Discipleship – what does it mean?
Discipleship means to follow the teachings of someone else.
A person who does this is called a disciple.
e.g. The Discipleship team
at church decided to focus on the teachings of Jesus.
James and John
left their boats to follow Jesus to become His disciples.
Applying Christ’s
words in our lives is what makes us true disciples of Jesus.
In church, when we speak about Discipleship, we are
referring to how we learn about Jesus, as well as how we can practice what He
has taught in our daily lives.
So the process of Confirmation involves Discipleship.
Who were the Disciples?
When Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, He called twelve
people to serve Him as His disciples. They followed Him everywhere and He
taught them special things that only He knew about God. Many other people
followed Jesus and there were perhaps as many as seventy disciples who traveled
with Him. The Twelve Disciples, however, were the closest people to Him; some
of them, like Simon Peter, were even His best friends.
How many disciples can you name?
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________
You can find the whole list of disciples at Matthew 10:1-4
All of the disciples listed are men. Why weren’t women listed as His
disciples? Can you name some of the women who were important in Jesus’ life and
perhaps should have been listed as disciples, too?
____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James and John to become His
disciples. They were all fishermen who caught fish for a living on Lake
Galilee. Why do you think Jesus chose fishermen first to be His disciples?
Let’s a watch a video of Christ calling Peter to become His
disciples
What do you think of this story? ________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What do you think Simon Peter felt? ________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What happened to the twelve disciples?
Jesus’ death on the cross, as described in the New
Testament, has become one of the most famous historical events. But what
happened to the 12 disciples who were his closest followers? Not as much
information has survived about their fates, but here is what’s available from
various sources, including the New Testament itself, apocryphal texts, early
Christian historians, legends and lore.
• Simon, AKA Peter: Simon-Peter,
who was appointed by Jesus the leader of the new sect, is viewed by Roman
Catholics as the first pope, was eventually martyred in Rome during the reign
of the emperor Nero. As the story goes, Peter asked to be crucified upside
down, so that his death would not be the equal of Jesus and the Romans
supposedly obliged.
• Andrew: According
to 15th Century religious historian Dorman Newman, Andrew—the brother of
Peter—went to Patras in western Greece in 69 AD, where the Roman proconsul
Aegeates debated religion with him. Aegeates tried to convince Andrew to
forsake Christianity, so that he would not have to torture and execute him. But
when that didn’t work, apparently he decided to give Andrew the full treatment.
Andrew was scourged, and then tied rather than nailed to a cross, so that he
would suffer for a longer time before dying. Andrew lived for two days, during
which he preached to passersby.
• James (son of
Zebedee, AKA James the Greater): Acts 12:1-19 says that James was
killed with a sword. The newly-appointed governor of Judea, Herod Agrippa,
decided to ingratiate himself with the Romans by persecuting leaders of the new
sect. After James was arrested and led to place of execution, his unnamed
accuser was moved by his courage. He not only repented and converted on the
spot, but asked to be executed alongside James. The Roman executioners obliged,
and both men were beheaded simultaneously.
• John:
John was the only one of the original disciples not to die a violent death.
Instead, he passed away peacefully in Patmos in his old age, sometime around
100 AD. He was, however, badly burned by being thrown into a vat of boiling
oil. He was rescued by his friends.
• Philip:
Philip, the first of Jesus’ disciples, became a missionary in Asia. Eventually,
he traveled to the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, where he was scourged, thrown
into prison, and crucified in 54 AD.
• Bartholomew: Bartholomew
supposedly preached in several countries, including India, where he translated
the Gospel of Matthew for believers. In one account, “impatient idolaters” beat
Bartholomew and then crucified him, while in another, he was skinned alive and
then beheaded.
• Thomas: Apparently
Thomas preached the gospel in Greece and India, where he angered local
religious authorities, who martyred him by running him through with a spear.
• Matthew: According
to legend, the former tax collector turned missionary was martyred in Ethiopia,
where he was supposedly stabbed in the back by an swordsman sent by King
Hertacus, after he criticized the king’s morals.
• James (son of
Alphaeus, AKA James the Less): According to Foxe, James, who was
elected by his fellow believers to head the churches of Jerusalem, was one of
the longest-lived apostles, perhaps exceeded only by John. At the age of 94, he
was beaten and stoned by persecutors, and then killed him by hitting him in the
head with a club.
• Thaddaeus, AKA
Lebbaeus, Judas or Jude: According to several stories, he was
crucified at Edessa (the name of cities in both Turkey and Greece) in 72 AD.
• Simon the Canaanite AKA the Zealot:
Simon preached in Mauritania on the west coast of Africa, and then went to
England, where he was crucified in 74 AD.
• Judas Iscariot: According
to Matthew 27:3-6, the treacherous apostle quickly felt remorse over his
betrayal of Jesus and went to the Temple to recant. When the high priests
ignored his plea, he threw down the 30 pieces of silver that he had been paid,
and went off and hanged himself. But Acts 1:15-20, gives a different and
even grislier version of Judas’ demise. He says that Judas used the blood money
to purchase a piece of land and then fell headlong from a high place there, so
that “he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” Jerusalem
residents subsequently named the place Aceldama, which means “the field of
blood.”
What do you think about these stories? How much did their discipleship
– following Jesus – cost them?
Jesus once told them these words: “Then Jesus said to his
disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take
up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will
lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” – Matthew
16:24-25.
Does this make discipleship a scary thing to do?
Discipleship in
the PCUSA
When people join our church, they are asked to make special
promises publicly before God and the Erin congregation. When you are confirmed,
you will also be asked to make similar promises. One of those promises involves
discipleship. This is how it is asked and answered:
1.
Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying
his Word and showing his love?
Answer: I will, with God’s help.
Why are people asked to make this commitment?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Why is it important to have God’s help in becoming a disciple of
Christ?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How do we help people become disciples of Christ at Erin Church?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
After He rose from the dead and just before Jesus ascended
into Heaven, He gave His disciples a special commandment, which has become
known to us in church as the Great Commission. Here is the Bible passage from
Matthew, chapter 28:16-20.
The Great Commission
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.”
Why did Jesus make this the last thing that He spoke to His disciples?
What was He wanting them to do?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How does Erin church carry on that Great Commission today? How can you
help to fulfill it, too?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Do you remember how we defined the word ‘Discipleship’
at the beginning of our lesson?
____________________________________________________________________________
Before we finish, we are now going to watch another video about
discipleship and what it means for your generation. Church is about making
disciples, but not just for the church’s sake – we make disciples to go out
into the world for Christ’s sake.
Your Bible assignment for this week is to read the chapters
3 & 4 of the Gospel of Mark, as well as completing the question sheet.
Bring it back to our next meeting. Our next meeting takes place next Sunday
morning during the Sunday school hour from (9:30AM to 10:30AM).
Finish with prayer.
