Discipling a New Believer: Simple, Effective Basics

In Matthew 28 Jesus tells us to go into all the world and make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us… Here we see at least what the beginning of discipleship is–Jesus defined make disciples as teaching then to observe all that he had commanded along with baptism. Simple, huh? It’s amazing how people make things more complicated than need be. I’ve found over 70 items that Jesus commanded his disciples.

In John 11:38-44 we have the incident recorded of Lazarus being raised from death. After Jesus called Lazarus from the grave, He makes an interesting statement that ties directly into discipleship. Jesus stated in verse 44 after the description of Lazarus stumbling out of the grave still bound hand and foot by his grave clothes, Unbind him.

When a person finds salvation in Jesus, they are still bound hand and foot in the grave clothes of the world they have just been resurrected from. Separation from God is death, whether now or when this body of ours expires. The new birth, in a very real sense is like being raised from death, being brought out of the grave of the world system that had been our total and only existence. (Galatian’s 1:4) We need to be unbound from all the trappings of the world we had been existing in. Teaching a new believer all that Jesus has commanded us is the beginning of getting rid of all the grave clothes of the world we no longer need