The Standard and Reliable Model

In the New Testament the word "disciple" occurs a total of 269 times according to Dallas Willard. Do you know how many times the word "Christian" occurs in the New Testament? Three times, and Willard notes that in all three cases it referred to the disciples. Interesting. The Great Commission found in Matthew 28 says, "Go and make disciples of all nations; not "converts" or "Christians" but disciples. Over time it seems the word "disciple" took on the meaning of a more committed or a more deluxe model of what it means to be a Christian. But, as Willard notes in his latest book, The Great Omission,

The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian--especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God.

It seems to me that this understanding and way of living is precisely what we are about at the church. Discipleship is not an optional add-on feature in which some choose to invest and others don't, it is the essential thing.