As the pastor of Children & Family Discipleship here at Pioneer, I consider discipleship imperative. I have spent much time reading, thinking, and talking about discipleship. So, you can imagine how I felt when I was recently asked what my definition of discipleship is. I fumbled around, attempting to incorporate all the different elements of discipleship. Since that conversation, I have thoughtfully pondered my definition; here it is. Discipleship must include several key components: relationship, transformation, equipping, and evangelism. 

The foundational piece of discipleship must be our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the foundation on which the entire journey is anchored. This can be found in The Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Here, the Children of Israel are instructed to pass on this relationship to their children. The relationship is the key to everything. This is also found in John 15, where Jesus told His disciples that they bear fruit when they abide in Him and He in them. 

Discipleship must also be transformational. God does not take us from where we are and expect us to remain the same. He took the disciples and said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” It is. The relationship that is transforming is Christ at work in us. 

Equipping is central to true discipleship. Jesus took fishermen, tax collectors, and others and used them to change the world. Jesus can take you, no matter your occupation and or training, up to this point, and He can prepare you for work that will turn this world upside down. In his sermon Sabbath, Mark Finley articulated that “Jesus does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” Do not worry about what you can or cannot accomplish alone, but what God is calling you to do!

Discipleship must be evangelistic. When Jesus, in the Great Commission, sent His disciples out, it was to make more disciples. As modern-day disciples, we have the same task. Until we hear otherwise, we are to keep doing what we have been tasked with. 

So, what is my definition of discipleship? Here it is: discipleship is a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ that equips and sends us to make more disciples. I do not know where you are on your discipleship journey, but I am confident we all have some work to do. I urge you to begin with the relationship and let Christ be the one who bears fruit through you.