Am I Disciple Material?

[This is Chapter 2 of Disciple Maker: Fulfill Your Destiny in the Disciple-Making Movement Launched by Jesus Christ, by Phil Bickel (© 2020). Free download at www.philbickel.com/store.]

Do you wonder: Do I have what it takes to be a disciple?  If so, join the club.  No disciple of Jesus ever had a perfect resumé. We are misfits, one and all.

Every 1st-century Jewish boy attended school to learn the Hebrew Scriptures, and the brainy youths were encouraged to dedicate themselves to a rabbi who would teach them further.  The duller knives in the drawer were taught a trade.  That’s why Peter and Andrew, James and John were fishermen, because they had failed to qualify for “Rabbi University.”  Even more unfit were Matthew, a turncoat collecting taxes for the Roman oppressors, and Simon the Zealot, a guerrilla bent on driving the Romans into the Sea.  The one possible exception was the Johnny-come-lately, Saul of Tarsus, who had earned a 4.0 GPA under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel.  However, Saul’s post-graduate “majors” in Legalism and Violence made him an unlikely candidate to follow the Prince of Peace.  Yet despite the flaws of all these men, Jesus called them anyway.

Meanwhile, every 1st-century Jewish girl learned the Torah and Judaism at home and in the synagogue.  The option of following a rabbi was not available.  But Jesus called them too.  Rabbi Jesus offered co-educational instruction.  

The disciples of Jesus came in all shapes and sizes.  As we turn the pages of the New Testament we find:

1. The blind man who washed off the mud Jesus smeared on his eyes, and Voila!
2. Prestigious Nicodemus, a card-carrying member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.
3. The Samaritan woman at the well and all the villagers she told about Jesus.
4. The children whom Jesus took time to play with — and their mothers.  
5. Synagogue leader Jairus, his wife, and his resurrected daughter.  
6. The lady plagued by bleeding for 12 years, until she touched the hem of His robe.
7. Dorcas, who sewed clothing for the poor and widows in Joppa.
8. Luke, the Gentile physician with a gift for historically accurate writing.
9. Nympha, who hosted a circle of disciples in her home every Lord’s Day.
10. Run-away slave Onesimus and Philemon who accepted him back as a brother.
11. The demon-ruled, fortune-telling slave girl who was set free in Jesus’ name.
12. Entire families who knelt on the beach at Tyre to pray for Paul’s safety.

What do they and all the disciples in the Bible have in common?  They were not qualified to be disciples of Jesus.  Yet He called them anyway!  Despite our deficiencies, Jesus the Disciple Maker considers us disciple material and invites us into His club. 

Apply Here

Down through the centuries, the Disciple Maker has never varied or revoked His call to discipleship: “The time has come, and God’s kingdom is near.  Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News….  Come, follow me!  I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish” (Mark 1:15 & 17 ESV).  

We question whether we have what it takes.  Rabbi Jesus answers: “No, you don’t, but I promise I will teach you.”  The One who will make us fishers of people is Jesus the Disciple Maker.  At every stage of my life, I’ve had to learn this is true.  Lord, I don’t have what it takes to be a good husband, but I trust You to make me one.  Lord, I don’t know how to raise children, so I’m relieved to know that You will train me how.  Father, I ‘m stepping out on a limb to become a missionary to Venezuela, only because You promised that “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).

You have probably experienced such divine provision too.  Whenever we humbly admit our incapabilities to God, He always supplies what we lack, proving Himself to be faithful.  Becoming a fisher-of-men disciple is no different.  In light of this, Jesus’ invitation to discipleship amounts to an Application Form for Rabbi Jesus University.  You may not be ready yet to sign on the dotted line, but take a moment to analyze where you presently stand.

1. How sold out am I to the Good News that Jesus lived, died, and rose for me?
2. Do I believe God’s kingdom is available for me to experience day by day?
3. Do I repent of my sins and desire to turn 180° from any thoughts and actions that hinder me from functioning as a disciple of Jesus Christ?
4. Do I accept Jesus Christ’s invitation: “Come, follow me.”
5. How confident am I that He will make me a disciple and a fisher of people?
6. What could be holding me back?

All the disciples of Jesus are misfits.  But through the Father’s forgiveness, the Savior’s blood, and the Spirit’s indwelling presence, we misfits are reshaped to fit into God’s plan to make disciples of all nations.

Speaking of misfits, in Chapter 3 you will meet millions of misfits, whose stories reveal that the Disciple Maker is still active today.