Let us look at Step 12, Lesson 4, as we look into the 12 Steps with God
Step 12 – Discipleship – Having come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and beginning this journey of faith with Him in a Bible-believing church, we share the gospel with others and encourage them to grow in Christ.
Our final lesson deals with the matter of using what we have learned to build up those around us. There is a multitude of terms we could use for this work, but the Scriptures actually use a specific word, discipleship. In the following paragraphs we want to discuss the definition and explanation of discipleship, how we now live as disciples, and how we are to disciple others.
When we discuss discipleship, we should understand the word disciple as both a noun and a verb. The noun form refers to one who learns to follow Christ, watching Him, hearing Him, and mimicking Him. The verb refers to the action of either following Christ or teaching others to follow Him. This concept of discipleship is largely lost in our culture where fewer and fewer are joined in fellowship to a Bible-believing church.
In Bible times, religious training was a holistic learning experience. Young men would be placed in communal setting where the students would learn about and develop a Godly character. Often renowned philosophers or religious teachers would run essentially a boarding school where teachers and students lived and learned together. This is how Jesus discipled His chosen twelve, yet they had their experience on the road together for a period of 3 years. This gave Jesus the opportunity to teach, demonstrate the application of, and/or explain every lesson. He taught godliness – verbally, through his actions, and he followed that up with accountability. They learned God’s Word and witnessed God the Son live out and apply that instruction each day.
So, what does this mean to us? As followers of Jesus, we want to develop a genuine spirit and practice the discipline of discipleship. To do this we look for mature believers to whom we can listen to, watch, and mimic. They are Christians who are committed to Christ. Paul told the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
Paul was one you could follow because he followed Christ.
There are men and women today that are mature, walking with God, and would make great spiritual mentors. These are the ones by whom you want to be discipled. The beauty of this discipling relationship is that you can observe how they take Biblical doctrine and apply it in their life. You and I are able to see what the truth of God’s Word looks like lived out in real time, right before our eyes.
The other aspect of discipleship is that you and I are responsible for discipling someone behind us. Jesus was crystal clear in His instructions to us when He left this earth. He said,
Matthew 28:18b-20a, “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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
In this instruction God’s command is to disciple people. He tells us three ways to accomplish this discipleship: Going – be busy in His work, keep going is the idea; Baptizing – bring people to a point where they not only place their faith in Christ, but publicly profess the same; and Teaching – to give Godly instruction to further their growth process.
Of course, for us to be successful in the work of making disciples we must practice what we preach.
James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
The level of commitment that it takes to pursue righteousness in Christ is very telling. We do not have to be perfect, but we do need to be committed to living out our faith, showing, teaching, and helping others do the same.
Consider and Confess:
1. Who in the church can you follow? What characteristics of their life demonstrate a pattern that you desire in your own?
2. Building relationships is integral to the discipleship process. How are you building a relationship with someone from whom you want to learn? It may be difficult. In what ways are you reaching out to them?
3. As you learn from others about how to grow your relationship with Christ, who are you discipling in turn? How are you discipling them? (Do not mistake friendship for discipleship. Discipling is purposeful teaching and accountability in relationship, whereas friendship is mutual companionship where teaching, learning, and accountability may not be present.)
4. One to ten, how committed are you to living out truth? One, you can take it or leave it. Ten, it has to happen because that is who you are in Christ.
5. God’s Word will drastically change you if you do what it says, does that scare you? If so, that may mean that you need to boldly step out in faith and obey God…are you ready for that?
6. It’s difficult to disciple others if you are not living your faith. How have you changed as a result of this series of 12 Step lessons? Have you or others close to you seen a change – greater obedience to God’s Word or maturity in your faith?
7. The objective is maturing or growing in Christ – it’s better to focus on the positive, who is the person that God would like me to be? There is little value in dwelling on the person and the poor choices that characterized our life before we came to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. How has becoming a disciple of Christ changed your outlook about the future?
Looking Forward:
This concludes our series of 12 Step lessons, but it is our prayer that this has launched you on a track that is sustainable, and helpful in living for the Lord. It may be helpful to go back through the studies because they are loaded with biblical truth, or it may be helpful to leave some of the tasks/steps far behind.
The key now is cultivating your relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit so that they are your constant guide. Let the Word of God feed your soul as you continue to move forward.
The Biblical Basis for Change – Your Hope in the Midst of Trials
The words nouthesis and noutheteo are the noun and verb forms in the New Testament from which the term “nouthetic” comes. One description of these terms is “By means of admonition, advice, warning, reminding, teaching, and spurring on, a person can be redirected from wrong ways and his behavior corrected…noutheteo has to do with the will and the feelings of a man[1].
At least one commentator suggested that there are three basic elements to the nouthetic counseling described above:
· Nouthetic confrontation always implies a problem and presupposes an obstacle that must be overcome; something is wrong in the life of the one who is confronted. The purpose is to effect personality and behavioral change.
· Nouthetic confrontation is training by word of mouth. Think of Nathan and King David. Nouthetic counseling focused on the question of what – what was done, what must be done to fix it, what should the future responses be…directed toward bringing about change in the direction of greater conformity to biblical principles and practices.
· The purpose or motive is key to the discussion – verbal correction is intended to benefit the counselee. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:14…but to confront you “nouthetically” as my beloved children. The goal must be to meet obstacles head on and overcome them verbally, not in order to punish but to help…think Colossians 1:28 – present every person complete in Christ[2].
Romans 15:14
14 And concerning you, my brothers and sisters, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.
In this verse, goodness speaks to high moral character that is reflected in a person’s life. Knowledge speaks to deep, intimate knowledge of someone that is doctrinally sound, highlighting that truth and virtue are inseparable. Admonish speaks to the list above, where every believer is responsible to encourage and strengthen other believers with God’s Word and is divinely equipped to do so (2 Timothy 3:16[3])
Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved.
2 Peter 1:2-4
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Philippians 1:6
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:9-12, 28
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.
James 1:1-4
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.
[1] The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology; Zondervan Publishing House, English Language edition volume 4 © 1986; pgs.568-569
[3] All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.