Can You Disciple Yourself?

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Can You Disciple Yourself?

Good question! Everyone is in a different situation in life. You may be in the place where you don't have someone who is discipling you now even though you would benefit from it. Can you disciple yourself?

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

II Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Colossians 1:28-29 NKJV
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Ephesians 4:11-16
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Clearly this is something that Jesus expected His followers to intentionally do! It is investing in the life of another, I would go so far to say that this is the heart of the church.
But the question remains, if no one is available to help you, can you disciple yourself?

Luke 9:23-24 NKJV
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

John 8:31
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

John 13:12-17
12So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

If you are a genuine follower of Jesus, you are His disciple. He gives you all that you need to grow in grace and to be changed into His image. So I believe that the answer is a qualified "sort of". What do I mean by that?
You are never left to your own devices as a follower of Jesus. You have the Bible and the example of Jesus. He gives you His teaching directly for you to follow. You have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide you to understand and live out the truth you learn from His example and Word. You also have resources in the form of all the past books, sermons online, podcasts, videos, etc of the church from the past 2000 years. You will need discernment and to be constantly diligent, comparing what you read or hear to what the Bible actually says. It is my intention to always be true to God's Word but you shouldn't believe me either. Listen and look to the Bible. If what I say doesn't align with Scripture, follow Scripture (and let me know where I went off the rails so I can grow too!)

So you can grow without much direct help from another believer BUT I understand the Bible to teach that we should be involved in and with His church. He loves the church and has given it gifts that you need to reach your full potential. The church also needs you. If your church isn't making disciples, be the first to intentionally invest in someone. Lead the way. You see the need. Be part of the solution. And never stop growing and helping those around you to grow to be more like Jesus.