Disciple ! Online Study

Intro   Lesson 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   [Download PDF of entire study]

Welcome to this Self-Study Experience!  

Hi! We hope this course will help you think about what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ.

At South Park Church, we try to avoid using religious jargon. We believe that God’s message is best understood when expressed in common words, in down-to-earth vocabulary. (That’s how Jesus talked—in plain language, telling real-life stories, making simple but profound comparisons to familiar things.) Sometimes, however, a "religious" word is too rich in meaning to be translated into a more familiar term. That’s the case with the word "disciple."

A Growing Relationship with Jesus

To understand what South Park is about, you need to understand what a disciple is. In our mission statement, we say: "South Park Church exists to draw people into a growing relationship with Jesus.” To have a growing relationship with Jesus means that He has become the center of our life. We look to Jesus to find our way, to reveal the truth, and to give us abundant life. Jesus said "I have come that they might have life, life to the full" (John 10:10) But how does a person experience life to the full?

A Disciple = A Follower

That’s where the word "disciple" comes in. A person learns to live life to the full by becoming a follower – or disciple – of Jesus. In fact, that’s a good definition of a disciple: a person who is learning from Jesus Christ how to live life to the full. What is being a disciple all about? What does being a disciple (also called "discipleship") involve? How does a person begin to learn from Jesus Christ how to live life to the full?

Have questions? Here Are Answers

For answers to those questions, let’s go to the last few sentences in the Gospel of Matthew, one of the four accounts of Jesus’ life. At this point in the story, Jesus has been crucified and has risen from the grave. He has appeared to his disciples and told them to meet him about 60 miles north of Jerusalem.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Read the passage again:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:16-20)

What questions does this passage raise in your mind?

What one word or thought in the passage makes the biggest impression on you?  Why?

What’s next? Seven Key Phrases

In  the lessons that follow, we’ll look at seven key phrases in the passage and see what they can tell us about learning to live as a disciple of Jesus. These seven lessons will help you gain a richer, fuller understanding of what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus.

Used with permission of Brian McLaren and Cedar Ridge Community Church and adapted by Eric Flood