And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fisherman. Then he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them. And immmediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Matthew 4: 18-22 NKJV
It's interesting, that in Matthew 4, Jesus called out to these four men and made them what many today would consider a offer of a lifetime. Imagine being offered the opportunity to walk and learn at the feet of Jesus. Of course, these four knew nothing of Jesus nor of the journey they were about to embark, but we're told that they dropped everything and followed him when asked. I imagine Zebedee, the father of James and John was a bit in awe by these happenings as well. Verse 23 tells us just what Jesus and his new followers did after this.
And Jesus went all about Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 4: 23 NKJV
Alot of time, energy and money has been invested by alot of churches in order to create disciples in our modern church. There are many so called "Discipleship Programs" out there supposedly designed to recruit others into that realm of discipleship. However, where in scripture is there a "program" for creating disciples? Just before Jesus began his ministry, he recruited a group of men to follow and learn from him. From the begining, these chosen few were called Jesus' "Disciples", yet they had completed no discipleship program! How can this be? The Greek term "Mathetes" is generaly used to refer to any student, pupil, apprentice or a devout follower of a religious leader of a teacher of philosophy. So, if I simply use the definition of "student" we can see that these men were students of Jesus' teaching, which seems pretty reasonable. These men would spend alot of their time following and being taught by Jesus, as any student of the time would. Jesus was not only teaching these men, but equipping them to teach and lead others.
As I mentioned, so far I have not found any reference in scripture to a discipleship "program" as we know it today. Yet, we've spent countless dollars and hours in an effort to recruit and teach people how to share this gospel. Obviously, in order for the gospel of Jesus to reach those that need to hear it, it requires others to spread this wonderful news. My friend David has spent many years reaching out and equipping men to share Christ with others. Sure, he's been involved with church led discipleship programs, but I venture to say that he is most effective when he is fellowshipping and studying one on one with other guys. In fact, he has made many of connections while doing bible study at his local coffee shop. My point is this, despite all the manuals, books and videos on christian discipleship programs that are out there, I believe this one man has done more to guide men to Christ than a program could. Could it be that a one on one individual fellowship can do more to equip a follower of Christ than a book or video? From Jesus' own example, I'd venture to say yes. Even without books or videos, the disciples of Jesus became the greatest teachers of the Gospel in history. I would venture to say that if there is a discipleship "program" out there, it can be found in the teachings of Jesus and his interaction with those men called to follow him.
~Scott~
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