“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

John 6:66-69

A dictionary definition of a disciple is a follower of or a learner of. It carries with it the idea of apprenticeship. Jesus gave a dimension to discipleship in John 6:40 when He said, “A student is not above the teacher, but everyone whom is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

The disciple in Christianity is a follower of Jesus Christ, desiring to learn His ways and apply to them to his life. This means that a disciple has to be open and teachable. He is a follower who desires to learn.

As followers, what we learn is more often caught rather than taught. For example, we see something positive in a person’s life and we build upon it, by incorporating it into our own life. This was encouraged by Paul as he said to the Philippians Christians. ”Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

If a disciple is a learner who is open and teachable, there are areas where we need to develop.

• Character
  • Men and women of Christ-honoring character are greatly needed to reproduce other such individuals.
  • A disciple is a marked person. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men shall know that you are my disciples.”  Can people readily recognize you as a disciple of Christ?
  • Chrisitan character qualities are basically those of the Fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23)
  • We are responsible for developing these qualities so that we can fulfill any good work God seeks in us.
  • Solomon’s statement in Ecclesiastes 10:1, “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
        so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.”
• Development for Ministry
  • Every one who would be Christ’s disciple must strive to develop ministry skills to use for the Lord.
  • We must be willing to pay the price for quality.
• Conviction
  • There comes a time when we no longer can live on what is the conviction of someone else. We must develop convictions of our own.
  • Moses is a great example. (Hebrews 11:24-25) “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
• Perspective
  • Perspective is the ability to see both short and long-range effects of an action.
  • How will this pay off in five years from now?
  • How to develop a perspective
    • Major on principles rather than methods
    • Focus on the why of what we are doing
    • Concentrate on trusting God rather than methods

A disciple then is a follower and a learner committed to developing his character and growing more Christlike. What an honor to be called a disciple of Christ.