“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19
“How many members are in your church?” he asked. The pastor gave a ballpark answer. The man replied, “Yes, but how many of them are disciples?”
A whole world of programmes, practices, courses, and ministries have sprung up around this theme of discipleship. These programmes lay out what you must do— and some of them are helpful.
But these kinds of programmes sometimes discourage, for the “model” disciple is often held up as someone who always believes and never doubts, someone whose prayers are always answered, and someone who always gives clear and effective witness to Jesus. “That’s a long way from the reality of my life,” most Christians would have to admit.
And it’s a long way from what you find in the Gospels. They do not present to us an airbrushed picture of the ideal Christian. Peter is, like us, a mass of contradictions. He is a committed follower of Jesus, yet he keeps questioning what Jesus says. He launches out in faith, yet he is held back by fear. Sometimes he speaks with wisdom that only God could give; at other times, he speaks as if he was possessed by the devil.
In Peter, we find what it looks like to be an authentic disciple. So, if you have felt that being a genuine disciple of Jesus is beyond you, here is some encouragement.
The word disciple simply means ‘learner.’ A learner is one who, by definition, is not yet all he or she hopes to be. You look back with regret at things you said or did. You find it hard to live with some bad decisions you have made. “I am a follower of Jesus. How could I have messed up so badly?”
Authentic discipleship has its failures as well as its successes. The story of Peter is full of hope, because it shows what Jesus can do with flawed disciples like us.
Do you consider yourself to be a disciple of Jesus?
Why or why not?
Written by Colin Smith
Read by Sue McLeish
