A Disciple is a person who would learn of Christ and follow in His steps.

Jesus concentrated His attention on making disciples.

Matt. 28:18-19 

After His death and resurrection, before ascending back to heaven, Jesus told His disciples that “All authority (all power to rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Him therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.

This is known as the Great Commission.

True disciples will not only grow in the likeness of their Master, in time by His Spirit; they will reproduce His life in others.

Everyone is called to participate in the making of disciples. It is not a special gift, it’s a command and we have no option but to obey.

Developing character is more important than polishing skills. “You must be God’s person before you can do God’s work. This means dying to self-centeredness so that Christ can rule your heart. This is not an easy task; there are no shortcuts.

What is discipleship?

A teacher-student relationship based on the model of Jesus Christ and His disciples in whom the teacher reproduces the fullness of the life of Christ one possess in the student.

There are two components to discipleship, self-death, and reproduction.

Self-death – To be a disciple, we must share in His death.

Luke 9:23-24 (amp)- …If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny
himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take his cross daily and follow Me
[cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if
need be, in dying also]. For whoever would preserve his life and save it will
lose his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty
of eternal death].

Luke 9:62 

Jesus said no one who puts his hand to the plow and
looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.

Follow me was a command, never an invitation. Jesus expected obedience, not excuses. The error many Christians make is to separate receiving salvation, self-death, and being a disciple. A disciple will follow his Master
even to the cross.

Galatians 2:20 

I have been crucified with Christ in Him I have
share His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah)
lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence
to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me
and gave Himself up for me.

We have no claim on our lives; we are living on borrowed time, Christ time.
So we become a living dead person totally committed to Him. There is
freedom in this death. A dead person is not concerned with their rights,
independence or the opinions of others.

Discipleship is the only way to produce both the quantity and quality in the
live of a believers that God desires.

John 15:2 & 8 (amp) – Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops
bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and
repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it
bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.

When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified,
and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.

If a believer lead one person to the Lord each day by the end of the year you
would have directed 365 people to the Lord. If we continue for the next 32
years we would have reached 11,680.

Now suppose I reach one person the first year. Then discipled that person
for one year so that they were grounded in the word. The next year the two of us trained 2 more to train others at the end of 32 years there would be 4,294,967,296. Even though discipleship starts off slowly in the long run spiritual multiplication reaches far more people in the same amount of time than addition.

We get excited about conception and the joy of birth without assuming the
responsibility of parenthood. Discipleship is inseparable from responsible
parenthood. A spiritual parent is accountable to God for the care and nurture
of His children.

Paul knew what it was to be a parent:

(ICorth. 4:15 amp) – After all, though you should have ten thousand teachers (guides to direct you) in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the glad tidings (the Gospel).

It is human tendency to opt for mass production rather than quality
workmanship. Jesus was very blunt. He gives us two options, to obey or
disobey. He also warned us to count the cost.

Who is a Disciple?

Matt 7:21- Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father Who is in
heaven.

The proof is Christ like character, which is built when we exercise our will
to conform every aspect of our lives to the image of Christ. We must know
God before we can make Him known.

IThess. 2:10-12 (amp) – You are witnesses, [yes] and God [also], how
unworldly and upright and blameless was our behavior toward you
believers [who adhered to and trusted in and relied on our Lord Jesus
Christ]. For you know how, as a father [dealing with] his children, we
used to exhort each of you personally, stimulating and encouraging and
charging you To live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His own
kingdom and the glorious blessedness [into which true believer will enter

after Christ’s return].

The proof is ethical qualities.

Gal. 5:22-23 (amp) – But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His
presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an
even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
gentleness (meekness), humility, self-control (self-restraint, continence).
Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]