An encouragement for disciples to study? That title is redundant. A ‘mathetes’, the Greek word for a disciple, is a learner. A disciple of Jesus Christ is committed to following him and his teaching. As Christians, we submit to Jesus and the Word that proclaims him. To be a disciple, a ‘mathetes’ is to study, to learn. Jesus in Matthew 11:29 commands us to “take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” John 6:45 tells, “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” To be a disciple is to be a learner, to be a student.
The truth as it is in Jesus has never been more accessible to the church and perhaps never more neglected by the church. Neil Postman writes about the “Low Information – Action Ratio,” or LIAR for short. We are bombarded by so much trivial information that we cannot act on any of it. We are progressively trained not to act on what little we learn. We can drink from the firehose of knowledge and get very wet but stay very thirsty. The information is out there and the truth of Jesus is available. But our problem, I think, is the opposite. We are not drinking from a firehose, although it is accessible, we are merely dipping our little toe into the ocean of knowledge.
Do you, as a student, a disciple, have a plan or a purpose in your study of God, his Son, and his Word? Much of our learning program as Christians, if we have one at all, is rather spontaneous, haphazard, and random. We listen to our pastor once a week, and Christian radio during the week; that is nourishment enough, we think. What is your plan to grow as a disciple, a learner of Jesus?
In seminary, pastors were encouraged to study God’s Word in a devotional manner. We must feed our own souls first before we could prepare a meal for others. One student read through bible commentaries for his devotions. Another pursued Systematic Theologies for fun. Others devoured technical treatises for their growth in grace. Now, we are not all pastors or teachers, and I am not encouraging my brothers and sisters to study in that manner. But there are hundreds of good, godly, and edifying Christian books designed to assist you as a disciple of Christ. Do you read them? any of them? Are you consistently and fruitfully studying the Word of God? Not merely reading it, but studying it, and growing the fruit of the Spirit because of it?
As a young Christian when I read the Bible or other Christian books I would circle the words and concepts that I did not understand. And then, I would study until I figured it out. So my encouragement to you, as a fellow disciple of Jesus Christ, is simply this – study to know God better. Find the time. Have a plan. Read the Bible. Begin to chase down the knowledge of God. For some, “have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:19-21).
Don’t know where to begin to be a disciple? Pray. Read the Bible. Start with the Gospel of John. Need more? Ask your pastor for a book. It will make his day!