G H Trevor says that "The word had several applications.  In the widest sense it refers to those who accept the teachings of anyone, not only in belief but in life". The Jews, for example, believed themselves disciples of Moses (John 9:28).  John the Baptist had disciples who followed his instruction (Mark 2:18 and Matthew 11:2-7), and even the Pharisees had disciples (Matthew 22:16).  Although Jesus was not an "officially" recognised teacher, He was known by the people of the day as a Rabbi and so His followers were known as His disciples.

The word disciple(s) appears over 275 times in the New Testament but rarely in the Old Testament.  (Isaiah uses the word in 8:16).  Bible teacher, Robert Definbaugh explains this thus:  "[Old Testament] men were, of course, to be learners of the will of God (Deuteronomy 6:10-12), but they were not 'disciples'.  In my estimation the reason is to be found chiefly in the fact that there was no master worthy for them to attach themselves to.  We know of the relationship between Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua, and so on; but these men were known as servants, not disciples. Moses was, in the final analysis, only a servant of God, one through whom God revealed Himself".  In the Bible the word "disciple" is used most often to refer to a follower of Jesus and it is in this context that we are going to look more closely at what discipleship means.

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
Christian discipleship is based on the call of Jesus, the only One who is worthy.  Unlike other teachers of the day who were generally approached by their prospective pupils, Jesus was the one to approach His disciples and call them to Him: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last"(John 15:16).  He did, and does, the seeking. The relationship between Jesus and those who answer the call is very different from any other teacher/pupil relationship.  It involves the disciple's personal loyalty to and total faith in Him and it is in this very personal relationship that the term disciple begins to take on its meaning in the Christian sense.  Faith in Jesus is what determines our ultimate fate: "I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God"(Luke 12:8).

The demands of discipleship were, and are, very real.  Jesus makes it plain that to follow Him is to live a life of selfless service.  Our whole outlook and priorities must undergo radical change.  Jesus states clearly what it is He requires in a disciple but, before we despair, we must remember that those He calls, He also equips.  In our own strength we could never hope to qualify as a disciple of Christ, but, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled by Grace to be what He calls us to be.  So, what exactly are His requirements, as recorded in Scripture?

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26).  Jesus must be the most important person in our lives.  We must be ready and willing to place Him ahead of everyone else we hold dear - including our own self.  Loving Him must be our number one priority.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself ..." (Matthew 16:24).
Denial of self means to be submitted totally to the lordship of Jesus Christ and accepting His authority over our lives.  We must set aside what we so often see as our "rights" and obediently accept all He wills for us, in faith and trust.

"... take up his cross ..." (Matthew 16:24).  Remember death on a cross symbolised the lowest, most shameful, horrific, humiliating and cursed form of death.  Jesus took that upon Himself for our sake and so when we take up our cross for His sake, we should understand that we can expect to be mocked, persecuted and reviled by the world.  It is in standing against, and not conforming to, worldly attitudes that we take up our cross.

"... and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).  In order to follow Jesus we must try to imitate Him and all His characteristics.  For example:  His obedience to God, His devotion, prayer life, zeal, meekness, patience, kindness, compassion, unselfish service to others, self-control, faithfulness, and abiding love.  We need to have the same mind as Christ to follow Him.  Obviously we can't begin to accomplish this without the grace of God and so, like Jesus, we too must live in the power of the Holy Spirit.  To follow in His footsteps means we must not only be, but show ourselves to be, like Him - "bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:8)

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"  (John 15:35).  In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we learn what real love is. We must demonstrate this true, scriptural love towards one another in thought, word and deed if we wish to be a disciple of Jesus.

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples" (John 8:31).  We must be constantly faithful to His Word.  Obedience to the teachings of Jesus is not something we can lift up and set down as the mood takes us.  Unlike an a la carte menu, we cannot merely choose to obey the bits we like and ignore the other bits.  It is only in our continuing and whole-hearted obedience that we are able to endure as His disciples.  The enemy cannot steal or spoil our devotion to the word of God when we hold on and persevere.

In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).  Just as the rich young ruler discovered, this is probably one of the hardest requirements for anyone seeking to be a disciple of Jesus.  What exactly is meant by giving up or forsaking all?  We can attempt to twist it to suit our own circumstances, but I like William MacDonald's excellent definition: "an abandonment of all one's material possessions that are not absolutely essential and that could be used in the spread of the Gospel".  He goes on to explain further that "The man who forsakes all does not become a shiftless loafer;  he works hard to provide for the current necessities of his family and himself.  But, since the passion of his life is to advance the cause of Christ, he invests everything above current needs in the work of the Lord and leaves the future with God.  In seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, he believes that he will never lack". This is indeed trusting in God in a real way.  God takes care of those who obey Him and rewards them, for when we forsake all here, we lay up our treasures in Heaven.  "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" [J. Elliott].

RESPONSIBILITIES OF DISCIPLESHIP
Those who became disciples were taught by Jesus and appointed as His representatives on earth (see Mark 3:13-15).  In Matthew 10, the Bible records for us the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples on the responsibilities they carried.  In this Great Commission, we read Jesus' command to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20). Making new disciples is at the heart of the mission Christ calls us to.  Paul tells us "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will also be qualified to teach others".  (2 Timothy 2:2)  As followers of Jesus, we must mature spiritually and become teachers ourselves "by this time you ought to be teachers ..." (Hebrews 5:21), in order to further spread the Gospel.

Although these responsibilities were primarily delegated to the twelve, they were not confined to them alone.  According to Luke, the members of the early church were also known as "disciples".  The word disciple here is synonymous with the word "believer" (Acts 6:1,2 &7).  For example, in the Book of Acts we hear about Ananias, an obedient visonary who was conversant with God (Acts 9:10) and  Tabitha/Dorcas who is also seen obediently helping the poor (Acts 9:36).  These believers were not numbered in the twelve but yet they served the Lord as disciples.

CONCLUSION
A disciple of Jesus Christ is a person who is:

1)  by faith, personally committed to Jesus Christ as both Lord and Saviour;
2)  who displays the power and authority of Christ through the Holy Spirit;
3)  who imitates the example set by Christ;
4)  who seeks to continue Christ's work; and
5)  who extends the Kingdom of God.

At first sight, the cost of being a disciple of Christ may seem high but the demands are not a burden because the rewards are so great.  "Whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:24).  Jesus prayed for his disciples that they "... may have the full measure of my joy within them" (John 17:13) and He is still interceding for us today.  Compare the burden of being under the discipleship of the Pharisees (representing the world) in Matthew 23:4 - "they tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them", with that of the Lord's:  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light” (Matthew 11:28-30) and we see who has the real burden.  Wow!  What a difference!

Discipleship is as relevant today as it was in Jesus' time.  The Commission He gave to the original twelve disciples has no "sell-by" date stamped upon it. Today, we need to think about discipleship in our own lives and how we respond to Him.