What is a Disciple?

I’ve mentioned on here before that I feel like my generation, Generation X, is the most fortunate generation of all-time when it comes to musical diversity. Many of us grew up with parents who were from the rock and roll generation of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. We heard everything from Elvis to Led Zeppelin. Many of our parents were also fans of Mowtown. The Temptations, the Four Tops, and Diana Ross and the Supremes were the soundtrack of many road trips. Then, when the 80’s rolled in, we got Michael Jackson at the height of pop music, hair metal like Motley Crue and Def Lepard. We also can’t forget rap music finally arriving. The 90’s brought in grunge, gangster rap, and modern punk music. Needless to say, we got a taste of it all, and we all had that one band that we attached ourselves to. It was the band that we bought all of their tapes and wore them out.

For me, that band was U2. They didn’t really fit into any kind of genre. They had rock songs, pop songs, and blues songs, and their unique style really didn’t sound like anyone else. Still, I can sit down and listen to U2 all day and find my happy place. One of my favorite parts of this band was their songs weren’t just about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. There always seemed to be something deeper. There were themes of struggle, political unrest, and even songs that spoke of Christ. They aren’t a Christian band, but Christ has definitely made some kind of impact in their lives. All things said I was quite the fanboy for years. My high school friend Tyler and I used to say, “Bono is God.” (Bono is the lead singer) Today, I cringe thinking about that statement, but that was how big of a deal that band was for me. I lived and died on their next release. Over the years, I’ve even gotten the chance to cover some of their songs for different events. I guess you could say I was a disciple of U2.

Disciple is a very interesting word. It’s one we use a lot in Christianity, but it’s not one that solely belongs to us. There are disciples of many diverse things. There are other religions, educational styles, celebrities…you name it. The Webster’s Dictionary definition of a disciple is “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.” In other words, you find yourself in agreement with something or someone, and you make the decision to spread whatever it is you agree with. This is something we see all the time. Especially in politics today, we see people so bought into their ideologies that they break ties with people who don’t agree with them. Fights start, and arguments happen. A disciple is usually very passionate about what it is that they believe. Sometimes, that doesn’t manifest itself very well, and relationships and reputations are fractured.
 
Is this the kind of discipleship we’re talking about? Are we supposed to spew hate at everyone around us who doesn’t agree with our ideology? Is it vital for us to force everyone to do what we want, or else? Matthew 4:19 gives us the framework for what a disciple is.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19

What a simple verse! So, what exactly is a “fisher of men,” and how is this the framework for what a disciple is?

Let’s break this verse down to its core elements. Jesus starts off by saying, “Follow me.” In order to be a disciple, you need to follow something. It is impossible to call yourself a disciple if you aren’t. “Following” is the first major step in discipleship. Without it, we can just stop this whole conversation. Essentially, disciples are followers. They are led by someone or something other than themselves. Swifties aren’t Swifties if they’ve never listened to a single Taylor Swift song. Disciples of Christ aren’t disciples if they aren’t actively engaged with Christ and His Word. That means the first part of our definition of a disciple is “someone who is following Jesus.”
 
The next thing Jesus says in Matthew 4:19 is “I will make you.” In order to truly be a disciple of Christ, we have to give up control. This is typically the hardest part for most of us. We like to have control of every aspect of our lives. Jesus, however, says He wants to make us into something. In today’s world, it’s very common for us to see something changing us as a negative. We are told to find our own truth, and we shouldn’t let anything change who we are. This doesn’t really fly when it comes to following Christ because He wants to make us into something better. We aren’t supposed to stay the same because staying the same isn’t in our best interest.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29

God’s desire for us is to be more like His Son. Jesus was and is the perfect person. He lived on this planet with no sin. He was tempted just like us, and He never allowed sin to be an option. He is our ultimate role model, and He set the bar for what we should strive to be. Change means that Christ is working in our lives, and we are allowing ourselves to let Him take the lead. That’s why the second part of our definition of a disciple is someone who is “being changed by Jesus.”

The third part of our definition comes from the final part of that sentence in Matthew 4:19. Jesus says He will make us “fishers of men.” I know…this is kind of a weird concept if you’re new to the Christian faith. When Christ rose from the dead, He stayed on the earth with His disciples for 40 more days. When He finally left to be with His Father, He left one final mission for the disciples.
 
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.
Matthew 28:19–20

Being fishers of men is bringing people into a relationship with Christ and making them disciples. We do this through baptism and teaching. This is our call today. We are to go into all the world and make disciples. We weren’t called to weekly Sunday attendance, even though going to Church is important. We weren’t called to listen to K-Love, even though immersing yourself in music that glorifies Christ is a great thing to do. We are called to something more eternal. We are called to make disciples. That’s why the third part of our definition of a disciple is someone who “is committed to the mission of Jesus.”
 
Simply put, a disciple is someone who is FOLLOWING Jesus, is BEING CHANGED by Jesus, and is COMMITTED TO THE MISSION of Jesus. When we really step into the role of a disciple, we step into something amazing. We see lives changed. We see eternities changed. When we have a Church full of disciples, we can see the world changed. Simply being a “Christian” who attends church every week isn’t what we were called to. We have been called to something much better. We’ve been called to be disciples.