Discipleship

  
All I Have Commanded, Chapter 5
by Dan Bentley and E. Jay O'Keefe
 

Important Note: These “one-liners” for each command are provided in order to get a quick grasp of the entire category of commands. They can be read at a single sitting, which we recommend doing. But they are not a substitute for the full text. We urge you to read every full reference from the Scriptures in its context.

FROM JESUS

MATTHEW
28:18,19 Go and make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
28:20 Teach them to obey all I have commanded, and I will be with you to the end of the Church Age.

JOHN
15:16 Go out and bear fruit, the fruit that should remain. Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

FROM THE APOSTLES

ACTS
4:2, 20-21,33 Teach people and proclaim in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
6:1-4 Select deacons for personal ministries, so we leaders may give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
10:34-35 Understand God does not show partiality, but whoever fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
10:42 Preach to people and teach that Jesus has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.
20:28-31 Be on your guard for false teachers. Protect the flock the Holy Spirit has given you to shepherd.
26:20 Keep proclaiming that all should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

ROMANS
12:3-8, 16 Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought, but soberly as you identify the gifts God has given you.
12:3-8, 16 Exercise your gifts as the Spirit leads.

1 CORINTHIANS
4:1-2 Regard your leaders as stewards of Christ and God’s mysteries. It is required that stewards be found trustworthy.
14:29-33 Let people prophecy or preach in the assembly one by one, maximum three at a time
14:29-33 Allow anyone to stand up and preach if he feels led, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

2 CORINTHIANS
13:11 Rejoice, grow spiritually to maturity, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace.

GALATIANS
6:1 If a person is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual restore him, in a spirit of gentleness, lest you also be tempted.

EPHESIANS
4:11-16 Don’t be as children, tossed about by every wind of doctrine and deceit of men, rather speak the truth in love.
4:29 Let no unwholesome word come from your mouth, but only that good for edification.
5:6-8 Let no one deceive you with words which bring the wrath of God on the disobedient. Don’t partake with them.
5:11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose/reprove them.
5:15-17 Be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, understanding what the will of God is.
6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

PHILIPPIANS
2:12-13 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God works in you to will and to do His good pleasure.
4:8-9 Let your mind dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, lovely, of good report, i.e. anything worthy of praise.

COLOSSIANS
2:8-10 Don’t let anyone deceive you according to the world’s philosophy and traditions, rather than according to Christ.

1 THESSALONIANS
2:1-12 Remember that ideal discipleship involves pure motives, serving individuals and extended time together
4:1-2 Excel in your walk according to the commandments given you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
5:20 Do not despise prophetic utterances.
5:21-22 Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

2 TIMOTHY
1:13-14 Retain the standard of sound words of your teachers, and guard them as a treasure entrusted to you.
2:1-2 Entrust the things your leaders have taught you to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3:16-17 Remember that all Scripture is inspired by God
3:16-17 Remember that all Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correction and instruction in righteousness.
  
HEBREWS
6:1-2 Leave the elementary teachings about Christ and press on to maturity.

1 PETER
2:1-2 Put aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Long for the pure milk of the word by which you may grow.

JUDE
3-23 Contend earnestly for the faith against ungodly men among you who are promoting immorality and rebellion.
17-19 Remember how the apostles warned you about mockers in the last time who would be immoral and divisive.
22 Have mercy on those who have been influenced by ungodly, immoral rebels but who are still willing to listen.
23 Harshly confront those who have embraced ungodly values, making a last-chance effort to save them.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

Discipleship has to do with fulfilling the second part of the Great Commission, teaching converts to obey all Christ has commanded. So in a sense it’s subject matter is this entire manuscript. Read through the list and you will find some helpful suggestions on how to do that. For example, notice the repeated emphasis on examining all teachings and adhering strictly to sound doctrine received from Christ and the apostles, while rejecting the philosophies and principles of the world. And remember, even though not every Christian has the gift of evangelism, each one of us is called to “do the work of an evangelist,” which includes fulfilling the second part of the Great Commission. (Jay)

As with all these categories, Jesus begins with definitive statements, which clarify our position and responsibility, then the apostles come along and expand on His ideas. The Great Commission, from Matthew 28:19ff is magnified in importance due to the timing of the order and the succinct nature of its content. Go everywhere, disregard cultural and ethnic divisions (How long did the early church struggle with that one? Oh yes, it is still struggling with that one), baptize them (struggling with that too). TEACH THEM TO OBEY all Jesus commanded the original disciples. I am certainly hopeful that this exercise we are engaged in moves us closer to fulfilling this edict of our Lord Jesus Christ. Striving to obey is evidence of a heart willing to make the effort to deliver a good showing in Jesus’ Olympic race. Yearning for affection and approval of One who loves you to the uttermost already is an exciting and humbling experience, which should keep us motivated for a lifetime. “Lord, I love you. I want to obey. Show me how.” (Dan)

Discipleship is the factory which allows us to fashion the tools and learn the trade we are to be engaged in. We enter the front door at the plant, train with those further along in the process than ourselves, take remedial classes and exams, until we are ready to move on to the next level, then hopefully enter our service to reproduce in others those qualities the Lord has placed in us. All the while the Lord lovingly watches over His chosen and new found friends who are at various stages of development. He is the unseen management sector of this vast enterprise. He is directing the action and setting the agenda. The discipline is tailored to the individual. What comes next depends on what will be best for that particular disciple. It all makes sense from above the production floor, and from the vantage point of the completed graduates. Don’t spend much time trying to figure it out while you are hard at it in the plant. Just do what is placed in front of you. (Walk through the doors opened to you). Do it well. Watch for the next opportunity. (Dan)

There are two sides to discipleship, and hopefully you will be on both. Actually, if you don’t resist Him, He will make sure you are on both sides. Being part of the team that is doing the training doesn’t mean you stop being trained, but you are further along as a trainer. More responsibility, more reward, more peril. The apostles in Acts were commanded to teach in Jesus the resurrection from the dead, Jesus as the Christ, and Jesus as the One appointed by God to be the Judge. We are all, leaders and laity, to be on guard against false teachers. Some of them are really good (skillful at deceiving), but remember who’s in charge. The Lord made the one who became a false teacher. He gave the man discernable traits you will recognize as error. You can tell what kind of tree it is by its fruit. Be discerning, but don’t panic. Your Father is on your side. (Dan)

Discipleship is growing to maturity. It is exercise. It is about God’s word and familiarity with it, a hunger to know more and to use the training. “Understanding what the will of God is” (Ephesians 5:15-17) is what this entire manuscript is about. If you study the two Appendices and still need to know what God’s will for your life is, you’d better go look at yourself again in the mirror, and read each of the commandments to yourself again. The yoke is there. It is easy. It fits you. Just let Him put it on and start walking. (Dan)