Definitions of Christian Discipleship

[Bootstrap]

There is this old idea in the church called Nachfolge Christi in German, it literally means "the imitation of Christ" (A fellow named Thomas A Kempis coined the term about 600 years ago, although the idea goes back to Christ and his apostles).

Discipleship to me means truly becoming Christians ("Christ-ones"), growing in maturity toward lives that reflect the image and likeness of Jesus. Discipleship understands that Jesus is the very Word of God, God's deepest and truest revelation to us - and it recognizes that, in word and deed, Jesus showed us what God's ultimate calling is for the life of his followers.

This makes me think of a verse in Matthew:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The word "learn" is related to the noun "learner" in the same way that the Greek word in that verse is related to the Greek word for disciple. We take his yoke upon us and learn from him, we take on his character, not just his teaching, and we find rest for our souls.

The word "disciple" is used for the wider crowd of followers at times, but more often for the 12 apostles/disciples. Later, some early church writers linked discipleship to martyrdom. Here is a quote from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans:

I write to all the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless ye hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable goodwill towards me. Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may not be found troublesome to any one. Then shall I be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat the Lord for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God.

I suspect that refers to taking on his yoke and imitating his sacrifice.

[MaxPC]

Becoming a disciple forces one to rethink and re-evaluate priorities, sometimes in radical ways.

Radical. An alarming word but also an excellent choice to succinctly describe the choice to follow Christ.