talked briefly about how God’s judgment upon a nation is not necessarily tied to salvation. These things are not mutually exclusive. The fact that Nineveh was ultimately met with God’s judgment and destruction does not mean that no one in Nineveh was saved.
Yet we know from their own history that they did not need to experience God’s judgment. When they repented, God relented. Eventually, collectively and corporately, it all went wrong.
Discipleship is perhaps something that could have prevented their regression back to wicked ways. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “iron sharpens iron,” so if they’d been sharpening each other as their faith had deepened, they might not have ended up where they ended up. (Speculative but useful for lessons)
So we’re going to look at discipleship in our modern context (and a lot of this comes from a teaching a sister in Christ did at my church, which you should watch if you’re interested in more).
First, let’s define our terms:
What is discipleship?
It is a commitment to follow the Lord, obey His commands, grow deeper in trust and faith in Him, and repent of sin. It’s building and deepening our relationship with God. The next layer is helping others do this as well.
Matthew 28:18-20 – 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
So there is a level of obedience asked of us as Christians. Then we teach and help those around us who’ve committed to following Christ do the same.
In the linked teaching, Kameron said, “Discipleship is so relational. We can only disciple in relationship.”
So that first starts with God and our relationship with Him. Then it moves from us to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is how “iron sharpens iron!”
Iron can’t sharpen iron if it’s not:
Already iron (meaning in relationship with God)
Around other iron (meaning other believers)
So we need to be in Christ first and then in relationship with other believers for discipleship. Next time, we’ll discuss more about how we do this.
If you woke up this morning, it’s not too late.
Grace & peace,
Michelle Kampmeier