What Does it Mean to be a Disciple of Christ?

Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. The word “disciple” carries the idea of being an apprentice or a pupil of a master teacher. The word also conveys the idea that certain disciplines are necessary to carry out the responsibilities of a disciple. A modern tragedy is that many come to Christ for salvation but never experience what it means to be His disciple. Today I want us to focus on what it really means to follow Jesus as His disciple.

Being a disciple has three basic components according to Luke 9:23. The first is to deny yourself. That means we must renounce a self-centered life to follow Christ as His disciple. The second component is to take up your cross. That is, die to self and live for Christ. Third, Jesus says, “Follow Me.” That means to minister in His name. These components really get to the motivation of the disciple.

We abide in Christ by spending time with Him—John 15:5. Every serious disciple must learn to develop a daily personal “quiet time” with God. The concept is simple. If I am to learn from Christ, I must spend time with Him. To meet with the Lord, find a quiet place and a quiet time that works for you and then aim for consistency. Don’t worry about the number of minutes you spend in prayer and reading the Word. Focus instead on having at least a brief time every day.

Living in the Word is a basic discipline of a disciple according to John 8:31-32. We need to hear the Word preached and taught. We need to read the Word regularly and study it using a pen and paper to write down what God is saying to us. When we include memorization and meditation, we are on our way to growing deeper in the Word of God. There is no shortcut to knowing your Bible.

According to John 15:7, praying in faith is another basic discipline of a disciple. For years I have used a simple four-part approach in my personal prayer time. It spells the word P-R-A-Y. I begin with praise. Praise focuses on the character of God and includes times of thanksgiving. Repentance requires serious self-examination and confession of specific sins to maintain a clear conscience with God. Asking is the next part of my prayer time. I ask for blessings and help for myself as well as others. Yielding is the fourth part of my prayer time as I seek to recommit myself to the Lord all over again.

Fellowshipping with Believers is a vital part to being a disciple—John 13:34-35. The church is not a building or organization though it uses both. The church is a living “body” carrying out Christ’s ministry on earth today. I don’t think anyone can be a serious follower of Christ without involvement in the local church unless, perhaps, they are providentially hindered.

The next discipline of a disciple is witnessing to the world. John 15:8 gives little room for our many attempts at excusing ourselves from sharing Christ with the lost. Through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) we witness through our lifestyles, but the reality is that no one is saved without a verbal witness (1 Peter 3:15). As His disciple we must be ready to share when He opens a door.

Finally, a disciple is one who ministers to others—John 15:13. We each have received a spiritual gift (1 Peter 4:10) with which to serve. There is always a way to serve others, no matter our age or abilities. By such love toward each other, the world knows we are His followers.