lOMoARcPSD|22015503
Thread one of week one. replies and completed
week one
Discipleship Ministries (Liberty University)
lOMoARcPSD|22015503
Reading from the Dempsey & Earley and Putman’s books we get a clear understanding of a
biblical meaning of a true disciple. On chapter two of the book Disciple Making Is…: How to
Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, Rod Dempsey gives ample Scripture to
demonstrate how one can identify a true disciple. Dempsey wrote: “Here are the main passages
related to being a disciple as set forth by Jesus Himself.”1 Dempsey went on to write that a true
disciple must be totally committed to Christ and shared Luke 14:26 as the foundation for that
commitment. In Luke 14:26 (NIV) Jesus said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father
or mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even their own life-such a person cannot
be my disciples.
On the other hand, Putman’s definition of a disciple is one that must be biblical and clear to
see. Putman wrote: “First, the definition needs to be biblical (as Jesus defined it), and second, it
needs to be clear.”2 Putman’s definition of what is a disciple points us to one key Scripture.
Matthew 4:19 (ESV) “He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fisher of men’” A
clear invitation to drop everything about me and simply follow Him. In here one can put all
Scriptures that Dempsey gave us and put them together with what Putman wrote and begin to
see how real and effective our discipleship life is.
Three characteristics of a follower of Jesus Christ according to Dempsey are
1. Sacrificial: The individual has surrendered his will to follow Christ. After Salvation has taken
place, the individual is willing now to leave family, positions, possession, comfortable
lifestyle, energy, and the willingness to give his whole being for the cause of Christ.3
2. Relational: Love for God. Love for neighbor. “Loving God and loving people is not only
a consistent passion, but a consistent practice.”4
3. Transformational: The new life in Jesus Christ brings a new beginning that is directed
toward becoming more like Christ. Prayer, Bible Study, fasting, are all means by which the life
is being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.5
1Dave Earley, and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013)
2 Jim Putman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 2013)
3Dave Earley, and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013)
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
lOMoARcPSD|22015503
My own interpretation of a disciple is the one I find in Philippians 2:1-5(NIV) Therefore if you
have any encouragement from being united with Christ (have already been saved and have
already accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) In verse 2 Paul calls the believer (disciple) into
being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and one mind. (Clear indication
that if one has embraced the “Follow Me” invitation, one is ready to do it with the brethren
that have also say YES! to the calling.
lOMoARcPSD|22015503
Bibliography
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.
