“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that
I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20)
Thoughts… What do real disciples do? Two things actually: They reflect, and they replicate.
To begin with, authentic disciples become like the Master. They fully devote themselves to his life and fully obey his teachings. They become like the Jesus in thought, word and deed to the point where his very being is reflected in the essential quality of their being. The Master becomes the sum and substance of their lives.
Only by the kind of transformation where the Master is fundamentally reflected, from the center to the circumference, in the lives of his disciples can they in turn “go and make [other] disciples.” Only then can they teach others to “observe all that [the Master] has commanded.”
That is what it means to be truly Christian. Being truly Christian means being an authentic disciple. One cannot happen without the other—Christianity means discipleship; discipleship means Christianity. Being either is not just in name, it is in the reflection of the Master in the life of the disciple. Calling oneself a disciple is simply wishful thinking without doing the things of discipleship and being in essence the reflection of the Master. Call it what you will, anything less is nothing more than inauthentic discipleship, non-Christianity, and false religion.
Then, authentic disciples replicate the life of the Master through their lives in the lives of others. In other words, they reproduce. Barren discipleship is non-discipleship. True disciples go with the message, bearing the life of the One they reflect, and persuade others to follow Jesus.
Disciples don’t just win coverts to Christianity, they make other disciples in the way of the Master. To convert a soul to Jesus simply begins the process of discipleship. Conversion is the first step; discipleship is the journey. True conversion that begins the journey of authentic discipleship requires the same full devotion to the Master’s life and the same full obedience his teaching that took place in the proto-disciple. The Master’s life is replicated in the disciple, who in turn replicates the Master’s life in the convert, who then, in turn, replicates the Master’s life in still others.
That is when discipleship comes full circle; when discipleship is proven authentic.
Here is the real question in all of this: Are you a true disciple? The answer is easy: If you are reflecting and replicating the life of the Master, you’re in pretty good shape.
If you aren’t, you need to go back and have a serious conversation — should I say, “conversion” — with the Master.
Prayer… Jesus, you said we cannot truly call you Lord unless we do the things you said we should do. With all of my heart, I want to be authentic when I call you Lord. Help me to give you my full devotion and complete obedience. Make me a true disciple.
One More Thing… “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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