A key to discipleship, at least as Jesus expresses it in Matthew 28, is teaching people to obey all that Jesus has commanded us.  Our discipleship is expressed, first and foremost, in our lives, in our actions and in our character.  We begin our walk as disciples by establishing a living consistency between our knowledge of the words of Jesus and our lives in this world.

Sometimes we see discipleship as an end.  We start with an ideal, what a disciple should do as far as bible study and prayer and worship, evangelism and service and mission.  With this ideal in our minds we try to conform our lives to it.  Then we try to help others conform their lives to our ideal.

But discipleship is a process, not an end.  Simply put it is hearing the words of Jesus and obeying them in our lives.  Disciples of Jesus listen and obey, listen and obey, listen and obey.  Simple really, but not easy. Sometimes though, we extend this process so that is it more like, listen and interpret and discuss and pray about and explain and defend and prioritize and, if it is not too difficult, obey.

There is a place for interpretation and prayer and discussion and explanation and maybe even defense.  But all of those things come after obedience.  Once we have begun to obey we will be better able to understand what Jesus asks of us.  Once other disciples we know have begun to obey, then we will have some common experience to discuss with them, and through that discussion we may better see the way ahead. Once we have taken the next steps on that way, we will be better able to teach others the command of Jesus and to explain to them the next steps of their obedience.

As we try to form disciples we teach the commands of Jesus in many different ways, through our words and our actions, through our personal character and through the culture of our community.  But there is only one way we obey, in our flesh.