What Is Discipleship and Why Does It Start With You?

What Is Discipleship and Why Does It Start With You?

Discipleship is one of those words that gets thrown around in church circles, but what does it actually mean to live it out? This post breaks down the call to make disciples, why so many of us are waiting when we should be moving, and how the state of our homes and hearts affects our ability to lead others toward Christ.

What Does "Disciple" Actually Mean?

The Greek word for making disciples is matheteuo, and it simply means to make disciples. But let's look at what a disciple actually is.

As a noun, a disciple is a learner, a scholar, someone who receives instruction from another. It also describes a follower and adherent to the doctrines of another. As a verb, to disciple means to teach, to train, to bring up, or to convert someone to the principles of another.

So when Jesus says go and make disciples, He is not just asking us to gather followers. He is asking us to teach, train, and invest in people so they can grow in their faith and go do the same for others.

Is the Great Commission Still for Us Today?

Some people read the Great Commission and assume it was a one-time assignment for the twelve apostles. They did their part, and now we can rest. But that is not what Scripture says.

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" - Matthew 28:18-20

If He is with us until the end of the age, He wants us making disciples until the end of the age. The Great Commission is not a historical footnote. It is a present-day calling for every believer.

Why Are So Many Christians Waiting for Someone Else to Go First?

Here is a pattern that shows up over and over again. Someone feels called to step into something, but they wait. They wait for an invitation, for someone to notice their talent, for a leader to come find them. And while they are waiting, nothing happens.

Think about a sheep pen. All the sheep are just hanging out. The shepherd calls, and one sheep hears the voice and starts moving. Then the others follow. Someone has to move first. That sheep becomes a leader simply by responding.

The same is true in the church. If you are sitting and waiting for someone else to go first, maybe they are waiting for you. The invitation to step in was already given. The longer you wait to say yes, the longer it takes for the people around you to receive what you carry.

What Is the Role of Church Leadership in Discipleship?

Ephesians 4 makes the role of leadership very clear.

"And He gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of God." - Ephesians 4:11-13

Leadership exists to equip the saints for the work of service. That means the job of a pastor or teacher is not to do all the ministry while everyone else watches. It is to train and prepare the people in the room so they can go out and do the work themselves.

But here is the other side of that coin. If you show up and say the Lord sent you here to be equipped, someone has to be ready to receive you. Discipleship is a two-way street. Leaders must be intentional about raising people up, and the people must be willing to step forward and say, "Here I am."

What Does It Mean to Have Your House in Order Before Leading Others?

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it."

We often apply this verse only to parenting, but there is a broader principle here. If we are called to make disciples, our first place of discipleship is our own home. How we relate to God is often shaped by how we relate to the people closest to us. How we lead at home is how we will lead everywhere else.

If your home is out of balance, it will show up in how you lead others. You cannot pour out what you do not have. And if what you are pouring out is busyness, performance, or spiritual appearance without real depth, that is exactly what you will reproduce in the people you disciple.

Are You Trying to Be Someone Else's Holy Spirit?

One of the most convicting truths in this area is the temptation to step into a role that belongs to God alone. It is easy to see what someone else needs to do and feel compelled to tell them, push them, or pressure them into it. But that is not discipleship. That is control.

When you try to force someone into what God is doing in their life, you are sitting in God's seat. Your job is to pray, to speak when God says speak, and to trust Him with the outcome. If God is not speaking, if Jesus is not pointing, and if the Holy Spirit is not leading, the wisest thing you can do is be quiet and pray.

You are not their Holy Spirit. And the moment you try to be, you lose the trust and the relationship that makes real discipleship possible.

What Does Healthy Discipleship Actually Look Like?

Discipleship is not about keeping people close to you forever. It is about helping them grow until they reach your ceiling, and then releasing them to go higher.

If someone you are discipling has learned everything you have to offer, do not hold them back out of pride or attachment. Let them step on your ceiling and make it their floor. Your relationship does not have to end. They simply need more than one voice, more than one teacher, more than one weapon in their arsenal.

And if you are the one being discipled, do not leave one season of mentorship without knowing where you are going next. Walking away without direction is not freedom. It is just being alone. Good discipleship has a handoff, not just an exit.

You Do Not Have to Be Perfect to Disciple Someone

One of the biggest lies that keeps people from stepping into discipleship is the belief that they have to have it all figured out first. You do not.

If you are at a level four and someone else is at a level one, you have something they need. Your job is to bring them up to where you are while you keep pressing toward where God is calling you. As you grow, they grow. And somewhere along the way, iron starts sharpening iron.

You have been equipped. Regardless of your age or how long you have been following Christ, God has placed things in your hands that are meant to be used. The question is whether you are willing to open your hands and offer what you have.

Life Application

This week, take one concrete step toward discipleship. If you are in a leadership role, pray and ask God to show you who He wants you to invest in. Then go to that person, not with a title or a formal program, but with friendship and intentionality. If you are not in a formal leadership role, ask God to show you someone you can walk alongside, someone who has something you want, or someone who needs what you already carry.

Before you do either of those things, take an honest look at your own house. Where is your life out of balance? Where are you performing spiritually without real depth underneath it? Where have you been trying to play Holy Spirit in someone else's life instead of trusting God to do what only He can do?

Ask yourself these questions this week:

• Am I waiting for someone else to go first when God may be waiting for me to move?

• Is my home life, my prayer life, and my relationship with God producing something I would actually want to pass on to someone else?

• Who has God placed in my life that I could invest in, and what is stopping me from taking that first step?

• Am I holding someone back who has outgrown what I can offer them, and do I need to release them to their next season?

The Great Commission was not given to a select few. It was given to every believer. That includes you. The world is waiting for what God has placed in your hands. Stop waiting for someone else to go first.