What would be a ‘discipleship’?
What would be a ‘discipleship’?
Embedded Files
For Greek culture, where the idea of disciple was best developed, the word mathēteuō (both ‘to disciple’ and “disciple”) literally meant ‘to make students’ or, in its noun form, ‘apprentice’ (1). The Latins would bring to the word discere ‘to learn,’ as a duplicate form of the root dek: to take — apart — to accept — from old German. Therefore, a “disciple” would be a person ‘who follows another for the purpose of learning’ (2), in order to take, or become part of, a certain doctrine (teaching).
What would be a “Christian Discipleship”
What would be a “Christian Discipleship”
In the Christian worldview (3), discipleship would be something much deeper and more transformative — an inner presses of transformation —, a true invitation from God Almighty to allow us to go beyond our limitations, beliefs and dreams, letting us by faith — trust — by Him, in walking with Him:
Internally: to improve our character, first and foremost, and consequently,
Externally: to improve our personality and relationship with the world around us.
Systematically (4), Christian discipleship aims to take on the transformative role of improvement in all areas of human interaction, in the following ways:
1. Intrapersonal: with oneself;
2. Interpersonal: with peers;
3. Extrapersonal: with the community;
4. Suprapersonal: with the governmental and political-social structures that guide your community, state, country, and world.
Outlined by Jesus Christ, cyclically:
Outlined by Jesus Christ, cyclically:
In his classic commandment to Christian discipleship in Matthew 28:19 (5), I use a literal interpretative expansion (6), point by point:
Follow the ‘Way’ [poreuō]: ‘the Truth and the Life’: the teachings of Jesus (7),
consequently [oun],
teaching his apprentices, to the point of becoming disciples of Christ, replicating this process, with one another, [mathēteuō],
in all ethnic groups [ethnia/ethnos]" (8): ways of thinking/believing, communicating, acting and identifying, existing on earth (9);
Once they are willing to be truly transformed, baptise them [baptizō] (10),
in the name [eis ho onoma] (11), that is, in the authority and recognition
of the Father [patēr], caretaker, originator and transmitter of all transforming virtue and wisdom (12),
of the Son [yhios], born again, to be moulded into the character of the Father (13);
and the Holy Spirit, by the ‘power and agency of God’ in order to be filled [pneuma] with ‘gifts and talents’ (14) that are ‘pure, morally irreproachable, consecrated’ (15).
‘Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.’ (16)
Outline developed to outline Christian discipleship from Matthew 28:19-20. lyonministry.org
Listen to our teachings on our DISCIPLESHIP CHANNEL:
Listen to our teachings on our DISCIPLESHIP CHANNEL:
(The channels are in Portuguese language only)
Schedule one-on-one or group discipleship:
Schedule one-on-one or group discipleship:
YouTube
Click here to see the numbered notes and references
Click here to see the numbered notes and references
(1) G3100 - mathēteuō - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 11, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3100/kjv/tr/0-1/ ; https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3101/kjv/tr/0-1/ (2) disciple | Origin and meaning of disciple by Online Etymology Dictionary. (n.d.). Www.etymonline.com. https://www.etymonline.com/word/disciple (3) “A person's worldview is the way they see and understand the world, especially with regard to issues such as politics, philosophy, and religion.” Collins Dictionary. (2025, August 4). Definition of worldview. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/worldview (4) Locker, K. O., & Kiensler, D. S. (2010). Business and Administrative Communication. Slideplayer.com; McGraw-Hill/Irwin Companies, Inc. https://slideplayer.com/slide/7863319/ PPT downloader(5) Matthew 28:19-20: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’(6) A literal interpretative expansion involves expanding terms/words in their meanings and contexts (exegesis) to better interpret the text for a specific purpose, collaborating interpretatively with a particular understanding, without corrupting the general (most accepted) understanding of the text. (7) In the early years of Christianity, its followers were known and called ‘the followers of the Way’ (Acts 19:23), because Christ himself presented himself in this way, as ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ (John 14:6). Therefore, I believe that interpreting poreuō as ‘follow the Way’ rather than the traditional ‘Go’ is very valid and better suited to the intent.(8) Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 11, 2023, from: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4198/kjv/tr/0-1/ ; https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3767/kjv/tr/0-1/ ; https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3100/kjv/tr/0-1/ ; https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1484/kjv/tr/0-1/ (9) My exegetical arrangement of the definition of ‘Ethnicity’.(10) "The clearest example showing the meaning of baptizo is a text by the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived around 200 BC. It is a recipe for making pickles and is useful because it uses both words. Nicander says that to make pickles, the vegetable must first be “dipped” (baptô) in boiling water and then “baptised” (baptizô) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs refer to the immersion of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.” G907 - baptizō - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g907/kjv/tr/0-1/ (11) “A. by command and authority [...] B. [...] the power of his name being invoked for assistance, [...] C. through the power of the name.” G3686 — onoma — Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Thayer's Lexicon, 2. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3686/kjv/tr/0-1/ (12) G3962 — patēr — Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Thayer's Lexicon, 2, a., b,. c.. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3962/kjv/tr/0-1/ (13) G5207 — yhios — Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Outline of Biblical Usage, III, b., c.iii. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5207/kjv/tr/0-1/ (14) G4151 — pneuma — Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Thayer's Lexicon, 4. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4151/kjv/tr/0-1/ (15) Strong's G40 — hagios — Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Strong’s Definitions. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g40/kjv/tr/0-1/ (16) Matthew 28:20
Report abuse