Everyone Makes Disciples

I know I have people who follow Jesus and those that don't that read my blog, so when one hears me use the term "disciple" it might be a loaded word.  What do I mean when I say "disciple"? 


The term merely means one who follows another in their ways or teachings.  It can also mean a "learner" of someone or something.   


The problem is that most of us don't think we are being discipled nor do we believe that we are discipling someone else.   We believe that we are living our life how we deem best and we don't want to bother others with what we believe or think.  The issue is, in fact, we are all being discipled and we are all discipling others.  This really isn't the question.  The question is: To whom or what am I discipling others to? 



How is One Discipled?


Most of us think that we learn the most through what we read or what we are taught verbally.  The problem with that thinking is that most of us don't read, nor do most of us sit under teachings as we did when we were in school.  Here are some reading statistics: 

• 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. 
• 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college. 
• 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. 
• 70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years. 
• 57 percent of new books are not read to completion. 
• 70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance. 
• 70 percent of the books published do not make a profit

So, then how are we discipled?  Most of us are discipled by either watching TV, listening to music, or by being around others.  

Most of us are most influenced by others and the way that they lead their own lives and what they share with us.  The crazy thing is that this doesn't happen in a classroom, but in everyday life.  

We are discipled by seeing how those we look up to (whether in life or on TV or in music) by: 

• How they respond to those that hate them
• How they respond to those who love them 
• What angers them
• What excited them
• How they spend their day (is it spent on themselves or helping others?)
• What they spend their money on
• How they speak and what they speak about
• Their logic in life
• Who they look up to
• Who they live for
• What their hobbies are
• How they dress
• What they drive
• What they eat
• Who they eat with

The list goes on and on, but the main point is that the more one can see the life of another lived out holistically, which means in every aspect of their life, the more one will be discipled by that person.  

Those that usually disciple you the most will be those you open up to you the most and share life with you the most.  You might not agree with them, or ever convert to their way of thinking, but they are discipling you to understand what they deem to be the most important thing or person in their life.  

This is key. 

Those that we come in contact with the most will be the ones that disciple us the most.   

For me, this is my wife, my kids and my neighbors.  They show me what is important in their lives by what they speak about, what they spend their money on, what angers them, what makes them excited and how they spend their days at work and at play. 

What is key in all this is that usually what angers us or excites us the most, is what we'll talk about and live for the most.  Therefore, this thing, or person, will be the one to whom or what we'll disciple others towards.  

If it's politics, we'll talk about, spend our time and money doing campaigning for the particular party or issues and desire for everyone to be discipled into becoming into agreement in our ways of politics.   When people disagree with them on political issues, this is usually when their faces turn red with anger and they make oddball comments.   When someone changes their mind to their way of thinking on an issue is when they are the happiest and most excited. 

If it's sports for our kids, the same will happen.  We will disciple others into thinking that our kids are the most important thing in our lives, and that it should be the most important in their lives.   We might never say this outright, but our lives will point to this fact.  

Usually, when this happens, all our time, energy and money will be spent to hold up these values of discipleship.  And to be honest, because of this, this is how others are discipled by us into our understanding of life and what motivates us.  

If you are a parent, your kids are watching and learning from you.   They are learning from you what it looks like to be like their mother or father.  What is important, how we should be spending our days, our money, our time and our energy.   So, although we say, "do what I say, not what I do" our kids see right through this and will emulate more of what they see from us, not what we say to them.  

I always find the irony funny when I scream at my kids, "Stop yelling at your brother!" 

I actually think this is why so many of us live for self these days, is because our parents have always made it about us.  "You can be whatever you want when you grow up" is a common saying and the way that we surround our lives as a taxi service for our kids sports and activities, shows them, life is all about them.  The sad thing is that when they get out of high school or college, the stark reality of the understanding that not only can they NOT do anything they put their mind to, but life isn't about them, hits them like a donut to Fat Albert's lips.  

When I realized that my life is a picture of who I follow or what I follow, I was struck.  I had to ask myself, "what is most important in my life and am I showing that off particularly well?" 

I have said many times that I am a follower of Jesus, or a disciple of Jesus, but rarely in my life have I actually shown that.  

Now, because of this understanding, I desire to disciple others what it looks like to follow Jesus and be one of his disciples.  Please hear this: This doesn't mean that my family, friends or neighbors have to be a follower of Jesus for me to like them...me being like isn't the motivation...the motivation is the love of God towards me.  I know Christians haven't done this well for centuries, and I don't "have it down."  But, I never want someone to think that if they don't follow in the ways of Jesus then my love stops for them.  My motivation is NOT "convert others to my way of thinking." 

Christians for years have shown people that to follow Jesus, to be a disciple of Jesus that meant: 

• Vote like me
• Talk like me
• Dress like me
• Believe like me
• Hate like me (meaning say, "speak truth in love" and then speak against whatever or whomever you want however you want)
• Love like me (meaning only love those who agree with me)
• Go to church like me
• Buy what I buy
• Listen to what I listen to 
• Watch what I watch

What you'll notice is that is all about the person, the "Christian", and has nothing to do with discipling someone to look like Jesus.  

What if we asked instead, "How could I show love to others where they would also believe it was love and not hate?" Then take that and start doing it without a covert operation of merely trying to get people to be like you? 

This is why I try to do so many community events within my neighborhood.  It's not because I'm motivated to make people like me, but I'm motivated by the love of God towards me and desire for people to see what the neighborhood would be like if Jesus lived among us.  

I will fail in this and do well in this.  But understanding that all my actions, everyday, will either point towards this fact or away from this fact; point towards Jesus or away from Jesus, is mind blowing.  

So, again, the question comes: 

Who or what are you discipling others to, and who or what are you being discipled into?