I mentioned in my post “What is a Disciple? (Revisited and Revised)” that I recently set out to define a disciple in one sentence.
When it was all over, I brought this working definition forward. A disciple is “anyone who is learning to become like Jesus.”
It seems natural to me that I also define a disciple-maker in a straightforward sentence as well. The objective is to have something easily quoted by anyone inclined to use it. Working from the definition of a disciple, here’s my one-sentence definition of a disciple-maker:
A disciple-maker is “a disciple who is helping anyone who is learning to become like Jesus.” I simply added a five-word prefix to the disciple definition.
At one point, I considered shortening the definition to “a disciple who is helping anyone learn to become like Jesus.” Yet, I felt compelled not to change the present continuous participle “learning” to make it static (a point in time rather than continuous).
So, the only addition in the disciple-maker definition is that it takes a disciple to make a disciple. When we understand that a disciple is anyone learning to become like Jesus, it becomes easier to stay focused on making disciples rather than aiming at a different target.
I’d love to read your comments below about this!
- Photo by Donovan-Grabowski-m1AsLR8g51g-Unsplash