The definition of a disciple is a student, a learner, and a follower. Considering this explanation, would you say that your life models being a disciple of Jesus through your speech and actions? Jesus’ renowned final words on earth were The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), outlining how we truly walk as disciples of Him. In simpler terms, it shows us that all believers are called to know Him and then to make Him known among all people.
Many people today identify as Christians. They attend church, listen to worship music, and believe in God. However, when Jesus called people in the Bible, He rarely said, “Believe in Me.” More often, He said two simple words: “Follow Me.”
Christianity was never meant to be a passive belief or religious routine. From the very beginning, Jesus called people to become disciples.
If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I grow in discipleship?” this image is a beautiful metaphor—it’s through continuous, intentional immersion in His presence. The more time we spend with the Lord, the more we allow His Holy Spirit to “pickle” us. We transition from being a cucumber to being defined as a pickle. How does the Holy Spirit “pickle us”? We ask Him to continue submerging us in His holiness and righteousness daily (Romans 8:9-15, Titus 3:5). We yield to Him and walk in obedience to all that Jesus has commanded us through His word.
It’s vital to grasp this concept of Christian discipleship as it paints a picture for others to either know God for the first time or deepen their relationship with the Creator. What an incredible opportunity Jesus invites us to partner with Him in.
What Is a Disciple According to the Bible?
The word disciple comes from the Greek word “mathetes,” which means learner, student, or apprentice. But biblical discipleship goes far beyond simply gaining information.
In Jesus’ time, disciples followed closely behind their teacher. They learned through observation, imitation, and obedience. A disciple adopted their rabbi’s lifestyle, priorities, and values.
When Jesus called His disciples, He wasn’t inviting them into occasional religious activity. He was inviting them into relationship, transformation, and mission.
He called Peter and Andrew while they were fishing:
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)
He called Matthew while sitting at a tax collector’s booth. He called men and women from different backgrounds, personalities, and failures. None of them were perfect.
What qualified them was their willingness to say yes.
The invitation to discipleship was never reserved for spiritual elites. It was for anyone willing to surrender their life to Jesus.
The Call to Discipleship
The call to discipleship involves yielding to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and allowing His Holy Spirit to transform us into His likeness (Ephesians 5:1-2). He invites each person into a relationship with Him. He teaches us through His Holy Spirit (John 15:16). Just as a chef carefully prepares and mixes ingredients for pickle brine, the Holy Spirit deliberately and lovingly instructs us on how to resemble Christ. We must allow Him to do so. One of the initial steps in the “pickling” process involves not only accepting Jesus as Savior but inviting Him to be Lord of our lives (Romans 10:9-10).
Being Lord of our lives entails surrendering our mind, will, and emotions to Him and seeking the Holy Spirit’s desires aligned with Jesus (1 Peter 4:2-4). As we acquaint ourselves with the Spirit of God, He stirs us to action, prompting us to share what He has taught us with others. This can involve discipling believers for deeper understanding (Proverbs 27:17) or boldly witnessing the Gospel to those who haven’t encountered Him yet (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
Saul’s transformation in the Bible, from a persecutor of Christians to a disciple named Paul after encountering Jesus, illustrates this process. Paul led churches, evangelized, and engaged in one-on-one discipleship. Timothy, influenced by Paul, adopted this example and impacted others significantly. We see that the call of discipleship doesn’t stay stagnant in one’s life but passes on and inspires others to walk out in boldness and to lead others to meet Jesus!
Biblical discipleship is not casual agreement with Christian ideas. It is a complete reorientation of your life around the person of Jesus.
Discipleship is not about admiring Jesus from a distance. It is about walking with Him closely enough that your life begins to reflect His character.
The goal of discipleship is not religious performance. The goal is becoming more like Jesus.
Learn about YWAM Lancaster’s Discipleship Training School
The Cost of Discipleship
In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus is clear that being His disciple requires denying ourselves and daily taking up our cross. What does denying oneself entail? What does it mean to take up our cross daily? It demands relinquishing our rights and allowing the Holy Spirit to search, convict, and reveal how He desires to partner with Him daily. From that point, we hear him, and then we obey. It is the greatest way we can show Him that we love him.
Luke 14:25-33 shows us that when it comes to following Jesus, the cost is high. It means that we must give up everything, but it is from the revelation that He gave everything for us that we willingly give everything for Him.
In many places today, Christianity is presented as a path to comfort, safety, or personal fulfillment. But Jesus often described discipleship in terms of sacrifice.
Jesus says deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Me, and seek first the kingdom of God.
The cost of denying yourself can look many ways: it can look like asking the Lord to show you how to use your money rather than what you would want to spend it on. It requires you to love your enemies and those who are always irritating you. It means praying for those people and blessing them rather than gossiping and complaining behind their backs. It means we give up our right to grumble about situations that frustrate us and our right to hold on to unforgiveness. It means that we die. But it is in our death that the beauty of Christ comes alive in us. On the other side of counting the cost, we find great joy in our lives! For in our death, we find life, we find our Father, we find peace, we find hope, we find freedom.
A good father watches over his children and teaches them how to live; our heavenly Father does the same for us and teaches us how to deny our fleshly desires that bring death to find true life. He gives us infinitely more than the price we pay to follow him. The journey of discipleship is never a promised easy life. There will be hard times that we walk through, but the Lord promises not to leave us. We can trust that He is preparing us in advance to face challenges. He does this by speaking to us and revealing our identity in Him. He shows us that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:28-39). He gives us grace that when we are weak, His power is made perfect!
Many believers want the encouragement of Jesus without the surrender of discipleship. They want inspiration without obedience.
But discipleship requires movement. Throughout Scripture, God consistently calls people out of familiarity and into dependence on Him.
The Fruit of Discipleship
The greatest benefit of being a disciple of Jesus is that He becomes our friend. In John 15:15-17 Jesus shares that we are no longer called servants but friends, for we did not choose Him but He chose us so that we would bear lasting fruit. He goes on to share that the Father will give us anything we ask in His name. What an exchange the Lord gives when we yield to Him!
As we grow into the image of Christ, we begin impacting others’ lives by following the new command to love people (John 13:34-35). We see that the fruit of discipleship is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control in our lives which are all things that are expressed outwardly to others. The fruit of discipleship is to love others and this brings the Father glory (John 15:8).
Disciples Make Disciples
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His followers a clear mission:
“Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)
This command is known as the Great Commission.
Jesus did not call His followers to simply gather information or build comfortable Christian lives. He commanded them to make disciples.
Biblical discipleship always leads outward. As we grow in intimacy with Jesus, His heart for the world begins to grow inside of us. A true disciple not only grows personally but participates in God’s mission to make Himself known among all people.
Some are called to workplaces while others are called to campuses. Some are called into local churches while others are called to the nations. No matter where God sends us, every believer is called to live on mission.
The Great Commission is still unfinished. There are still billions of people who have never heard the Gospel, entire communities without access to Scripture, and nations waiting to encounter the hope of Jesus.
The call to discipleship isn’t just personal; it’s global. Jesus is still calling ordinary people to follow Him and bring the Gospel to the world.
The question is not whether Jesus is calling people. The question is whether we are willing to follow.
Growing as a Disciple
No matter how long we follow Jesus, we will always be a disciple of Him, and if we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit and His ways, then we will always be growing into His likeness.
The Holy Spirit desires to be our Helper (John 14:26). He helps us by teaching us how to pray. He brings conviction into our hearts to live a holy life. He gives us wisdom and revelation of His word (Ephesians 1:17) as well as showing us how to walk out in fear of the Lord (Proverbs 2:1-5; Psalm 25:14).
A practical step to see sustained growth in your life is to set apart time each day to meet with Him. Get alone in a place where you won’t be interrupted, and invite the Lord to lead your time with Him and reveal through His Word what He wants to speak to you that day.
As you read, He may teach you how to pray scripture, give you words of encouragement for people you know, He may lead you into intercession (standing in the gap on behalf of others so that God may intervene).
Every relationship grows through time and attention. You cannot become like Jesus without consistently spending time in His presence.
Another key to growing as a disciple of Jesus is community. The twelve disciples are just one example of the necessity to walk with other believers. They challenged one another, kept each other aligned with the truth, and they were there for each other in difficult circumstances.
We are able to grow as disciples on our own, but often our growth is hindered if we remain isolated from other believers. We were created for relationships and need encouragement and accountability from others to see growth. Likewise, those around us need us to walk with them just as much as we need them.
Healthy discipleship happens through community, accountability, mentorship, and shared mission.
As we meet with God and are transformed into His image, we are given authority to speak into the lives of others and to walk with them.
Discipleship deepens when faith becomes action. Serving others, sharing the gospel, praying for people, and stepping outside your comfort zone all shape spiritual growth.
At YWAM Lancaster, the Discipleship Training School (DTS) is designed to help people grow in biblical worldview, spiritual maturity, and mission through teaching, mentorship, outreach, and hands-on ministry experience.
The goal is not simply information. It is transformation.
Conclusion:
To be a disciple of Jesus simply means that we keep His commandments, take up our cross, and follow Him. It is a joy to get to know Him and make Him known. You will not regret pursuing discipleship with a zealous heart to continue even when going gets tough.
Jesus never invited people to comfort; He invited them to follow Him. And following Him changes everything.
We invite you to come and take your next step in the discipleship journey here at YWAM Lancaster! Come do a Discipleship Training School (DTS) that will inspire you to live a life of hearing the Lord and obeying His commands. Click here to view 10 common questions about DTS.
Apply for YWAM Lancaster’s Discipleship Training School Today
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