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. Matthew 28:18-20
Carla’s teaching is solely grounded in truth and not opinion. She lives and teaches from the freedom that only comes through true knowledge of who God is. The blessing of obedience far outweighs any costs. There is only one way to live as true disciples.
Sarah Eichner,
College Student
Mesa, Arizona
Q and A:
Why is personal discipleship important?
First and foremost, followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to make disciples of others (Matthew 28:18-20). The original disciples learned truth by following in Jesus’ footsteps. Jesus instructed them to go out under His authority to reproduce in others the truth He had instilled in them. Today, as believers, we have the same truth of Jesus and enabling power of the Holy Spirit available to us. Therefore, we also should choose to further Christ’s kingdom by making disciples of others.
Secondly, since a person can only take someone as far as they are willing to go themselves, one who desires to disciple needs to be consistently growing in Christ. It is as a result of a developed lifestyle of walking out the truth of God’s Word that one can best instill truth in the lives of others. Through individual discipleship a believer learns how to apply truth in daily living and learn useful ways of practicing biblical principles in his or her personal life.
Carla is an individual who exemplifies what it means to be a Christ follower. She loves Jesus as her Lord and Savior and is a very gifted teacher. Carla lives out her gift of teaching by mentoring and discipleship not only in the local church but also in the community.
Gene Gibbons
Executive Director
T.H.E.E. Camp Ministries
What are the qualifications of a disciple of Jesus?
I personally love a job description. The following qualifications for the job description of “disciple of Jesus” are taken from the pages of the Bible:
1. A person must accept the invitation from Jesus to “Come follow me.” (Matthew 9:9, Mark 1:17-18)
Jesus never asks believers to run ahead of Him or to pursue anything apart from Him. Christ Jesus asks us to follow Him, because He knows best how to lead and the direction in which He wants us to go.
2. A disciple must be willing to surrender his life fully to the authority or Lordship of Christ. (Luke 14:25-26, Luke 9:23-26)
To truly follow Jesus as His disciple is not a one time commitment, but rather a daily, moment by moment resolve to deny one’s self for the sake of Christ. Just as Jesus willingly sacrificed His life on the cross for the sins of the world, we too should be willing to sacrifice whatever Christ asks of us to further His kingdom. Although Christ Jesus may never ask you to sacrifice everything, He does require that His disciples are genuinely willing to do so. However, it is assuring to know that Jesus will never ask us to do something without also supernaturally enabling us to do it.
3. A genuine disciple will continue to walk in obedience to the truth of God’s Word. (John 8:31-32)
The Christian life should be characterized by steady growth in faith and trust, and consistent reliance on Christ. It is in this state of total dependence on Jesus, emptied of self, that a disciple can best be used of God.
I quickly learned that Carla’s definition of discipleship was far more biblical than mine. She didn’t want to train me to be dependent on her. Just as Paul discipled Timothy, she wanted to give me truth that I could apply to my own life and then teach to others. I can confidently say that Carla’s Christ-likeness in our discipleship together has been one of the greatest influences to turn me to Christ on a moment by moment basis.
Becky Williams
Missionary to Spain