Discipleship is the process of growing members into Christlike maturity. It involves teaching and developing spiritual practices that deepen one's relationship with God and others.
Jesus spent three years training his followers to create new disciples because, as the well-known pastor A.W. Tozer put it, “Only a disciple can make a disciple.” It’s Jesus’ game plan that disciples create disciples who, in turn, create more disciples. So if you find yourself wondering how you’re progressing as a disciple, ask yourself how driven you are to fulfill the Great Commission. Spiritual practices that you often hear about from followers of Jesus, like prayer, Bible reading or fasting, are vital for growing in faith, but you’ll know someone is mature when they recognize their responsibility to walk alongside others as they pursue Jesus. The Christian life cannot be lived in a vacuum. It’s not just about you and Jesus. It requires investing in the lives of others. You learn to follow Jesus from those who have gone before, and you invest in others who are coming after. In a letter to Jesus-followers in a city called Philippi, Pauls says, “Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do” (Philippians 3:17, NIV). It’s through the example of others that you learn what it means to be a disciple — and it’s through your example that others learn from you.
