True Apostolic Discipleship — Post 1 of 48
Section I: The Call and the Crisis
Most Christians today are sincere.
Many are saved.
Some are even zealous.
Yet biblical discipleship is quietly disappearing.
The problem is not a lack of churches, Bibles, conferences, podcasts, or teaching content. The modern church is saturated with information. What is missing is formation.
We have learned how to gather, but not how to walk.
How to belong, but not how to abide.
How to believe, but not how to live before God daily.
Modern discipleship has largely failed — not because people don’t love Christ, but because we have replaced apostolic formation with systems that cannot produce spiritual life.
Discipleship Has Been Reduced to Church Performance
In much of today’s Christianity, discipleship is defined by external participation:
- attend regularly
- serve consistently
- give financially
- affirm doctrinal statements
- volunteer faithfully
None of these are wrong.
But none of these are discipleship.
They train people to be good church members, not mature disciples.
Jesus did not say, “Go and make attendees.”
He said, “Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20).
That requires life-on-life formation, not institutional compliance.
Believers Are Being Molded Into Systems, Not Christ
Every system disciples — whether it admits it or not.
When a believer is shaped primarily by:
- denominational distinctives
- theological camps
- political identities
- cultural narratives
- celebrity teachers
they inevitably become a reflection of that system.
Scripture warns us plainly:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men… and not after Christ.”
— Colossians 2:8 (KJV)
True discipleship does not create Calvinists, Zionists, legalists, or reactionaries.
It creates men and women conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).
When Christ is no longer the center, confusion multiplies — even when Bible verses are quoted.
Why Many New Believers ‘Die on the Vine’
Many young believers begin well. They read Scripture, pray eagerly, and expect transformation.
But when they are not taught:
- how to read Scripture spiritually
- how to walk with God daily
- how to deal with failure and temptation
- how to discern flesh from Spirit
- how to live by faith rather than emotion
they become discouraged.
Some conclude:
- “Christianity must not work.”
- “I must be missing something.”
- “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
Others simply drift.
This is not apostasy born of rebellion.
It is confusion born of poor discipleship.
The fault does not lie with the sheep.
The Apostolic Pattern Has Been Replaced
The apostles did not disciple through programs.
They walked with people.
They corrected them.
They warned them.
They revisited the same truths repeatedly.
They taught Scripture as a unified revelation centered in Christ.
They expected growth through obedience, suffering, discipline, and grace.
Paul could say to Timothy:
“The things that thou hast heard of me… commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
— 2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV)
That is generational, relational, Spirit-dependent discipleship.
What we have now is often transfer without transformation.
Discipleship Without the Cross Cannot Produce Life
Modern discipleship often avoids:
- self-denial
- discipline
- correction
- suffering
- endurance
Yet Scripture makes the pattern unmistakable:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
— Luke 9:23 (KJV)
Without the cross operating daily, discipleship becomes motivational talk.
Without death to self, growth becomes cosmetic.
This is why freedom often fades.
Why zeal burns out.
Why believers oscillate between excitement and collapse.
What True Discipleship Must Recover
If discipleship is to be restored, it must return to the apostolic foundation:
- Christ formed within (Gal. 4:19)
- Scripture read as a unified revelation of Christ
- the Holy Spirit as Teacher
- obedience over performance
- formation over activity
- life over system
This is not nostalgia.
It is necessity.
The church does not need new methods.
It needs old foundations.
Why This Series Exists
This series exists because formation must come before freedom is tested — and long before inheritance is pursued.
Without discipleship:
- freedom becomes unstable
- authority becomes dangerous
- inheritance becomes presumption
True Apostolic Discipleship is the beginning — not because it is impressive, but because it is safe.
“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
— Luke 24:45 (KJV)
Hello Bro Rick, I’m reading your words on discipleship and it’s like you’ve been reading my heart. Preachers are preaching on the power of God and pressing their people to prove they have faith by walking in that power. I agree with you that in order to be responsible vessels of His glory we must first learn how surrender to Him as Lord and die to self.
What struck me as odd was our need to fail. I never saw that as a benefit, just part of the process. Im really being tested right now not with carnal desires but with not understanding this path I am on and failing seems inevitable. When I saw that you said failure is nessessary I found it surprising yet comforting. Blessings
Sandra,
Thank you for sharing your heart again. I’m grateful that the articles have been an encouragement to you, especially during a season when the path before you isn’t entirely clear.
I want to clarify something about failure because it’s important. God does not require us to sin or fail in order to grow. But He certainly knows how to use our failures, disappointments, and limitations to teach us things we might never have learned otherwise.
Peter learned something about himself through his denial of the Lord. He discovered that his confidence in his own devotion was not enough. Yet the Lord did not abandon him. He restored him and entrusted him with the care of His sheep.
Sometimes we discover that we are not nearly as strong, wise, or capable as we imagined. That discovery can be painful, but it can also bring us to a deeper dependence upon Christ.
Paul learned this when the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
And Sandra, not understanding the path before you does not necessarily mean you are failing. We are not always given the whole picture. Sometimes we are simply called to walk faithfully in the light we have today.
You do not have to manufacture spiritual power, prove your faith to others, or figure out everything God is doing. Keep your eyes upon Christ, remain faithful to what He has placed before you, and allow Him to do His work within you.
Remember, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
May the Lord give you peace and strengthen your heart as you continue walking with Him.
Blessings,
Rick