What Is Discipleship? How to Follow Jesus and Grow in Your Faith
Summary: Discipleship is the lifelong process of learning from Jesus and becoming more like Him. A disciple is not simply someone who believes facts about Jesus, but someone who follows Him, letting His teaching shape their choices and relationships. It grows through Scripture, prayer, Christian community and everyday obedience, and it is meant to be passed on as believers help others follow Jesus too.
Scripture quotations in this guide are from the King James Version (KJV).
The word "disciple" can sound old-fashioned, like something from a Sunday school flannelgraph. Yet it is the word Jesus used most often for the people who walked with Him. The New Testament mentions "disciples" more than two hundred times and "Christians" only a handful of times. That tells us something. In the early church, following Jesus was not a label you wore. It was a way of life you lived.
Maybe you have been a believer for years but feel stuck, as if your faith stopped growing somewhere along the way. Or maybe you have only recently come to faith and you are wondering what happens next. Either way, discipleship is the answer to the question "Now what?" It is how a decision becomes a direction.
What does the Bible mean by "disciple"?
In the first century, a disciple was an apprentice. Jewish teachers, called rabbis, gathered students who would live and travel with them, learning not only their words but their way of life. The goal was not to pass an exam. It was to become like the teacher.
Jesus called His first disciples with two simple words: "Follow me" (Matthew 4:19). Peter and Andrew left their nets. Matthew left his tax booth. They did not have the theology worked out. They simply started walking behind Him, and over time He shaped them.
Before He returned to heaven, Jesus gave His followers a mission that is often called the Great Commission:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20)
The older word "teach" there carries the sense of "make disciples." Notice that the instruction is not just to make converts. It is to teach people to observe, to actually live out, what Jesus commanded. Discipleship is about obedience that flows from love, not information stored in the head.
What is the difference between a believer and a disciple?
In the New Testament, these are really the same person. Every true believer is called to be a disciple. The problem is that in many places today, we have separated the two. People are encouraged to "accept Jesus" and then left to carry on much as before, as if following Him were an optional upgrade for the especially keen.
Jesus never offered that arrangement. He said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The word "daily" matters. Discipleship is not a single moment at an altar. It is a thousand small yeses, one ordinary day at a time.
That might sound intimidating, but it is actually freeing. You do not have to become a spiritual giant overnight. You only have to follow today. Tomorrow you will follow again.
What does following Jesus cost?
Jesus was refreshingly honest about the cost. He compared following Him to a builder who sits down to work out whether he can afford to finish a tower before he starts (Luke 14:28). He did not hide the hard parts to win more followers.
For some, the cost is relational. Family members may not understand a new commitment. For others it is financial, as generosity replaces accumulation. For many it is personal, as old habits or grudges are slowly surrendered. And for believers in some parts of the world today, the cost is physical safety itself.
Yet Jesus also spoke about joy. "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). The disciples who gave up their nets did not spend the rest of their lives regretting it. They found that what they gained was worth far more than what they left behind. Paul, who lost status and freedom for the sake of Christ, still described everything else as rubbish compared with "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8).
Which habits help you grow as a disciple?
Christians often call these habits "spiritual disciplines." The word discipline can sound harsh, but think of it more like training. An athlete does not train because the coach is cruel. They train because they want to be able to run the race. These practices put us in the places where God has promised to meet us and change us.
- Reading Scripture daily. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). A lamp in those days lit only a few steps ahead. That is often how God guides us too: enough light for the next step. Start with one of the Gospels and read a chapter a day. If you want a structured approach, see our guide on how to study the Bible.
- Prayer. Prayer is where the relationship becomes personal. Jesus often withdrew to quiet places to pray, and His disciples noticed. If you are not sure where to start, our simple guide to prayer walks you through it step by step.
- Community and church. "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Nobody grows well alone. We need people who know us well and, when necessary, lovingly challenge us.
- Serving others. Jesus said that He "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Service shifts our focus from ourselves to others, and it is often in serving that faith becomes real.
- Obedience in small things. "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Big acts of faith are usually built on hundreds of small, unseen acts of obedience: telling the truth when a lie would be easier, forgiving someone who has not apologised, keeping a promise that costs you something, giving when no one is watching.
You do not need to master all five at once. Choose one to focus on for the next month. Once it begins to feel natural, add another.
What does it mean to abide in the vine?
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gave His disciples a picture they could not forget:
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)
A branch does not produce grapes by straining and trying harder. It produces fruit by staying connected to the vine, drawing life from it. That is what "abide" means: to remain, to make your home in.
This changes how we think about growth. The disciplines above are not ways to earn God's approval or to manufacture spiritual fruit through willpower. They are ways of staying connected. When we stay close to Jesus, the fruit comes, sometimes slowly and often in ways we only notice looking back.
The "fruit" Jesus has in mind includes changed character, which Paul describes as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23). It also includes the people we influence for Christ along the way. Our I Am a Fruitful Vine hoodie was inspired by this passage, a reminder that a fruitful life is a connected life.
How do I find a mentor, and how do I disciple someone else?
Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy, "the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). Count the generations in that verse: Paul, Timothy, faithful men, others. Discipleship is meant to multiply.
If you are looking for a mentor, start by noticing who in your church or community has a faith you admire. They do not need to be famous or a church leader. They just need to be a little further along the road than you. Ask them to coffee. Tell them you would value learning from them. Most mature believers are honoured by that request, even if they feel unqualified.
When you meet, keep it simple. Read a passage of Scripture together, share one thing you are each learning, talk honestly about how life is going and pray for each other. Meeting regularly, perhaps every two weeks, matters more than having a perfect plan.
And here is the part people often miss: you do not need to have arrived before you help someone else. If you have followed Jesus for a year, you can encourage someone who has followed Him for a month. Discipleship is less about being an expert and more about being willing to share the journey.
Some practical ways to begin discipling someone:
- Invite a newer believer to read one Gospel with you, a chapter each week.
- Share honestly about your own struggles and how God has met you in them.
- Pray with them, not only for them.
- Help them find their own place to serve in the church.
Can I grow as a disciple without a church?
This is a real question for many people, especially those who have been hurt by churches in the past. It is true that God can meet you anywhere, and personal devotion matters enormously. Yet the New Testament simply does not picture a Christian life lived in isolation. The letters were written to communities. The commands to love "one another" appear again and again, and you cannot obey them alone.
If church has been painful, that grief is valid, and it is worth taking time to heal. When you are ready, look for a community that teaches the Bible clearly, takes care of people well, welcomes honest questions and admits its own imperfections. No church is perfect, because every church is full of people like us. But a healthy one can become a place of deep growth.
Frequently asked questions
How long does discipleship take?
A lifetime. Discipleship is not a course with a graduation date. Even Paul, late in life, wrote that he had not "already attained" but was still pressing on (Philippians 3:12). Growth is gradual, and that is normal.
What are the spiritual disciplines?
They are practices that help believers stay connected to God and grow in faith. Common examples include Bible reading, prayer, fasting, worship, service, generosity and gathering with other believers. They are tools for growth, not ways to earn God's love.
Do I need to be an expert to disciple someone?
No. You only need to be a little further along than the person you are helping, and willing to be honest about your own journey. Faithfulness and availability matter far more than expertise.
How do I know if I am growing?
Look for changes over months rather than days. Are you quicker to forgive? More honest? Hungrier for God's Word? More patient with difficult people? These small shifts are signs that the vine is bearing fruit.
Keep going deeper
Ready for a guided path? The Disciple's Journey takes you step by step through the first stages of following Jesus, and Celebrating the Names of God is a 7-day devotional that makes a gentle place to start.
