Discipleship Distilled Down
Defining what a disciple is has been debated long and hard. However, when you consider that Scripture uses the Greek word mathetes for “disciple,” the meaning is pretty straightforward. The word simply means learner.
In other words, disciples are people who learn to be like Jesus was and learn to do what Jesus did. A disciple is someone who, over time, has a life and ministry that looks more and more like the life and ministry of Jesus.
A disciple is someone who, over time, has a life and ministry that looks more and more like the life and ministry of Jesus.
Character and Competency
At the end of the day, discipleship can be distilled down to key elements: Character and Competency. Jesus was the ultimate example of both of these. He was not only good (character), He was good at (competency).
Discipleship, then, is learning, over the course of our lives, to become people who increasingly have both the character and the competency of Jesus.
You might look at it this way:
Character: who you are (the real you, both seen and unseen)
Competency: what you do (your skills and abilities)
Both are necessary if we hope to follow the example of Jesus and train others to do the same. The following matrix might help in understanding this.
Low Character/Low Competency
Starting in the lower left corner, we have an individual who has poor character and minimal skills. It might be a stretch to even call this person a disciple since they evidence very few of the qualities of a “learner.
At worst, they are a poor picture of what it means to be a Christ-follower. At best, they are irrelevant as it relates to Kingdom impact.
High Character/Low Competency
In the upper left corner, we have an individual who is high in character. For example, he/she is growing in the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). There is evidence of a changed life that increasingly glorifies God.
However, without being trained in the skills of discipleship, this person will not be able to enter into effective ministry to people. They will be limited in their Kingdom impact.
The leader growing in the fruit of the Spirit, but weak in the skills of discipleship will be limited in their Kingdom impact.
Low Character/High Competency
The lower right corner exhibits an individual who, at first blush, might seem to be stanced to make a Kingdom impact. They have mad skills. As such, they are often given positions of influence and authority.
The thing is, they are lacking in genuine Christian character. As such, they have the potential to do great harm. They are dangerous leaders. (Many of us have seen these leaders in action!)
The leader with great skill but lacking in genuine Christ-like character has the potential to do great harm.
High Character/High Competency
Finally, in the upper right corner, we have an individual who is high in character and high in skill. They have great outward competency and great inward capacity. As such, they have potential for unlimited Kingdom impact.
The leader that demonstrates Christ’s character and is able to do what Jesus did has potential for unlimited Kingdom impact.
So here’s a frank question for you. Which quadrant would you place yourself in? Here’s a harder question: Which quadrant would those closest to you place you in?
We all want to be disciples and we all want to develop disciples. That means we’re going to have to be personally committed to continually growing in our own character and competency even as we look to help others grow in theirs.
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