Discipleship and the Way of Jesus with Pastor John MacArthur and Jonny Ardavanis
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Jonny Ardavanis
4.9 • 902 Ratings
🗓️ 25 November 2025
⏱️ 6 minutes
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Summary
Prior to Pastor John MacArthur going home to be with the Lord, Jonny Ardavanis sat down with Pastor John as he breaks down the biblical meaning of discipleship and why it's essential for every Christian. Jesus commanded us to "make disciples," not just converts—but what does that really mean?
Key Topics Covered:
• The true definition of a disciple (mathetes - a lifelong learner)
• Why discipleship is more than a prayer or church attendance
• How to build Christ-centered friendships that last a lifetime
• The difference between making converts and making disciples
• Practical steps to find someone to disciple you
• How to start discipling others in your church
Main Takeaways:
✓ Discipleship is a friendship with a spiritual core
✓ It involves teaching believers to observe all of Christ's commands
✓ True discipleship creates lifelong relationships and accountability
✓ Find someone who knows more than you AND someone who knows less
✓ The local church is essential for biblical discipleship
Pastor MacArthur emphasizes that discipleship isn't just a program—it's walking through life with someone, applying God's Word together, and creating deep spiritual friendships that accumulate over a lifetime.
Perfect for: Christians seeking spiritual growth, church leaders, small group leaders, new believers, and anyone wanting to understand the Great Commission better.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Pastor John, in Matthew 28, Jesus does not say go into all the earth and make converts. |
| 0:12.5 | He says to make disciples. |
| 0:15.9 | And yet today, many people don't understand what a disciple of Jesus Christ even is. |
| 0:21.0 | And because of that, little discipleship takes place in many churches. |
| 0:26.1 | So my question for you is twofold. |
| 0:28.1 | What is a disciple? |
| 0:29.7 | And then what is discipleship? |
| 0:32.7 | Well, the word in the Greek, the original word for disciple is Mathetase, and it's |
| 0:36.7 | a learner. So what the Lord tells us to do is go into all the world and make lifelong learners. |
| 0:43.3 | And then the rest of that commission is this, |
| 0:46.3 | teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. |
| 0:51.3 | That defines the job of making disciples. It's not just getting somebody to |
| 0:57.3 | pray a prayer and, you know, hope that God answered the prayer. I like to think of it this way, |
| 1:03.5 | okay? You're building a relationship with someone that has a spiritual core. These are friendships that last. When I first |
| 1:16.6 | came to Grace Church many years ago, I started discipling guys. And what happened was I would meet with |
| 1:21.6 | them and I would teach them all things that Christ asks us to do. I would take them into the Word of God and they were learners. |
| 1:30.3 | Jesus spent three years telling us, showing us what a disciple is, what a disciple maker is. |
| 1:36.3 | You instruct them, you teach them, and you teach them in life application. |
| 1:40.3 | In other words, disciplining someone is walking through their life with them and applying |
| 1:46.4 | the Word of God as you go. So it ends up being a friendship. And the really wonderful part about it is |
| 1:53.1 | when you've done that kind of thing in somebody's life, they're a lifetime friend. People say, |
| 1:59.1 | well, do you disciple people for like a year or two years and then go on to |
... |
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