Biblically speaking, a disciple is a sincere believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, one who is abiding in His Word and consequently being set free from sin. A disciple is one who is learning to obey all of Christ’s commandments, and one who loves Jesus more than his own family, his own comfort, and his possessions, and he manifests that love by his lifestyle. Jesus’ true disciples love one another and demonstrate that love in practical ways. They are bearing fruit.[1] These are the kinds of people Jesus wants.
Obviously those who are not His disciples cannot make disciples for Him. Thus we must first be certain that we ourselves are His disciples before we attempt to make any disciples for Him. Many ministers, when weighed against the biblical definition of what a disciple is, fall short. There is no hope that such ministers can make disciples, and they in fact, won’t even try. They are not committed enough themselves to Jesus Christ to endure the difficulties that come with making true disciples.
From this point on, I’m going to assume that ministers who continue reading are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ themselves, fully committed to obeying His commandments. If you are not, there is no sense in your reading any further until you make the necessary commitment to become a true disciple. Don’t wait any longer! Fall on your knees and repent! By His marvelous grace, God will forgive you and make you a new creation in Christ!
[1] This definition is derived from what we’ve already read in Matthew 28:18-20, John 8:31-32; 13:25, 15:8 and Luke 14:25-33.
