https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disciple
Definition of disciple
1 : one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another: such as
a Christianity : one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ's followers according to the Gospel accounts
b : a convinced adherent of a school or individual
2 capitalized, Christianity : a member of the Disciples of Christ founded in the U.S. in 1809 that holds the Bible alone to be the rule of faith and practice, usually baptizes by immersion, and has a congregational polity
Christian discipleship is a lifestyle built on one concept, love; love that is accepting, encouraging, and forgiving. A love centered on God, extended to yourself, and everyone else.
Learning what love is and how to practice love is a life-changing experience.
Practicing Christian discipleship teaches you what love is and how to love God, yourself, and others.
While practicing Christian discipleship, you will experience joy, peace, freedom, and many other life-giving benefits.
How does one start? It all starts with love...
Table of Contents
What Is Christian Discipleship?
Apply Faith: Believe in Scripture
Scripture is Breathed of God Profitable For Reaching, Reproof, Correction, and Training
God will provide you the desires He puts in your heart
Above all, Love God First. Then Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Continuously Refine Beliefs and Perspective
Seek Neither Poverty nor Riches, Seek Wisdom Instead
Guard yourself against the love of Money
Are your actions producing good fruit?
Are your actions producing bad fruit?
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son...
1 John 4:19 (ESV)
19 We love because he first loved us.
All of Christianity is based upon one simple concept, love. God's love for us. Christ's love for us.
God's first act of love for you and I was demonstrated through God sending His only son to save us:
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Discipleship starts first with exercising faith by believing God sent His only son to save us. This belief of God sending His son to save us, because of God's love for us, is the corner stone Christianity is based upon.
In addition to God modeling love through action and deed, He instructs us the most important thing in life is to love.
Romans 13:8 (ESV)
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:10 (ESV)
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
John 15:12 (ESV)
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17 (ESV)
These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
1 Corinthians 16:14 (ESV)
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I believe this is worth repeating - God teaches us the most important thing in life is love…
Along with God modeling and commanding us to love, He lays out instructions and knowledge on what love is, how to identify love, and how to love.
Being a disciple of Christ is to love; love God, yourself, and others the way God teaches us to love through scripture.
Now that we have established Christian Discipleship is all about practicing Godly love, here are some concepts and scriptures we use to practice Christian Discipleship (AKA love) daily:
James 2:14, 17 (ESV)
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Mark 12:28-31 (ESV)
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
1 John 3:11 (ESV)
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I am called to love others unconditionally, unbiasedly, holistically, and all of the time, just as Christ loves me.
John 15:12 (ESV)
12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Proverbs 3:3-4 (ESV)
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.
1 John 4:18 (ESV)
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
To refine beliefs and clarify perceptions, I must renew my mind through reading and meditating on God’s Word.
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Meditate on and follow the Word of God.
Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Proverbs 3:1-2 (ESV)
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
I do not see clearly, nor are my beliefs perfect therefore, I am not qualified to judge others.
Matthew 7:1-2 (ESV)
1 Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:37 (ESV)
37 Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
John 12:47 (ESV) (Words of Jesus)
47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Proverbs 30:8-9 (ESV)
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Proverbs 3:13-15 (ESV)
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV)
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)
21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 John 4:1 (ESV)
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Matthew 7:16-17,20 (ESV)
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Matthew 7:16-17,20 (ESV)
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.