Is it the chicken before the egg or the egg before the chicken?
So it is with discipleship and evangelism. Which comes first?
BOTH COMES FIRST
That's right. Both comes first. Here me out.
Jesus And His Disciples
Jesus discipled the first disciples before they ever understood the gift that God was giving to the world through Jesus Christ. They did not know that he was going to die on the cross for their sins. They didn't know that he was going to be resurrected. They didn't realize that they were going to carry forth the gospel to the world. Jesus taught them these things as he discipled them.
It was only after the death of Jesus that everything made sense. Even then, Jesus had to appear to them after his resurrection to help them understand.
While no doubt they believed in Jesus as the Son of God, they didn't understand the gospel of love until later. So, in essence, discipleship came before evangelism for them.
The Disciples And The Early Church
The Disciples, on the other hand, shared the fullness of the story of Jesus with others. The first time they proclaimed the message (evangelism) three thousand believed. These new believers needed to be discipled. They were taught the teachings of Jesus and the apostle's doctrine.
So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:41-42 NRSV
These newly evangelized believers now needed discipling. So, in essence, evangelism came before discipleship.
Which Is First?
BOTH COMES FIRST
Both can come first. It really depends upon the situation.
Some people will here the good news of Christ and believe in Jesus (evangelism). They will need to be discipled into the meaning of following Jesus (discipleship).
Other people will be discipled by someone as they are gradually told and/or come to believe (discipleship). They may not believe in Jesus for some time. But then one day they do. In that moment they have been evangelized (evangelism).
Coming Next
We aren't done with this question. Next time we will look at yet another relationship between discipleship and evangelization. This time, there is no question that one comes before the other...or does it?
