When most of us hear the word disciple, we automatically think of the twelve disciples who were chosen and called by Jesus Himself to follow Him throughout His short three-year ministry here on earth. They committed their lives to following Him as they learned from Him as His students. But what exactly is a disciple?
The Greek term for “disciple” in the New Testament is mathetes, which means more than just a student or learner. A disciple is a “follower”, someone who adheres completely to the teaching of another, making the teachings the disciple’s very own rule of life and conduct. In other words, everything the disciples would see in Jesus and learn from Him as they followed Him, a true disciple would strive to imitate and live out their lives according to their Teacher. Following Jesus, all His teachings, and then living them out in our own life – this is the definition of a disciple.
While the twelve disciples followed Jesus and were His true disciples, we too, are also called to be disciples and make disciples in our modern-day world as Jesus says in Matthew 28:18-9, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” Being a disciple doesn’t always mean something large and drastic like picking up your family and moving to another country for missionary work, or by being in ministry as a pastor or staff member at a church. While these are admirable callings and sacrificial, they are not what the Lord has called everyone to do.
In our modern-day culture, being a disciple starts where we are at this very moment. We need a world full of disciples in our everyday life, in our neighborhoods, in the schools, in our marriages, with our children, through social media platforms – in every interaction we make. Many of us search our calling and purposes and spend years trying to figure out our big mission here on earth, when it starts with choosing to be His disciples today in our very own lives and seasons. Matthew 22:14 says, “many are called, but few are chosen.” We are all called to be disciples, but few of us choose to walk as a modern-day disciple. We can choose to accept the call and choose to walk as a modern-day disciple as we are all called regardless of our past.
A modern-day disciple is called regardless of past hurts, past mistakes, past sin, or any background. Jesus didn’t choose the wealthy, the most liked, or the honorable. Quite the opposite. He chose to walk with fisherman, outcasts from society such as the bleeding woman, the blind, those with leprosy, and yes – the sinful. He came to lift the unwanted, unliked, and unloved out of their shame, to lift them to a place of honor, to partner with them as His disciples, and He does the same in our modern-day culture with us.
Let’s look at some of the characteristics of the twelve disciples we can learn from to discover what made the disciples followers of Christ and apply their example to what a modern-day disciple looks like today. Remember – although the world has changed since Jesus walked this earth, His Words He spoke then, asking those called to follow Him, also apply to us today.
A Modern-Day Disciple is One Who Leaves Everything Behind
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)
What a disciple looks like in today’s modern-day world is someone who is willing to leave everything behind just as Jesus instructed those who began following Him. Jesus says we are to hate all, even our closest family members, in order to be His disciple. What Jesus is saying is not to literally “hate” them, but it means that a disciple’s loyalties should be subordinate to their devotion to the Lord. Christ must come first in the disciple’s life above all else, even dear loved ones.
Jesus then goes on to say that whoever does not bear his cross and come after Him, he cannot be Jesus' disciple. A disciple is one who leaves it all behind, meaning they essentially die to themselves and to their own cross and surrender all to the Lord. It’s dying to our selfish desires and wants, dying to our ideas and beliefs of how we think thinks are supposed to be, and it’s dying to our own drive to control our situations, believing that we know best over God’s best. It’s leaving everything behind as second best to the Lord – our relationships, marriage, ideas, desires, and any of the like.
In the New Testament days, disciples left all they knew, their towns, their families, their known, and their jobs and “forsook all and followed Him.” (Luke 5:11)
To be a modern-day disciple is turning away from all in the world and turning to the Word first. Turning off the buffet line of distractions, notifications, alerts, and anything of this kind that takes our attention and devotion away from the Lord. It’s not becoming possessed with possessions or other people – yes, even your very own spouse, children, or parents. It’s surrendering our ideas, our plans, and our desires and handing them over to the Lord, trusting that His ways are better. It is through this dying to ourselves and leaving everything behind as we surrender all to the Lord that we can truly be a modern-day disciple. Mark 8:34-35 says, “for whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My Sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
A Modern-Day Disciple is One Who Obeys Even If It Makes No Sense
“But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.'” (Luke 5:5)
What a disciple looks like in today’s modern world is someone who obeys the Lord even if it makes no sense, just as the disciple Simon Peter did. The Bible tells us that one day, Simon, who was a fisherman along with some of the other disciples, had been casting nets down all night and had caught nothing. Jesus approached their boats as they had been washing their nets defeated from the night. Jesus said to Simon, “launch into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Of course, this made no sense to Simon as he had just finished attempting to catch fish all night and caught nothing, but his response is a remarkable trait of a true disciple. He chose to obey the Lord at His word, even if it made no sense to say, "nevertheless, at Your word, I will obey."
In the same way, a modern-day disciple is someone who will choose to obey the Lord even if it makes no sense in their situation. When the Lord tells you to leave your job when it makes no sense, you obey. When the Lord tells you to break up a relationship and friendship, but it makes no sense to do so, you do it anyways. When the Lord tells you to move across the country to leave your family behind with no job yet, you obey regardless.
A modern-day disciple is someone who can look at their situation no matter how dimly lit or hopeless it seems, but still chooses to trust God anyways, taking Him at His word. It’s looking at your broken marriage, your financial hardship, or that lost family member that is walking so far from the Lord, situations where there seems to no light at the end of the tunnel, yet choosing to continue trusting God at His word. It is through obeying Him at His word, even if it makes no sense, that we can truly be a modern-day disciple.
A Modern-Day Disciple is One Loves Above All Else
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciple, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:24-35)
Love is the ultimate expression of being a disciple in today’s modern-day culture as we live in such a hateful world. To be a modern-day disciple means choosing to love others, and not just the easy-to-love people, for it’s easy to love the lovable, right? Luke 6:32-35 addresses this by saying, “if you love those how love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them…but we are to love our enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and our reward will be great.”
Being a modern-day disciple is choosing to love the difficult, or those that we feel don’t deserve our love because of their wrong doings toward us, and yet, we extend mercy and grace to them anyways. To love as a modern-day disciple in today’s world is having love cross the lines of race, political party, culture, social norms, and economic status, or views on anything going on in this world. Jesus loved the unlovable in His day, and the world was astonished. He chose the outcasts of the world to show His love, and He calls us to do the same. He chose to love those who betrayed him, accused Him, and hung Him on the cross to die a brutal death. He chose to love all, including His enemies anyways, saying, “Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
We are all called to be disciples and can choose to be a disciple for the Lord in today’s modern world. A disciple is one who is willing to leave everything behind, lay down self and personal ideas, and follow Jesus. A disciple is one who obeys the Lord at His word, even when it makes no sense. A disciple is one who loves all, even enemies. To love is the ultimate expression of being a disciple in today’s modern-day world, and we can look to Jesus and every interaction He curated full of love, no matter the person, the sin, the hurt, the lack of love in return, and follow His example as His modern-day disciple.
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Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.