The Power of Discipleship

The Power of Discipleship

“If you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the Truth will set you free" (John 8: 31, 32). 

After his encounter with Christ on the way to Damascus, Paul got away to Arabia. There he spent three years before going up to Jerusalem to compare stories with Peter, even though he was called and he was sure of his calling. After the three years he also stayed under the feet of Peter for fifteen days for guidance before he began his ministry (Gal 1:15-20). The focus of today’s study is the importance and benefits of discipleship.

Christ’s great commission to the church is, go and teach - make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat 28:19). He did not say go and get church members. In the Gospels the immediate followers of Jesus are called “disciples”. A disciple is someone who follows another person or his way of life. A disciple submits himself to the discipline or teaching of that leader or way. In the Bible the term “disciple” is almost always found in the Gospels and the book of Acts. A few times in the O.T. the word is translated “learned” and “taught.” Wherever there is a teacher and those taught, the idea of discipleship is present (Mat 5:1, 2). All who accepted Jesus’ teaching and were committed to Him are called “disciples.” The calling of these disciples took place at a time when other teachers like John the Baptist had their disciples.

Discipleship efforts include preaching the Gospel, following up, teaching and mentoring the convert, not forgetting prayer. Not taking a new convert through discipleship is like having a baby and starving the baby to the point of death (John 21:15-17). It is the process by which a born again Christian is taught the word of God and guided till he grows to a point of maturity, where he can also do likewise for others (2 Tim 2:2). This is a principle that is evident both in the O.T and N.T. In the Old Testament, Moses trained officials to fulfill this ministry (Exod18:13-23). In the New Testament, Jesus trained His disciples for a period of three years; at a point he appointed the seventy-two and sent them out (Luke 10:1-2). The early church also used the same principle (Acts 20:20).

The Shepherd does not give birth to sheep, his role is to feed the sheep and the sheep gives birth according to their kind. Thus the growth of the Church spiritually and numerically is very dependent on discipleship. Eph 4:11& 12 explains it best, “… He gave some apostles; and some prophets and some pastors and teachers; for training and equipping the saints…” so the members would do the work of the ministry, and thus build up the body of Christ spiritually and numerically”. Discipleship trains and prepares believers for their individual callings (Luke 2:46-52). When discipleship is done in the Bible way, it automatically leads to church growth, spiritually and numerically (John 10:35, Acts 16:4-5).

The results of discipleship are amazing. When the mandate of discipleship is obeyed, the church experiences exponential growth, multiplication not just addition of souls. In just 33 years, more than eight billion souls can be trained in the army of God. Below is a table illustrating this fact. If each person will reach, teach or disciple one soul, at the end of 33 years, more people would be trained than the population of the world.  One at this point will ask, “What is the church doing 2000 years after the death of Christ?”  God have mercy!  ”Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his 

AT END  OF YEAR	NUMBER OF PERSONS TRAINED
YEAR 1	2
YEAR 2	4
YEAR 3	8
YEAR 4	16
YEAR 5	32
YEAR 6	64
YEAR 7	128
YEAR 8	356
YEAR 9	512
YEAR 10	1,024
YEAR 11	2,048
YEAR 12	4,096
YEAR 13	8,192
YEAR 14	16,384
YEAR 15	32,768
YEAR 16	65,536
YEAR 17	131,072
YEAR 18	262,144
YEAR 19	524,288
YEAR 20	1,048,576
YEAR 21	2,097,152
YEAR 22	4,194,304
YEAR 23	8,388,608
YEAR 24	16,777,216
YEAR 25	33,554,432
YEAR 26	67,108,864
YEAR 27	134,217,728
YEAR 28	268,435,456
YEAR 29	536,870,912
YEAR 30	1,073,741,824
YEAR 31	2,147,483,648
YEAR 32	4,294,967,296
YEAR 33	8,589,934,592