Question: What is Discipleship?

The Biblical and historical testimonies of the Old and New Testaments reminds us that God is working to transform his creation through ordinary people like Moses, Sarah, Ruth, Mary, just to mention a few. It is through the life testimonies of these people recorded in the Scriptures that we must learn to hear and understand God's way of mission then, now, and for the future. This is what we will be reflecting on in the coming weeks.

What is a Disciple?

A disciple is a follower, Student, Learner - one who accepts and assists in spreading the teachings of another person-teacher. We read accounts of men and women both in the Old and New Testaments that give us some clue as to how and when God called people to carry out his mission (Moses Sarah, Ruth, Mary).

In the New Testament, a Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christlike. This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit's prompting to examine their thoughts, words and actions and compare them with the Word of God. This requires that we be in the Word daily - studying it, praying over it, and obeying it.

Evangelism - Making disciples of others (Matthew 28:18-20). We are to share our faith and tell nonbelievers about the wonderful changes Jesus Christ has made in our lives. No matter what our maturity level in the Christian life, we have something to offer. Too often, we believe the lie from Satan that we don't really know enough or haven't been a Christian long enough to make a difference. Not true! Some of the most enthusiastic representatives of the Christian life are new believers who have just discovered the awesome love of God. They may not know a lot of Bible verses or the "accepted" way of saying things, but they have experienced the love of the living God, and that is exactly what we are to share.

"Why is making Disciples important?"

The making of disciples is our Lord's means for answering the prayer, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10). In His infinite wisdom, Jesus chose to use dedicated followers, His disciples, to carry the message of salvation to all peoples of the world. He included this as a command in His last words before His ascension to heaven: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Making disciples is important because it is the Lord's chosen method of spreading the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. During His public ministry, Jesus spent more than three years making disciples-teaching and training His chosen twelve. He gave them many convincing proofs that He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah; they believed on Him, though imperfectly. He spoke to the crowds, but often He drew the disciples aside privately to teach them the meaning of His parables and miracles. He sent them out on ministry assignments. He also taught them that soon He would be returning to His Father following His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21; John 12:23-36, 14:2-4).

Though they could not comprehend it, He made the disciples this astonishing promise: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12). Jesus also promised to send His Spirit to be with them forever (John 14:16-17).

As promised, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came with power on the believers, who then were emboldened to speak the Good News to everyone. The remainder of the Book of Acts gives the exciting account of all that was accomplished through them. In one city the opposition said, "These who have turned the world upside down are come hither also" (Acts 17:6 KJV). Multitudes placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and they also became disciples. When strong persecution came from the false religious leaders, they dispersed to other areas and continued to obey Christ's command. Churches were established throughout the Roman Empire, and eventually in other nations.

Later, because of disciples such as Martin Luther and others, Europe was opened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Reformation. Eventually, Christians immigrated to the New World to make Christ known. Though the world still is not completely evangelised, the challenge is as viable now as ever before. The command of our Lord remains - "Go and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

The characteristics of a disciple may be simply stated as: one who is assured of his salvation (John 3:16) and is activated by the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:26-27) one who is growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour (2 Peter 3:18); and one who shares Christ's burden for the lost souls of men and women. Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field" (Matthew 9:37-38).

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Prayer Request for January 2010

Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were arrested and sent to Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. The two women did not rob a bank, kill a man or beat up someone. Their crime? Loving Jesus. And it is for this reason alone they are still imprisoned.

In August during a court hearing, the two were questioned repeatedly about their faith. They were told to return to Islam.

"We love Jesus," was their reply. Prosecutors asked the women, who had already spent five months in prison, if they regretted being Christians.

"We have no regrets," they said. "We will not deny our faith."

The judge sent them back to Evin Prison - notorious for its brutality - to "think about" their decision.

"We have already done our thinking," they told him.

Maryam and Marzieh are among dozens of Iranian Christians arrested, detained or interrogated in Iran in recent months. The harassment is the radical Islamic government's response to an Iranian revival that has thousands of Iranians coming to Christ each month.

The Voice of the Martyrs helps the Iranian church in many ways, including supporting gospel television broadcasts transmitted into Iran and printing Christian literature for distribution inside the country.

Please continue to pray for Maryam Rustampoor, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, that God may protect and use them as witness for Jesus.




The Vision Theme for 2010

Jeremiah 29:11-12

" 'For I know the plans I have for you (St. Matthews's Church), declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart' ".

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