The Blueprint For Discipleship

A blueprint is a design, a pattern, or a plan for constructing something. If followed, it will give you the desired result, whether that's a house, parking garage, car, or something else.

Assuming you have accurate blueprints, what happens when someone deviates from the blueprint? The results can be disastrous. Depending on the deviation, you could have an unstable structure or a non-functioning machine. It is critical that the blueprints be followed. I can recall my time as an electrical contractor working with other trades and seeing the results of blueprints being ignored. The cost was significant!

I recently preached from Mark 3:13-19 on the commissioning of the twelve disciples, and I believe Jesus provided a blueprint for discipleship in this text that we would be wise to follow. This article is adapted from that sermon.

What is the blueprint? It is not complicated:‌

“He appointed twelve…so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out demons” (Mark 3:14)

We could summarize this as follows:

1. ‌Be with Jesus

2. Go out into the world.

a. Go to proclaim

b. Go to serve‌

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Let’s break this down.‍

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Be With Jesus

‍Jesus calls the disciples to be with him. They are to learn from Him and learn to imitate Him. They are to be his apprentices. It is a self-evident truth that our lives are shaped by those with whom we spend the most time, for good or ill. Being with Jesus leaves an unmistakable mark (check out Acts 4:13). The more time spent with Jesus, the more recognizable that mark becomes. I think of 2 Cor 2:15-16

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”‌

This is what being with Jesus does. It leaves an unmistakable mark on us that is like a fragrance. People can just tell. They smell it. To some, it is pleasing and leads to life. To others, it leads to death because they reject the source of that fragrance—Jesus Christ—and thus, the aroma is repugnant to them.‌

How do we be with Him? It’s not complicated: through the word and through prayer. Do you want to be like Jesus? Do you want to be the aroma of Christ? As the saying goes, “Get into the Word until the Word gets into you.” Spend time on your knees before Christ.It seems there are many who live their Christian life as if that’s the end of the blueprint. But Jesus calls us in in order to send us out:‌

‍Be Sent...

‍We were never called to be Jesus’ disciples so we could keep the message of Christ to ourselves. Christ called us in to send us out. Disciples spend time with Jesus in order to be sent out to do two things: 1. Proclaim Him, and 2. Serve

.…To Proclaim

‍I often stress that preaching is not just formal preaching from a pulpit but can be any form of communication that proclaims the Gospel to unbelievers.‌‌

Jesus’ blueprint for discipleship not only has His disciples spending time with Him and learning from Him, but it necessarily involves us going out and sharing the things we have learned with others. It’s amazing to think that we today are the fruit of faithful disciples doing just what Christ sent his disciples to do: they proclaimed the Good News.

Years ago, I was reading Donald Whitney’s classic book Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life. There were many chapters on disciplines we all expect to see: Scripture reading, Scripture memorization, prayer, gathering for worship, etc. One chapter caught me off guard: "Evangelism…for the Purpose of Godliness" In that chapter, Whitney rightly teaches that evangelism ought to be one of our disciplines as believers, but it is so often overlooked or ignored in the pursuit of the Christian life. And yet, it is part of the blueprint. Jesus' first disciples were called in so that they might be sent out.

‍…To Serve

‍Our text says,

"He appointed twelve so that they might be with him, and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”

Ready to cast out some demons?

I jest.

I believe this is a literary device called synecdoche. Synecdoche is when the part of something is substituted for the whole. I.g. when referring to a "hired hand," we aren't just talking about a person's hand but rather the whole person. I believe that’s what we have going on here. The text says, "cast out demons," and that is a part of the whole of the ministry, which would have included healing, casting out demons, and other acts of mercy ministry. When we read on in Mark, we see this is born out in the disciple’s activity.‌‌

As cessationists, we don’t believe in the ongoing ministry of the sign gifts. In light of that, how do we think about this in relation to the blueprint?

Though we have not been granted authority to perform miracles and cast out demons, we are still called to emulate Jesus and follow his example. The signs and miracles are no longer necessary because they served a specific purpose of authenticating the message, and that has been accomplished.

But those miracles also demonstrated the compassion of Christ and how He cared for those in need, and that is something we can emulate. We can still have compassion for those around us. We can still love, care, and serve those around us. Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45). If we are his disciples, we too must serve those around us in various ways as we have the means and ability.

The blueprint for discipleship really is that simple. Learn from Jesus. Tell others. And love them in both word and deed. That is a blueprint worth following.