1. What is a Disciple of Jesus

“The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” — Mark 1:15

This is the first study in a series called Discipleship According to Jesus. Often, when people hear the word “disciple”, they immediately think about the twelve disciples of Jesus, or more accurately the twelve Apostles.   However, Jesus had many disciples who followed Him.  In fact, He described everyone who followed Him faithfully as disciples.

To help us better understand this, let’s look back to what a disciple was in the world Jesus lived in. In first-century Jewish culture, the idea of discipleship was already well known. Teachers, called rabbis, gathered groups of learners, disciples who left home, work, and comfort to study under them. These disciples didn’t attend classes once a week; they lived with their teacher, watching how he prayed, ate, taught, and responded to people. Their goal wasn’t just to learn his words but to imitate his entire way of life.

When Jesus called people to follow Him, He used this same idea yet transformed it completely. He didn’t wait for applicants or choose the most religiously qualified. He walked along the shore, found ordinary fishermen, and said, “Follow Me.” Unlike other rabbis, He wasn’t merely teaching about God’s law, He embodied the presence and authority of God Himself. To follow Jesus was to follow the living Word of God made flesh

As we begin our series focused Discipleship According to Jesus, we will explore what Jesus said and taught about what it means to be a disciple.  In essence, this isn’t only for leaders and mature believers; becoming a disciple is the expectation Jesus has for EVERYONE who decided to follow Him

This series begins at the beginning. Jesus’ early preaching, the announcement of the Kingdom of God. We read this in Mark 1:15.  Before inviting anyone to follow Him, Jesus first announced the message that would define everything He would do and everything His disciples would later embody: the Kingdom of God had come near.

The Time Has Come

Jesus’ words, “The time has come,” are more than a simple announcement, they marked the turning point of history. The Greek word for “time” here is (Kairos), which conveys the sense of a decisive moment or the appointed time for something to happen. It wasn’t just another day on the calendar; it was God’s chosen moment to begin His redemptive plan through His Son.

For centuries, Israel had waited for God to act, to send His Messiah, restore His people, and defeat the powers of evil. In this verse, Jesus was announcing that the moment had arrived. The long-awaited promises of the prophets were breaking into reality. When Jesus said, “The time has come,” He was declaring that the waiting was over. The age of fulfillment had begun.

For a disciple, this means that our faith isn’t built on vague hopes or religious works, it’s built on God’s decisive plan of action in Christ. Discipleship starts not with what we do for God, but with what God has already done for us through Jesus.

The Kingdom of God is Near

At the heart of Jesus’ message is this phrase: “The kingdom of God has come near.” Jewish listeners would have understood the word “kingdom” not as a place but as reign – the rule and authority of God. To say it had “come near” meant that God’s sovereign power was now breaking into the world through Jesus Himself.

Through His miracles, Jesus showed the Kingdom’s power over sickness, sin, and evil. Through His teaching, He revealed God’s mercy, righteousness, and love. And through His death and resurrection, He opened the door for people to enter it.

This is crucial for understanding discipleship: to be a disciple is to live under the reign of the King. It’s not merely believing that God exists but submitting to His authority in every area of life – our values, priorities, relationships, and goals. Discipleship means learning to live as citizens of the Kingdom, even though we are still walking in a world that often resists it.

Repent

The first word Jesus used to describe our response to the Kingdom is repent. In the original Greek, the word (metanoeō) means “to change one’s mind” or “to turn around.” It carries both an inward and outward meaning: a change of heart that leads to a change of direction. Repentance isn’t simply feeling guilty about sin; it’s recognizing that our way isn’t working and turning completely toward God’s way. It’s a total reorientation of our life from our own rule to His

In the context of discipleship, repentance is where following begins. We can’t walk with Jesus while still walking in the opposite direction. Also, repentance is not a one-time event, but a continuous decision to not stray and keep following Jesus. Every day, we turn again from the pull of the world toward the path of Christ.

Believe the Good News

The second response Jesus called for is to believe the good news. The word “believe” here doesn’t mean simply agreeing with information, it means trusting, relying, and placing full confidence in the message of Jesus.

The “good news,” or gospel, is that the Kingdom of God has come through Jesus, the Son of God who lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we deserved, and rose again to bring new life. To believe the good news is to entrust ourselves to this reality and live as if it is true.

Faith and repentance always go hand in hand. Repentance turns us away from sin; faith turns us toward Christ. Together, they show us the entry point into discipleship. Every genuine disciple is someone who has heard Jesus’ invitation, turned from the old way, and trusted the new life He offers.

What this Means for Disciples Today

For us today, Jesus’ first sermon still defines the life of a disciple. Discipleship begins when we respond personally to His message to repent and believe. But it doesn’t stop there. Repentance and faith become the rhythm of our daily walk. Every time we choose humility over pride, forgiveness over bitterness, or truth over compromise, we are repenting and believing again. Every act of obedience declares that Jesus is King and that His Kingdom rules our hearts.

But when we begin drifting away the path of repentance, we need to turn back to the path towards Jesus.  Scriptures clearly teaches us in 1 John 1:9 what we are to do when we stray: “But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). We are to confess our sins and return to the path of our repentance.

In a culture that prizes independence, discipleship calls us to surrender. In a world chasing comfort, discipleship calls us to commitment. In an age of noise, discipleship calls us to hear the simple but powerful words that started it all: “The time has come. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.”

These are not just words to begin a journey – they describe the journey itself. To be a disciple is to keep turning toward the King, believing His promises, and walking faithfully in His footsteps.

Understanding what it means to be a disciple is only the first step. Discipleship is not an abstract idea or a religious title; it’s a personal invitation from Jesus Himself. He still calls people today with the same simple but life-changing words. In the next study, The Call to Follow Jesus, we will look at Jesus’s first call to his disciples to leave everything to follow Him and see what it means for us to answer that same call today.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

What did Jesus mean when He said, “The time has come”?
How does that phrase signal a new beginning, not only in history, but in your personal life?

When you think about “the Kingdom of God has come near,” what comes to mind?
How is this Kingdom different from the values and priorities of the world we live in?

Repentance is often misunderstood as only feeling sorry for sin.
How would you describe biblical repentance in your own words? What kind of change does it involve?

Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news.”
Why do you think these two commands, repentance and belief, must always go together?

In what ways does turning toward the Kingdom of God require turning away from the world?
What are some modern “worldly paths” that can easily distract us from following Jesus?

This study describes discipleship as “changing direction from the world to the Kingdom.”
Can you think of a time in your own walk with Christ when you had to make a decisive change of direction?

What would it look like for us, as a group and as individuals, to live daily as people who have truly “entered the Kingdom”?
How might our attitudes, conversations, or priorities be different this week?