"Discipleship Is . . ." An Excerpt From "DISCIPLE" by Dr. Allen Jackson

• How youth culture is impacting how view the world around them.


• Why teenagers compartmentalize their lives and what this means for their faith.


• The DNA of discipleship.


• The core discipleship practices essential for disciples and disciple-makers alike.


• The need for discipleship to happen in the home and the church.


• An assortment of discipleship truths and resources.

I believe the interaction we call discipleship has a few characteristics that separate it from other types of teacher/pupil relationships:

Discipleship is intentional.
The relationship is initiated either by the disciple or the disciplemaker for the purpose of maturing toward the biblical ideal (mostly on the part of the disciple, but the disciplemaker also grows closer to Christ).

Discipleship is directional.
The disciplemaker is clearly the leader in the process, but relationship “flows” in both directions. In other words, the relationship is reciprocal. It is a two-way street, not a one-way street.

Discipleship is accountable.
Those involved in a discipleship relationship must hold each other accountable for both sin and righteousness. They must agree that they will follow through on commitments, and call each other out when they (either one) fail to do so. There should also be positive accountability in the form of praise when commitments are kept and challenges met.

Discipleship is measurable.
Both disciple and disciplemaker should ideally see progress toward specific goals.

Discipleship is seasonal.
The active, intentional meeting for the purpose of discipleship may only last a few months or years. However the relationships last a lifetime (and possibly an eternity . . . I’ll get back to you on that).

Discipleship is informational.
Truth about Scripture and life is passed from disciplemaker to disciple.

Discipleship is transformational.
A new lifestyle is learned. New habits are formed. Interactions with family, church, and culture change.