Marc Turnage: Are You Really A Disciple?

You might measure your faith with a checklist: read the verse of the day, go to church, give, serve. Those are good habits, but they are not the definition of a disciple. A disciple is a student of Jesus, and a student never stops studying, doing what they learn, and passing it on to someone else.

What does the word disciple actually mean?

A disciple is a student. Both the Greek word the New Testament uses and its Hebrew equivalent mean someone who learns from a teacher. Apprentice or mentee comes close, but learning is the core of it.

That matters because we tend to fill the English word with our own list of good behaviors and then grade ourselves against it. Bible scholar Marc Turnage of Biblical Expeditions put the point plainly on Beyond Sunday. There is no way to be a disciple without being a student, and that means you have to study.

Church attendance, giving, and serving all have a place. But if you are not learning from Jesus through His Word, you are missing the center of what the word means.

How can you tell if you are really a disciple?

You can test your discipleship with three questions: Am I studying God's Word? Am I doing what it says? Am I teaching it to someone else? Marc Turnage draws all three from a single verse about Ezra, a priest and teacher in Israel after the exile.

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Ezra 7:10

Study, observe, teach. Each one builds on the one before it.

• Study. Are you becoming a better, more diligent student who knows how to read Scripture, not only someone who reads it?
• Do. Are you applying what you learn in the way you work, speak, spend, and treat people?
• Teach. Are you growing toward the kind of maturity that lets you help someone else learn?

These same questions work for a church. A discipleship program is healthy when people are becoming better students, doers, and teachers, not only when the room is full.

Why do disciples have to make disciples?

Disciples make disciples because that is the command Jesus left His followers. Marc Turnage noted that the Great Commission is not only about evangelism. It is about making disciples, and disciples have to make disciples.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 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 to 20

Notice the word "teaching." Jesus did not send His followers to win people and then leave them alone. He sent them to teach people how to obey, which means the third question from Ezra 7:10 is not optional. At some point, every student is meant to help another student.

What does it look like to disciple someone?

Discipling is taking someone by the hand and showing them how. It rarely happens by leading one small group or meeting with someone once or twice to lay out a few ideas.

Marc Turnage did his graduate study in Israel and estimates that 60 to 70 percent of what he learned came outside the classroom. His professors brought him into their homes and around their tables. They showed him how to study and how to think through ancient texts. They also showed him how to let what he learned change him as a person. Today, when he opens the Bible, he still hears their voices.

You do not need a doctorate to do this. You need to let someone close enough to watch how you read Scripture, pray, make decisions, and handle hard days. Invite them to your table, not only to your meeting.

Is discipleship something you finish?

No. Discipleship is not a class you graduate from. It is a lifelong way of living.

Marc Turnage compared it to running one marathon to earn the 26.2 bumper sticker and never running again. You were fit for a season, but you are not fit now. Discipleship works the same way. It is something you keep doing.

He is rereading the Gospel of Luke, a book he has spent countless hours in, and recently noticed something he had never seen before. As your methods of study improve and you pick up new tools and understanding, you come back to Scripture and catch details you missed. Over time you hear the text more the way its first readers heard it.

Pastor Sean Sloan described it as a lifestyle and a way of being curious. It is a relationship with a living Word that the same Spirit still uses to guide us into truth. That takes effort. Jesus also says it is the way to rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:29 to 30

"Learn from me" is a student's invitation. Following Jesus' teaching is hard work, and it is also how you find the full life He promises.

Do mature Christians need to have all the answers?

No. Two of the most mature things a disciple can say are "I don't know" and "I was wrong."

Many of us assume that spiritual maturity means having the right answer every time. For example, Marc Turnage studied in Israel under a scholar who wrote hundreds of books and spoke nine languages. Sometimes students caught him teaching something different from what he had once written. He would say he wrote it before he knew better, or that he hoped he was still allowed to learn at his age. That humility shaped Marc Turnage for good. Now he is happiest when he proves himself wrong, because it means his study is getting better.

This frees you. Whether you are a parent leading your family or talking about faith with a coworker, you do not have to pretend. You can say, "I don't know, but let's go find out together." Or, "I used to think that, but I was wrong, and here's why." That kind of honesty makes you a better guide. It shows people how a student learns.

Common questions

What does the word disciple mean in the Bible?

The Greek word translated disciple, like its Hebrew equivalent, means a student. A disciple learns from a teacher, puts that teaching into practice, and in time teaches others.

How do I know if I am really a disciple of Jesus?

Ezra 7:10 gives a helpful test: study God's Word, do what it says, and teach it. Ask whether you are growing as a student of Scripture, applying it in daily life, and helping someone else learn.

Is discipleship a program or a class?

No. Classes can help, but discipleship is a lifelong way of living. It continues long after any course ends and often happens best in homes and everyday life.

What does the Great Commission mean?

In Matthew 28:19 to 20, Jesus tells His followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey His commands. It is not only a call to evangelism but to help people become lifelong students of Jesus who disciple others.

Do mature Christians need to have all the answers?

No. Humility is a mark of maturity. Being willing to say "I don't know" or "I was wrong" keeps you teachable and makes you a better guide for others.