Matthew 28:19-20. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Earlier this year, my older sister came home for a short holiday to meet her new nephews and visit several of her friends she hadn’t seen since her last trip home a couple of years earlier.

As we drove into Cambridge, and as she saw all the familiar roads she used to drive down, the school she used to attend, the shops and buildings she grew up knowing, the first words out of her mouth were, “Man, this place hasn’t changed one bit!”

The proud and defensive part of me didn’t like to hear these words. I love my hometown, it’s great. Why would you want to live anywhere else? I started to try and think of things that had changed, like how there was now a McDonalds, or that the supermarket had changed names. But, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, the reality was, Cambridge was still exactly the same as it was the last time she was home, and the time before that, and the time before that.

As I have thought about this story, I can’t help comparing this to the reality we face in so many churches today. So many well-meaning Christians, myself included, are reflecting on their own life, and the lives of those within their own church communities, and are struggling to answer, where is the change? People are starting to ask why they, and those around them, are still the same people they were 10 years ago. Sure, maybe I have become better at reading my Bible more consistently, and my knowledge about God has grown, but am I really that different?

This dissatisfaction with the character growth (spiritual formation) that I have seen in firstly myself, but also within the church in general over the past several years, has led me to ask the question, what are we missing?

What is a disciple of Jesus?

As I turned to the scriptures, my first question was, what is a disciple of Jesus supposed to be? What is it that Jesus wants for those who follow him? Is it to remain the same? Is it to settle for small improvements? Or is it something more?

The Greek word mathētēs that we find in the New Testament which means disciple or learner, is used of a person who follows after, and seeks to learn from, another. Chris Byrley helpfully explains, “The term mathētēs occurs very frequently in the NT. Its fundamental meaning is one who seeks to learn from another. A disciple is not only a partaker of information, but also one who seeks to become like his or her teacher (Luke 6:40). In this way, discipleship is about modifying one’s entire lifestyle.”¹

Let’s take a look at a few places where we see this word used in the Bible and see if this continues to line up.

John 13:34-35. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 8:31b-32. …..“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 15:8. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Luke 6:40. A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Just by looking at these four scriptures, we can understand that a disciple of Jesus is to love like he did, hold to his teachings, bear much fruit, and ultimately, and most powerfully of all, become like Jesus himself. Meaning we react like he does. We value what he does. We treat people the way he treats people. We become people who express the character of Christ in every situation.

This is further established by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes:

Ephesians 4:11–15. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

“We are to grow up in EVERY WAY into him who is the head – into Christ”. If there was any doubt left, this scripture should end it. Jesus wants us, as his disciples, to become like him. This is what we should be aiming for, this is what we should want for ourselves and what we want for all those who follow Jesus.

Christians shouldn’t be satisfied with just an improved life; we should desire a transformed life. We shouldn’t settle for small improvements, but instead radical transformation. One way we could put it is, we should desire to become mature Christians who easily and consistently do what Jesus did – without having to think much about it.

Something’s not right

If this is what Jesus had in mind for his disciples – to be radically transformed, why is it so common in churches today to see such little to no transformation in people’s lives? Why is it so common to hear of church leaders falling into destructive behaviors? Why is it so common to see people who have been attending church for so long, continue to be ruled by their emotions, turn on those they should be loving, and regularly forget how to act like a Christian?

WARNING: If your mind is quickly looking to criticize others in your church, maybe take a look in the mirror. (Coming from one who needs to heed this warning myself).

As someone who is currently in a leadership role, and has previously led in various churches, it is tempting to blame those who we are leading. “People just aren’t trying hard enough.” “They just don’t know their Bible well enough.” “They just need to want to change more.”

On the other hand, as someone who has attended several churches, it is also easy to blame the pastor, preacher or other leaders. “Their sermons aren’t engaging enough.” “The music isn’t emotional enough.” “Things need to be more relevant to me.”

Both responses, I believe, fail to understand the bigger picture. Perhaps it has nothing to do with how well our services are run, or how much desire people have to change, but rather a failure to understand how people actually grow.

Re-thinking discipleship

It has become apparent to me that the discipleship model that is commonly used in churches today isn’t achieving what it is meant to. Jesus wants transformation, yet many church congregations, leaders and members alike, are remaining immature. Something’s not right.

This article is the first of a series that I hope will be a helpful dive into discipleship. I want to share with you where God has led me as I have sought to wrestle with these issues. I strongly believe that God has created us with the capacity to grow, learn and change. He has designed us so that we can learn to be the people He wants us to be, to be His image bearer. “We are not simply despicable sinners waiting for the upgrade we don’t deserve once we reach the Kingdom. New life starts now!” We can be transformed now, and so my conviction is that there must be a better way. Stagnant, immature churches are not what God had in store.

While what I write in the coming articles may possibly be new to you, it is my belief that this is not in fact new, but old. Jesus and the early church saw incredible transformation in people’s lives. Jesus took twelve guys (well, eleven really) and in three years transformed them to be people who radically displayed the same character he did, even when faced with their enemies. This kind of discipleship is possible, and I would love for you to join me as we attempt to rediscover a discipleship that transforms.

I want to leave you with some questions to ponder on, and if you’re willing, I would love to hear your answers. Thinking back over your lifetime, reflecting on your own journey, when was it that you experienced the greatest amount of transformation? When was it that you saw yourself becoming more like Jesus? What were you doing? Who were you with? What inspired you to change?

I look forward to hearing and being encouraged by your responses.

1. Chris Byrley, “Discipleship,” in Lexham Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).[↩]