Looking for what the Bible says about discipleship? You're in the right place. This page brings together key Scripture and principles on discipleship from across many different books of the Bible, along with practical commentary and everyday applications that can transform your life. Because this commentary is excerpted from Study and Obey's verse-by-verse book studies, every verse here has already been interpreted in its full context. As you study God's Word on discipleship, we encourage you to reflect on how to apply what God is teaching you. Enjoy!

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The Cost of Following Jesus

Mark 1:17-18 - And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 16:24 - "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"

"Immediately they left their nets and followed him." Jesus had already begun His ministry. His calling, His path were set. He then called the disciples to join in with Him. That meant that they had to change direction. They had to give up what they were doing, their own path, their own plans, and join in with Him. And they did this immediately.

So walking with Jesus requires a change of direction. They were fishermen. Now they would go and be fishers of men. They were in their own comfort zone, doing what they had grown up doing and were familiar with. Now they would be leaving that to venture into the unknown. While they didn't know what they would face, they did know who they would face it with.

Going with Him means giving up something. A lot of people like to try to put one foot in God's kingdom and one foot in this world. They like to feel the peace of being part of God's family and joining church and the safety of thinking they have eternal life. At the same time, they like to keep their own lifestyle. But the disciples were willing to give it up to follow Jesus. Following Jesus changed their identity, the very direction of their lives.

Following Jesus meant denying themselves. Here is a possible job advert describing the job the disciples were going to do:

• LONG HOURS!
• LOTS OF OVERTIME!
• MUST BE WILLING TO WORK ON WEEKENDS!
• MUST BE ABLE TO TRAVEL OFTEN!
• MUST BE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE CHEAPEST MODES OF TRAVEL, GENERALLY BY FOOT, FOR LONG DISTANCES!
• DANGEROUS!
• POTENTIAL THREATS FROM THIEVES AND SOLDIERS!
• WILL NOT PAY FOR HOTELS!
• SLEEP WHERE AND HOW YOU CAN, SOMETIMES OUTSIDE IN THE ELEMENTS!
• POLITICAL CLIMATE IN COUNTRY IS DANGEROUS!
• PERFORMING JOB WILL PUT YOUR LIFE IN DANGER!
• YOU WILL BE EXPOSED TO PUBLIC RIDICULE AND PERSECUTION!
• COMPENSATION: NO PAY!
• NO INSURANCE!
• NO PENSION!
• NO HOUSING FUND!
• NO PAID VACATION!
• QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED: COMPLETE OBEDIENCE. DENY YOURSELVES AND OBEY THE BOSS COMPLETELY IN EVERY AREA!

How does this job sound to you? You are all in a hurry to line up and apply? The last part of the job advertisement goes like this: Benefits: Learn face to face from the Creator of the world. Become friends with the King of Kings. Discover real joy. Gain a new purpose in life. Eternal life. The costs of this job are high, but the benefits are worth it. Will you deny yourself and follow the Lord?

Application —Being a disciple means to stop following the world or yourself and to start following Jesus. That requires a change in direction. Does your life need a change of direction? Are you walking with Jesus or going your own way and then asking Him to come along and bless you and prosper your plans?

— From our Bible study on Matthew 4:18-22

No Longer Servants But Friends

John 15:14-15 — "You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

If we do what He commands we prove that we are truly friends of His. In verse 15 Jesus called the disciples His friends. He also has made known to us what He heard from the Father so we are also His friends. It really is an amazing thing that the Almighty God is willing to be friends with low, weak, pathetic, human sinners. It's almost unbelievable. This is also likely a distinctive of Christianity. The gods of other religions are often far away from the world or if they do get involved it is violently or abusive. In this world, leaders are seldom if ever willing to be friends with the common people. They often look down on the people they rule. But God is willing to be friends with us.

If God is a friend to us, it means that we should be a friend to the world and to those who are under us. If we are a boss in a company we should show ourselves to be a friend of those under us, not ruling it over them. Doctors should be friendly to their patients. Teachers should be a friend to their students. Recently, I heard of a pastor who said one of the five most common mistakes of evangelists is treating those whom they minister to as students rather than friends. Let us treat those whom we share with and those who are under us as friends rather than students.

John 15:13 — "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

I once heard a story of a young girl and her brother. The girl had leukemia and needed a blood transfusion. The doctor asked her little brother if he would be willing to give his blood for his sister. The boy thought for sometime and finally soberly answered, "yes." When the doctor inserted the needle and was taking the blood the boy meekly looked up and asked, "when am I going to die?" The precious boy had believed that giving his blood meant he was going to die to save his sister. Although the doctors then assured him it would not cost his life, they were amazed at the boy's sacrificial love.

Jesus faced the same situation as the boy, but He actually had to give His life. And He chose to because of His love for you.

Application — Thank Him. Next time you sing worship songs about the blood of Jesus, I hope you will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of His sacrifice for you. Don't trample on the blood. Just as the animal sacrifices motivated people to live holy lives, so Christ's sacrifice should motivate us to live a holy life. All of our sins had to be paid for in full. Do not take that sacrifice for granted.

— From our Bible study on John 15:9-27

Abiding in the Vine

John 15:1 — "I am the true vine."

This is the seventh time in the book of John that Jesus used the "I am" structure to identify Himself as divine and show what is His role. He shows His deity. He is the provider of strength. He is the one who gives the nutrients so that we can bear fruit. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

In the context, Jesus is talking to the disciples. The fruitful branch represents the 11 faithful disciples, while the unfruitful branch represents Judas. However, it also applies to all believers throughout history as well. Sadly, there are many professing believers who seem to be saved. They go to church and seem to be connected to the vine. Their appearance is very similar to a true believer, but Jesus makes it clear that they are not true believers. How can we tell the difference? The apostate "believers" don't bear fruit while the true believers do.

But He is also pruning the good ones. Every good gardener knows that sometimes in order to get the most fruit you have to cut down the plant or bush back. When cutting those rose bushes part of you wants to leave them there, not to cut off the pretty flowers. But the other part says, "no pain, no gain." Pruning must take place to ensure that the rose bush grows stronger.

Application — Consider what area of your life needs to be pruned. Will you ask God to help prune you?

Again, a good gardener doesn't just leave a plant to itself. What other things does a gardener do for the plants? It waters it, fertilizes it, gets out the weeds, and prunes it. Another word for pruning is what? Discipline or trials. God disciplines those who belong to Him and sends trials their way. He does this to make us stronger, to build our character.

John 15:5 — "I am the vine; you are the branches."

The branch has one primary duty, to bear fruit! Rely on the vine. Jesus is the source of strength for the branch. Apart from Him we can do nothing. We must not try to bear fruit on our own. The result will be nothing.

The words Jesus uses is to abide in Him and Him in us. For the disciples it was somewhat easier. Jesus was physically present. They could live with and be with Him. This greatly strengthened and emboldened them.

Acts 4:13 — "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."

For us we cannot physically live with Him, but we can still abide with Him. We are abiding in Him if we obey His commands in every aspect of our life including: our business life, our family life, our personal life, etc. We must be intimately connected with Him if we want to bear fruit.

Application — Bear fruit and give God the glory! Consider one area of your life (church, family, work, etc.) and one way you can bear fruit for God in that sphere. Pray and ask God to help you do that and become more fruitful.

— From our Bible study on John 15:1-8

Jesus Trains the Twelve

Mark 3:14 — "And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach."

Some incorrectly think that Jesus' key ministry was preaching to the crowds. His most vital ministry was actually discipling the twelve. The masses were largely unchanged by Jesus' teaching. Many were fickle. Some would eventually call for His crucifixion. The disciples would be called to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations. They would eventually turn the world upside down.

Much of Jesus' time was spent with His selected disciples, teaching and training them so that they would be well prepared to fulfill the mission He gave to them.

Application — If you are in ministry, you need to consider what your core ministry is. Preaching to thousands might seem exciting, but does it accomplish the goal of life change? Discipleship goes deeper than preaching.

The first thing Jesus appointed them to do was to simply spend time with Him. This came first. By spending time with Jesus, they could learn the truths of God and their character could be transformed as they grew in faith. This required a major sacrifice on their part. In addition to their jobs, they gave up time with family and friends as well as leisure time spent for pleasure or entertainment. Quite simply, they could not spend the time required to be with Jesus and keep living the same type of life they had before. They had to make a decision about which life to follow.

Application — When we become believers, we also have a decision to make. To spend time with Jesus, we also have to give something up. We cannot live the same life we lived before becoming a believer and follow Jesus at the same time. What are some things that distract you from spending time with Jesus?

Being with Jesus is what changed their lives. It transformed them from uneducated commoners into bold preachers.

The second thing Jesus appointed them to do was to send them out to preach. The term apostle means "sent one." In the gospels, we see them sent out to the towns and cities of Israel. In Acts, they are sent out to faraway nations. These two things, being with Jesus and being sent out, were happening simultaneously.

Notice that they were sent out long before the end of Jesus' ministry and His death and resurrection. They were sent out during their training. They went out and preached and then came back and reported to Jesus the problems they encountered. He then gave feedback and guidance. They were learning by doing. The disciples' training was literally on the job. Much of what Jesus taught them stemmed from a question, an event, or some situation around them. The world was their classroom.

Reflect — What are the positives and negatives of learning in real-life situations compared to a classroom environment?

Jesus appointed them for a clear purpose. It was not only for their personal growth (spending time with Jesus), but it was for them to become equipped so that they could reach out to others and reproduce.

Applciation — - A disciple spends time with Jesus. How can you spend more time with Jesus this week?

— From our Bible study on Mark 3:13-35

Entrusting to Faithful Men

2 Timothy 2:1-2 — "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also."

Here we see a very important principle about discipleship, the principle of multiplication. Jesus entrusted a huge mission to the church, to reach the world for Christ. The twelve disciples could not possibly hope to accomplish this by themselves. Accomplishing this by addition is too slow.

The most powerful way to spread the gospel is through multiplication. It is far more effective to make two disciples who make two more who continue that process than to simply reach one hundred people for Christ who never reproduce.

How can you aim for multiplication rather than addition? What can we do to follow this principle in our own lives? Can you start to disciple others? Why or why not? If not, when? God wants all of us to pass on what we have learned to others. What if you don't know all of the answers? Who can you share with about what you have learned today?

Look for faithful men and women. Entrust the Word to them. This means we expect them to obey it and to pass it on to others. You don't entrust something precious to someone who will not use it and take care of it properly. If you find faithful men and women who will in turn train others, then it can accomplish generational discipleship. In this verse, there are four generations. The gospel keeps going and going. This is the goal of discipleship.

— From our Bible study on 2 Timothy 2:1-7

A Disciple Disciples Others

Colossians 1:28-29 — "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me."

Paul did not exclude certain people or certain groups. He wanted every single person to have an opportunity to hear the gospel and be saved. Poor or rich, sick or healthy, slave or master, Jew or Gentile, it didn't matter. Each and every person is created in the image of God. Every person has great value in His sight.

Oskar Schindler was a German who owned and operated a factory in Nazi Germany in WWII. During the course of the war, he helped to save 1400 Jews from death. After the war he said "he who saves one soul saves the world entire." One of his greatest regrets is that he couldn't save more.

We should not just care about the world in general, but we should care about each person we meet as individuals. Jesus didn't just die on the cross for the world. He died on it for you.

Here we see a three-fold plan of action for Paul and his teammates. Each of these words is an action verb showing that the Christian life is not passive or sedentary. "Proclaiming" shows the important role of sounding out the good news of the gospel. The word "admonish" shows us that we also have to take correction and rebuke seriously. The word "teaching" is a bit deeper than both of the previous words. There will be times when we need to explain what the Word means and how it should be applied to people's lives.

You can see that Paul's vision doesn't stop with salvation. His goal is not for all of these people to raise their hand and accept the invitation at the end of the church service. He hopes to see a radical life transformation of each person. He wants to see sanctification. He doesn't want to present a bunch of half-grown or immature believers to the Lord as his life's work. He wants each person to grow up to full maturity. Thus we see that Paul desired both quantity (every person) and quality (complete in Christ.)

Paul had a great vision. He had a great goal. But he recognized the principle found in Proverbs 14:23. Mere talk leads only to poverty, but work brings profit. This vision wouldn't fulfill itself. Paul labored to bring it about. He worked hard for decades. But he didn't labor alone or by his own strength. He didn't seek to do his own thing. Instead he sought God's will.

Application — Do you have the same vision as Paul? Do you have a vision at all? If so, could you express it in words or is it just a nebulous idea? Are you currently working hard to see this vision fulfilled, working a little, or not working at all? Are you relying on God's power or your own to see it accomplished? Spend a few minutes and write down your vision in words. What has God called you to do for Him in this life?

— From our Bible study on Colossians 1:24-29

Teaching the Next Generation

Deuteronomy 6:8-9 — "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

It was imperative that the Israelites remember God's commands. Moses repeatedly reminded them to be careful to listen to, diligent to obey, and faithful to teach God's commands. Binding them on our hands means that we should always remind ourselves of God's commands. Putting the commands on your forehead means that they would be publicly visible to others. They could instantly identify you as a believer. You would be a living, walking testimony.

Application — Set reminders for yourself to keep God's commands. This could include writing down personal applications at church or Bible study, setting an alarm clock to remind you to read the Word or memorize Scripture, or putting events into a digital calendar to remind you of spiritual goals or evangelism appointments.

God's Word should permeate one's home. These instructions remind us that the home is the center of one's spiritual life. Most of your time will be spent there. They were not to only be righteous in front of others when they went to worship God on Sabbath. It was to be an "all the time" thing. That starts in the home. Parents were to live out an authentic relationship with God at home. If the children saw that was not happening, no amount of preaching outside would be likely to influence the child in a positive way.

Writing Scriptures on the gates would have told all passersby, "We believe in Yahweh." The ones on the doorpost would have been reminders to the residents in the home. Whenever they entered or left, the written words could remind them of God's blessing on the home as well as their obligation to keep the covenant and obey His commands.

In short, this can be summed up as, "Remind yourself and remind others of God's commands and authority."

Application — Believers should seek every way to both remind themselves continually and witness to others of God's Word. Here are a few practical ways to do that.

• Hanging Scriptures on the walls of your home.
• Putting visible signs outside the home identifying you as a follower of Jesus.
• Making use of calligraphy or art to point people in your home to Jesus.
• Posting verses or phrases from Scripture in various locations in the home as visual reminders to reset your focus on the Lord.
• Ensuring that your home's media, music, and books are edifying and point to God as the authority over everything in the home.

— From our Bible study on Deuteronomy 6:8-25

Elijah and Elisha: A Double Portion

2 Kings 2:9 — "When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.' And Elisha said, 'Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.'"

Elisha was trained by one of the most important figures in the history of Israel, Elijah. For a while after he begins to follow Elijah nothing is mentioned of him. He must have been merely observing and watching, learning by spending time with Elijah. Later, when Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha received a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elisha's ministry was anointed by the power of God and he performed more miracles than any other individual in the Bible except for Jesus.

Elisha showed himself to be completely dedicated to God. He was a farmer. But he sacrificed the oxen he used to farm and burned them along with the yoke! He made a decision and didn't even leave the door open for himself to go back to his former life.

Elisha was intensely loyal to Elijah. He ministered to him from the moment he was called. He stayed with him until the time when Elijah was taken up to heaven. He didn't seek his own glory, but wholeheartedly followed the leader God had put over him.

Elisha is a great example of someone who followed God without looking back. He sacrificed the very things that supplied his livelihood. He didn't hold onto them "in case" his new way of life didn't work out. He didn't hedge his bets. He gave everything to God. What about us? When God calls us to a task, do we do it reluctantly? Do we try to hang on to the past and keep some form of our previous lives?

Application — It might be to let go of some of your former friends or practices or even to give up your job and dedicate yourself to God. Let us not look back to our previous lives with regret or longing or try to hold onto it. If we do, we are not fit for the kingdom of God. Whatever God calls you to do, do it with all your might.

— From our Bible study on Elisha

The Growing Christian

Hebrews 5:12 — "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God."

They had been listening to teaching long enough that they should have become teachers themselves at this point. This verse has a very subtle, but very important, point which we need to explore. The implication is that after a period of time every believer should become a teacher in at least some capacity. Yet instead they are stuck in first gear and need to keep learning and re-learning the same basic points.

Although there are certain people who have been blessed with the gift of teaching, it doesn't mean that those without the gift of teaching are not supposed to teach. What can you teach? You can start off by teaching others what Christ has done for you. God does not want believers to merely be pew-warmers. His blueprint is not for a small select number of super-teachers who do all the teaching while everyone else listens. It is our responsibility to teach others what we have learned about Christ. This demonstrates the principle of reproduction found in 2 Timothy 2:2, which shows us that believers should disciple others to disciple still another generation.

It means that the world is reached by training people to train others to train others to train others. It's the model of apprenticeship. Each apprentice learns from his master. After a while he starts his own shop and takes on his own apprentice.

Ezra 7:10 — "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel."

When we study, we gain discernment. We know what we should do. Then the next step is to do it.

We are to be growing. The believers in Hebrews 5 had a problem. They weren't growing. Their spiritual lives were cold, lethargic, and passive. They needed a spark.

Application —

• Hear – Set your heart to eagerly study the word. Be diligent, not lethargic.
• Obey – Don't be stuck as a baby Christian who needs to be reminded the same things over and over again. Grow into maturity by obeying.
• Tell/Teach – We should make the habit to tell others about what we are learning in our daily life. Tell your roommate, friend, or family members about what you have learned in study today. Share your quiet times with others.

— From our Bible study on The Growing Christian

Walking with Jesus Means Fellowship

Matthew 12:49 — "And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, 'Behold My mother and My brothers!'"

Jesus' call to the disciples was a call to a relationship. He often taught the crowds. He often saw and healed the sick. But that was different than what He had with the disciples. He didn't just teach them. He lived with them. He ate with them. He talked with them. He corrected them. They spent lots of time together, and much of that was alone away from the crowds.

And in John 15:15 Jesus called His disciples, "friends." Walking with Jesus means deep and personal fellowship with Jesus.

Going on a walk with someone is a time to talk. It's a time to share. You open up about your life and struggles, good news and bad news. You laugh and joke and tell stories. It's fellowship.

Application — Talk with Him. Talk with Jesus like you would a friend. Don't wait for Jesus to read your Twitter or Facebook updates to know what is going on in your life. Tell Him directly. Throughout the day just talk to Him about what you are facing, how you feel, successes, failures, temptations.

The person I knew who treated Jesus like a friend perhaps the most was my mother-in-law. When she prayed, she would start off, "Hello Jesus." Then she would simply tell Him what she was doing and how things were going. It was so simple, but so real and so personal. You really felt like Jesus was sitting at the table with her just like any other friend visiting.

The Christian life is not complicated. It is called walking. Not flying. Not juggling. Not roller skating. Walking is one of the most simple activities there is. But we are not to walk alone. We go with Jesus side by side. And as we go, we talk.

— From our Bible study on Matthew 4:18-22

We hope you enjoyed this Bible study on discipleship. May God use His Word to speak into your life and give you strength to follow it. Please take some time to reflect on the questions below and consider leaving a comment with your key takeaway or insight.

Reflection Questions

• Does your life need a change of direction? Are you walking with Jesus or going your own way and then asking Him to come along and bless you and prosper your plans?
• What are the positives and negatives of learning in real-life situations compared to a classroom environment?
• Can you start to disciple others? Why or why not? If not, when?
• Do you have a vision at all? If so, could you express it in words or is it just a nebulous idea?
• Have you experienced God's pruning? How? Was it comfortable? Was it profitable?
• What is one way you sometimes have struggled with lethargy in your Christian walk?
• Which of the letters of HOT (Hear, Obey, Teach) do you need to grow in?
• What are some practical things you can do on a daily basis to build a closer and more personal walk with Jesus?
• What are some things that distract you from spending time with Jesus?

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