All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 Ed. (NASB95)

We’ve talked briefly about how Christian brotherly love relates to discipleship, but it’s now time to get into the nitty-gritty details. In this study, I hope to overturn the popular conceptions about discipleship, and show that this process of Christians helping Christians follow the Lord is simply the natural outworking of our love for each other. To allude to the early chapters of Genesis, discipleship is the process of believers acting like their “brother’s keeper” (Gen. 4:9).

Let’s begin, however, with defining the term “disciple”. As most western believers know, this word is the name given to a follower or student of an authoritative teacher. In the New Testament, it’s usually used to describe the people that literally followed the Lord Jesus around Israel as He preached and performed miracles. The purported reason they followed Him wasn’t only to listen to His teaching, but also to watch Him live His life. Thus, a disciple isn’t only a “student” in the standard, formalized, sense of the term, but more like an apprentice and an imitator of the teacher. As disciples of Jesus, then, believers have devoted themselves to both obeying Jesus’s teachings, and to imitating His example.

However, we no longer have Jesus physically present with us. So how do we carry out the physical following and imitation aspect of discipleship? This is where the Christian brotherhood of the Lord’s Assembly comes in. As brothers and sisters in God’s family, we’re called to lead and to follow each other in our obedience to Jesus.

This pattern for discipleship after the ascension of Jesus was laid down through the apostles, and is specifically taught by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, where he writes,
“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

But in this practice of discipleship, who is to imitate who? As is evident from Paul’s command here, it is the more mature in godly character and knowledge that are to serve as the examples for less mature believers. But Paul didn’t do this merely because he was in an officially commissioned role of apostle. He did this because he loved the Corinthians, and the Christians under his care, as his brothers and sisters. Likewise, the believers who followed him did so because they loved him as their brother. Thus, the discipling relationship was based on love, not simply on authority or obligation.

Just think about the relationship between brothers that have a significant age difference between each other. In my case, my natural brother is fifteen years older than me. And because we had a relatively healthy relationship, for a little while he took me under his wing, teaching me how to hunt, play guitar, and listen to music. He didn’t teach me these things simply because he thought he had a duty to. He actually cared about me, and wanted me to enjoy good things in life, like he did. This is the way it ought to be in our mentoring relationships among our brethren. All our efforts to teach our brother or sister how to obey the Lord more faithfully ought to be done out of love and affection.

Thankfully, we aren’t without any illustrations of this exact thing in the New Testament record of the first assemblies. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives us a superb description of how he discipled and mentored the newborn believers in Thessalonica, along with his fellow missionaries.

The Thessalonian Example of Discipleship

In 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12, Paul recounts,

“Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

First, notice that their relationship, with the apostles leading and the assembly following, was based on “affection” and the sharing of “lives.” It wasn’t just that the apostles taught them at designated times in a classroom-like setting, but that they lived with them, as their friends and older brothers. They were in fact “dear” to them.

Next, we must pay attention to the way that Paul, Silas, and Timothy led and taught the Thessalonians. First, they demonstrated exemplary lifestyles to them. Paul notes they were behaving “devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly” while among them, in obedience to the Lord. Second, they engaged in personal and one-on-one mentorship with the new believers, since they were “exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one” of them like “a father” (v. 11). This shows us that these missionary overseers didn’t follow the popular contemporary model of pastoral leadership. They were no CEO-like office professionals who usually only meet with individual believers after they’ve just delivered a half hour monologue. Rather, they were like fathers to all the believers there – “each one”. And they weren’t neglectful fathers to them, but earnestly and affectionately spoke to them with appropriate messages of urging, encouragement, or warning.

Finally, as we saw in the former subject, the aim of this discipleship was for the Thessalonians’ worthiness for their God. The apostles’ leadership and mentoring were all motivated by the goal of the believers “walking” in a way that was appropriate and fitting for their identity as children and partners of the God who gave them a part in His “kingdom and glory”. And who this God? The One who has revealed Himself in the Lord Jesus. Thus, this “worthy way” was the way set forth and commanded by Jesus Himself, and then by His apostles.

So, think about how you, and your closest brethren, compare to this model for discipleship. Are you in a close relationship with a more mature brother or sister who mentors you regularly through diligent exhortation, encouragement, and testifying? And if you are seasoned in the faith, are you mentoring anyone in a similar way? This brotherly discipleship is the main means by which we are supposed to carry out the truth-speaking service that we’re equipped for, as outlined in Ephesians 4:7-16.

Also, note that this kind of service was executed by the first elders of the Thessalonians – the apostles. Hence, it doesn’t take too much reasoning to conclude that this should be a model for most, if not all, elders of assemblies. Are your elders acting like fathers to your congregation? If you don’t see such fatherly care demonstrated, then you would do well to question whether your elders are qualified to fill the role of oversight, or whether the general structure of your assembly’s relationships is in alignment with the model given by the apostles.

To add to this example of fatherly discipleship by Assembly leaders, we’ll next take a look at Paul’s basic instructions for how those who are struggling in their discipleship should be aided by those who are stronger.

All Believers are to Help the Struggling

When Paul is nearing the end of 1 Thessalonians, he composes a concise passage that summarizes the main responsibilities that congregations as bodies are to fulfill. In the middle of this passage, he writes,

“We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Notice that this charge is given to all the Thessalonians, and not just to the elders. Therefore, helping such strugglers is the responsibility of all believers. And Paul highlights three categories of people here who need our help in discipleship. First are the “unruly,” or “undisciplined,” who are to be “admonished,” or more clearly “warned” and “counseled”. Second, he calls for those who are discouraged, and lacking willpower, to be encouraged, or emboldened. Finally, he notes those who are most likely physically weak, and can’t provide for their physical necessities. In our interactions with our weekly fellowship assemblies, we ought to be continually looking out for these kinds of people. They are the ones who need extra brotherly care, since they are severely hindered by their specific maladies. In this way, we can “bear one another’s burdens,” and be our brother’s keeper.