Let’s look at discipleship:

At the time of this writing, COVID is reorganizing America. Biden has placed a presidential suggestion that is being called both a mandate and an order that will possibly soon to possibly shut down American businesses. We are not going to have a new normal. The new normal will be radical change in virtually every aspect of our lives. This radical change is not just locking down American businesses with vaccine mandates. In the background, it is changing the morality of America. Schools are teaching all grade levels immorality as a normal way of life. Children in the early years are taught about different sexual styles that in my lifetime have moved from being crimes to being “normal”. Children are also being taught in California schools to chant to Aztec gods as an enlightenment project. There is a myriad of things going on which is undermining the family structure on a national level. We are not moving toward a great “reset”, we are moving toward a time when sleeping Christians will be forced to hard decisions or to compromise with pure evil.

Luke 21:10–19 (NASB95)

¹⁰ Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, ¹¹ and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. ¹² “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. ¹³ “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. ¹⁴ “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; ¹⁵ for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. ¹⁶ “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, ¹⁷ and you will be hated by all because of My name. ¹⁸ “Yet not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ “By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Luke 12:51–53 (NASB95)

⁵¹ “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; ⁵² for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Jesus called every believer to stand apart from the society that we live in right down to the family unit. I was recently involved in a Messianic church that sought to blend Christianity with Judaism. Later I realized that the blending of Christianity was more of eliminating Christianity and infusing Judaism. Then mix in some radical ideas that were not consistent with either. Jesus was faced with the same problem. When He lived on earth, Judaism had become corrupted with rabbinics. He had a constant battle with the Rabbi’s that eventually caused them to have Him crucified. Therefore, when Jesus taught to make disciples of all nations, He was not teaching to make rabbinical Jews of all nations. What was He teaching?

I firmly believe that when you see the name Lord in the Old Testament, this was the name for Jesus in the Old Testament. Therefore, Jesus was teaching a great reset. He was calling for a return to the original instructions that He had given to the Jewish people when He gave instructions in the form of several covenants and in the form of the “law”. I put “law” in italics because if properly translated, this word should be “instruction”. This encompassed the book of Leviticus and the instructions given during the Exodus. This reset was returning to the original instructions through the many parables and teachings found in the New Testament such as the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus said:

Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB95)

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus did not say go and make “church members” of all nations. He did not say go and make “Jews” of all nations. Jesus said go and make disciples of all nations. The word disciple is used in the New Testament 239 times referring to both a group of people and to the nature of this group. Let’s look at the meaning of the word before we continue.

One of the most concise definitions is this:

μαθητής, οῦ, ὁ (1) as one who directs his mind to something learner, disciple, pupil (LU 6:40); (2) in a more technical sense disciple, apprentice; specifically in the NT as one who attached himself to a spiritual leader, such as Jesus (MT 12:1), John the Baptist (JN 3:25); (3) in a broader sense disciple, follower, one who adhered intellectually and spiritually to religious leaders, such as Jesus (AC 11:26), the Pharisees (MT 22:16), John the Baptist (AC 19:1), Moses (JN 9:28b)^[1]

The implication of the word through the New Testament as it referred to Jesus’ core 12 was more in the line of an apprentice. Jesus taught the disciples how to put into action His word and how to put into action what He was doing. This was apparent on several occasions. Jesus sent out two groups of disciples to teach, preach and do miracles, they had great success (Luke 10:1-19; Mark 6:7-13).

Mark 6:7–13 (NASB95)

⁷ And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; ⁸ and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— ⁹ but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” ¹⁰ And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. ¹¹ “Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” ¹² They went out and preached that men should repent. ¹³ And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

The major focus of the Gospels was to teach what Jesus taught. We have a few clues that the disciples were putting into action what He was teaching.

Mark 9:18 (NASB95)

¹⁸ and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

Mark 9:28–29 (NASB95)

²⁸ When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” ²⁹ And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

The Church has become a place where great orators gather to infuse their great knowledge and insight into the people of God. The idea of discipleship is far from normal since it would involve getting down and into the lives of each church goer. In one sense, church members are disciples if they are dedicated learners. The New Testament teaches that disciples are not only learners, they are apprentices, and they are doers of what they learn.

When we “reset” the church, we are looking to create an environment where people will be able to become apprentices and doers of what they are learning. A situation where there is a pulpit and pews simply will not work. This is a hands-on relationship between the leaders and the people. Consider the following:

Imagine that you are involved in a church that removed the show that we have in almost all churches today. Remove the Pastor, his main function is that of an orator who’s main job is to infuse the congregation with the pearls of wisdom that he has gleaned from the scriptures in the previous week. Sometimes these gleanings are from “canned” sermons such as Logos’ sermon builder application. Sometimes the gleanings are from a topical or sermon based on a series drawn from the Bible. Removing this function removes the half of the show from the church setting. It removes the “teaching” show.

Now remove the band and the music minister. Although this part of the ministry moves people to a place of spirituality, it is more for show and for getting the audience involved. Think about it though. If you reduce the church to the size that will fit in a home such as the New Testament church, where do you have room for a band and music ministry?

Now remove the entertainment center of the church. What is this? This is everything included in the stage area. Perhaps this is better referred to as the pulpit and elevated floor at the front of the church.

Discipleship can only take place in an intimate setting of a very few people. It would be very hard to disciple more than twelve men and their families. Jesus did it with twelve. He is God. The Jewish synagogue was originally set at ten men and their families. Perhaps this is a number we should consider for a target level of teaching.

I am going to stop for now. The next study will look at styles of discipleship.

Thanks,

Joe.

NT New Testament

^[1] Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 251.