As far as I know, only two groups of people use the word "disciple" with any frequency in our culture: the church and the martial arts. Recently a close friend of mine, who is a professional fighter, committed his life to following Christ, and it became painfully clear to me that this word—disciple—may not mean the same thing to both groups.

A Disciple of Renzo Gracie

I recently met someone at a fight, and when I asked him where he trained he told me that he was "a disciple of Renzo Gracie." This answer told me more about him than if he had given me the location and name of the gym he trains at, the names of his coaches, and the types of classes he attends. He is committed to becoming the same fighter as Renzo Gracie, and everything else is just a function of that goal. At Team Quest, we don't use the word disciple as frequently as the Gracie jujitsu guys, but we mean the same thing when someone says they are "a Team Quest fighter." For example, recently Dave Jansen fought in Atlantic City, and MMAWeekly.com wrote: "You can tell Jansen is trained by Team Quest. Excellent wrestling complemented with overhand rights that would make Dan Henderson proud." When someone says they are a Team Quest fighter, it says something very specific about them; when someone says they are a disciple of Renzo Gracie, it also says something very specific about them. It means that they will fight like the founders of that club.

Be a Disciple of Jesus

So what does the word disciple really mean in most church contexts? My experience has been that it means I am doing the correct things with the correct people. I am in a men's group and a home group, and I talk to some other man about it with some level of regularity. But too often the emphasis is on the process or activities, rather than the man we are committed to following. That is why we tend to use language such as "being discipled" rather than "a disciple of," and while it may seem like a subtle and insignificant difference, the results can be drastically different. If we are disciples of Jesus Christ, we will engage in whatever activities or processes it takes to become like him, which is our ultimate goal. With time, we will begin to respond like Jesus. Live like Jesus. Love like Jesus. Be like Jesus. I think this is what Paul meant when he wrote to Timothy and said, "Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress." (1 Tim. 4:15) Maybe we, as Christian men, could learn a few things from martial arts about being a disciple; I know I have.