What did Jesus say about being a disciple? If Jesus heard that question, he might say, “I’m glad you asked! I actually spent a good bit of time teaching about that very topic!” We don’t need to cobble a bunch of random verses together to get an answer; He’s laid it out for us.
Recently I’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount. Most commentators would agree that these teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5-7 are central to what true discipleship means. These chapters form a foundation of discipleship that many have built upon (i.e. Bonhoeffer in Cost of Discipleship, Willard in Divine Conspiracy).
Jesus spent His three years of ministry with a focused purpose on raising up a band of disciples who would continue to live out His Kingdom mission after He was gone. In John 17:4 Jesus claims to have “completed the work” the Father had given Him to do. In John 17:6 He goes on to describe that work: “I have revealed you (Father) to those whom you gave me (the disciples)” (NIV).
Through this blog, I’d like to focus our attention on aspects of discipling others—Jesus’ way. His teachings align very well with the purpose of this blog:
Looking at what it is to …
- Grow in relationship with God
- Know and live from the Scriptures
- Live among those who don’t know Christ
- Engage in community with other Christ-followers
- Show Christ-followers how to help others follow Christ