True Evangelism

By Sidharth Mohandas

In my previous teaching, I ended by saying that the original mandate the Lord Jesus gave us was not simply to go and make new converts or new believers, but to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). In other words, the goal of true evangelism is to make disciples.

In this teaching it is my desire to share with you what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Let’s start with the word “disciple”. Since words take on different meanings from age to age and from culture to culture, it is important we understand the word from the perspective of the writer. The Greek word used for “disciple” is the word “mathetes”, which could be simply defined as a “learner”. However, a “mathetes” was much more than a “learner”, he was an “imitator of a teacher”. Paul describes what discipleship entails in 1 Corinthians 11:1 where he says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ”.

The concept of discipleship originates from the Jewish education system. During Jesus’s time, synagogues had schools associated with them. And the children began studying the Torah from the age of five. Once they finished with the elementary school and secondary school, the few that were considered “special” hoped to be chosen by a Rabbi to “sit at his feet”, observe him, learn his words, memorize them, imitate him and diligently pursue being exactly like their teacher. This is exactly the system Jesus followed, the only difference is that He has chosen His disciples from the most unlikely group of people, those who don’t fit into the “qualified”.

Are you ready for the deal?

Very little is mentioned today about the cost of discipleship. Jesus gave the following analogy while speaking about the cost of being His disciple:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30)

Jesus was not interested in having large numbers follow Him. He was very blunt and forthright when it came to the requirements. There was no compromise on the cost then, and there is no compromise on the cost today. We need to ask ourselves, are we ready for it? You may say, “Yes!” enthusiastically. But wait till you hear the cost! What will it cost you and me to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? The answer is EVERYTHING! (Luke 14:33). It will cost your very life! (Luke 9:23-25). It will require you and me to live a lifestyle of complete self-denial. A life characterized by “not my will, but Yours be done”.

I leave you with this to chew on. In my next teaching, we will go further into the discipleship series. Stay tuned!

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