The

UNIVERSAL
DISCIPLE
PATTERN

Thom Wolf

UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE |Global Spectrum

 THE UNIVERSAL DISCIPLE
PATTERN
By
Thom Wolf

 2010, 2003, 2000, 1994 Thom Wolf

More than a century ago, Roland Allen stirred the 20th century by reminding us of the ‚spontaneous expansion‛
of the early community of The Way (Allen 1880|1962).

Now, in the 21st century, with all the open doors to the good news conversation, we must reevaluate just how the
apostles were able to go into an area, preach the good news, gather converts, nurture them, and move on in such
a way that they could later write back and with such confidence ‚remind‛ them of a core of teaching that seemed
to be so pervasive and so commonly understood by all (see I Thessalonians 3.3-4; 11 Thessalonians 2.5) – a
process of trenchant replicative social transformation.

Even more perplexing is the fact that Paul and the church planting team were often only in a city a few weeks, a
few months, or at most, a few years. How did they do it? How could they create such radiant persons and such
responsible and reproductive leaders? That is the issue I want to address.

Question. How did Paul establish leaders—so quickly, so solidly, so reproducibly—that became the basis for earliest
Christianity?

Answer. He had a pattern, a standard—a standard that could be received personally, that could be remembered easily,
and that could be reproduced strategically (Wolf, 2010; Carrington 1940; and Selwyn 1946).

This standard is referred to in II Timothy 1.13: "Retain the standard (hupotuposis) of sound words which you have
heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." It is the ‚pattern (tupos) of teaching‛ to which
Christians were handed over. (Romans 6.17)

Paul even knew himself to be a living

standard/model/paradigm/example of God's unlimited
patience (I Timothy 1.15-17, vs. 16: hupotuposis). He
urged others to imitate him and his ‚way of life in
Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach
everywhere in every church.‛ (I Corinthians 4.16-17)

And the writer of Hebrews reminds us that all the

types of our salvation were sculptured according to a
divine plan. And that is why Moses was warned (yes,
that's the word: warned) when he was ‚about to build
the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything
according to the pattern (tupos) which was shown
you.’‛ (Hebrews 8.5. See also Titus 2.7.)

Paul and the early church had a standard, a pattern, a

model which he taught in every church in every place
he went. It was a tupos that was to be received,
retained, remembered, and reproduced. It was the
universal discipleship model.

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 KEY to the Universal Disciple Pattern
|1994, St Philip and St James, Woodstock & Banbury, Oxford|

Colossians and Ephesians give the pattern in the clearest and most complete form. This is probably because
Paul is writing forward, addressing principles, not backward, addressing problems. All Paul’s epistles are
basically arranged as belief and behavior, instruction and ethics, doctrine then duties, Christ’s fullness then
our following (Davies 1967). But you can clearly see this belief/behavior structure, for example, in Romans
(1-11/12-16), Colossians (1-2/3-4), and Ephesians (1-3/4-6). It can also be discerned in I Peter, James, and
Hebrews—a model used by all the apostolic leadership teams throughout of the first generation church
(see Selwyn 1946; Elliott 1990; and Rosner 1995).
The universal disciple pattern will be illustrated from Colossians, supplemented by Ephesians and Romans.
Colossians 1-2 is devoted to instruction about Christ. Colossians 3-4 develops the ethics of Christians.
The picture of the Temple/Body is introduced by Jesus (John 2) and elaborated by the apostles (Paul:
Ephesians 2; I Corinthians 3. Peter: I Peter 2).

 The ROCK: JESUS

Christ: Colossians 1 & 2 tells who Jesus is: the Image of the Invisible God, in whom all the fullness of the
Deity lives in bodily form (1.15, 2.9). While this mystery was hidden for ages, now it is disclosed for the
restoration of the nations. Thus, we labor to make this known among the nations, and present every person
mature in the knowledge of Him (1.24-29).
In one way or another, you introduce people to who Jesus is: the Rock to build your life on, God’s
Foundation. (Matthew 7.24-28; 1 Corinthians 10.4; Ephesians 2.19-22; 1 Peter 2.6-8.) Paul demonstrates at
least three different ways to present Christ (Acts 13, 14, 17). But all end in Jesus, the Risen One. You may
choose chronological story-telling, the gospels, or the epistles, but introduce people to Jesus and His
resurrection (I Corinthians 15.1-4).

 The FOUNDATION: TURN & FOLLOW

Conversion: Colossians 1, 2, and 3.1-4 talk about the personal consequences of receiving the Word, of
following Jesus: transferred from darkness to light, we are to see that no one takes a follower captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy. Instead, each one is to fully follow Jesus, setting their heart on
things above where Christ is (1.13-14; 2.6-8; 3.1-4).
Through whatever process and time, the person must come to personal commitment, surrender to Jesus as
Lord and God, and follow Him (John 20.26-31; Acts 8.26-40; Romans 10.8-15).
God gives new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Because you
are a new creation in Jesus, you have an inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade, you are to be
different in all you do, because the Living God is different (I Peter 1.1-21).
The foundation truths of I Peter 1 and 2 for those who turn and follow are: You have been born fresh (1.3-
12). So, live fresh (1.13-21). How? By abiding in the Word every day, lifting up sacrifices of prayer and
praise, in the fellowship of God’s people, witnessing to those around you, with Jesus as your example of
suffering (Elliott 1990).

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Therefore, Peter lays 7 foundation stones that establish and strengthen the new believer who has returned to
Heaven’s shepherd and life supervisor (1.22-2.25):
(1) Assurance of salvation|You’ve been given a new birth| (1.1-12)
(2) Obedience in salvation|So live a new life| (1.13-21)
|How?|
(3) Word |By abiding in the Word every day| (1.22-2.3)
(4) Spiritual sacrifices |Lifting up sacrifices of prayer & praise| (2.4-8; see Hebrews13.15-21)
(5) Fellowship |In the fellowship of God’s people| (2.8-9)
(6) Witness |Witnessing to those around you| (2.10-11)
(7) Suffering |With Jesus as your example of suffering| (2.13-25)

 THREE PILLARS|PLEATS
Faith, love and hope are the three truths that build up our lives.
 In faith we put off the old and put on the new, to personally walk worthy of Jesus.
 In love we let the Word richly dwell in us and the Spirit fill us, responding socially to others.
 In hope we watch and pray for His return, encourage others’ renewal, and resist evil
ourselves, so that we stay alert and stand firm, wrestling in intercession for others and warring for integrity
in ourselves.
Many remember that ‚these three remain: faith, hope, and love.‛ Not as many realize how pervasively
these well-known three shaped the mindset of the Apostles. Check it out. Paul: I Corinthians 13.13; I
Thessalonians 1.3; Romans 5.1-5; Colossians 1.3-6. Peter: I Peter 1.3-9, 21-22. Hebrews: Hebrews 10.19-25.
The Faith, Love, and Hope Pillars/Pleats in the Temple/Body are provided as a memory correlation to the
three sections of Walk, Word/Spirit, and War in the pattern.

 WALK WORTHY
Personally, the new believer must begin to walk worthy of Christ. To do this, s/he must put off the old style of
living—old vices, and put on the new life in Christ—new virtues.
Walk worthy is the trigger term for column one, alerting you to the first instructions-set of the pattern.
Colossians 3.5-14 urges the true follower of Jesus to:
 put off 5 vices (2 sets)
3.5: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed/idolatry [sins which defile personally]
3.8: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language [sins which disrupt socially]) and
 put on 5 virtues
3.12: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Same pattern: Galatians 5.19-26.
In Christ, the paleo anthropos with its practices was taken off. The neo anthropos was put on, and is now
being renewed in the image of its Creator. The image of God is in every person of every nation throughout
all time. God calls us to creation standards. Thus, this process of restoration transcends all barriers, all
cultures, all times.
Here, there is no Greek or Jew, slave or free, barbarian or Scythian. Here is how life was designed to be
lived, by all peoples, by all humanity—genuinely being restored to our pristine freshness. Here is where
Christ is all, and in all (3.9-11). Jesus—where Deity fully dwells, the Visibility of the invisible God—is re-
sculpturing us into the image of our Creator.

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 WORD|SPIRIT
Socially, there is a positive response or a negative reaction to the life changes of the new believer (see I Peter
4.1-5): some are attracted, some are repelled. But either way, the personal life transformation (from the
putting off/putting on) impacts the convert's circle of influence (the oikos/’household’ composed of family,
neighbors, coworkers, and friends). Life transformation is the key to the penetration of any oikos.
The trigger terms that alert you to this column of experiences are Word and Spirit: the indwelling Word and
the filling Spirit (Colossians 3.15-16 & Ephesians 5.15-18).The core decision here is "let the Word of Christ
dwell in you richly" (Col 3.16) and "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5.18)
What follows in the universal discipleship pattern is identical in order in both Colossians and Ephesians:
 Attitudes: T-S-T-S 4 definite mindsets:
T-eaching with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
the group teaches through the emotional port-of-entry in song, according to the
local culture
S-inging with your heart to the Lord
a radical inner attitude-shift to a praising mindset
T-hanking God for all things, and whatever you do in
word or deed, doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus
a radical outer articulation, with every experience integrated into the new way
S-ubmitting to one another in reverence of Christ
a culturally revolutionary pattern of mutual reciprocity
 Actions: 5 dual sets:
1. the same 5 pairs
2. the exact same order
3. a basic obedience in the Lord for each
4. which can be condensed or expanded according to the audience's needs
5. with the minority person always first, the majority person always second
Wife: submit Husband: love
Child: obey Father: train
Slave/Employee: work hard Master/Employer: be fair, just
Insider: devoted to prayer Outsider: wise/seasoned speech
Christian: be in subjection Authority: praise good, punish evil
Note carefully: Colossians is compact. Ephesians is expanded. For example, the wife/husband-set: Colossians
3.18-19 and Ephesians 5.22-33. The apostles, using the lifecode, the pattern, develop the truth themes
according to their audiences' needs. The use of the pattern is flexible. It can be expanded or contracted
according to the situation. Thus, they remind them of the truths they already know and are attached to in
Christ. Also, the Christian/authority-set is from Romans 13.1-10.

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 WARFARE
Spiritually, the disciple will be tempted to think that people are the enemy. But that is not so. For such were
some of us—fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards,
revilers, swindlers—but we were transformed by God. Surely others can be also (I Corinthians 6.9-11, 1
Timothy 1.12-17, and Titus 3.1-8).
For our struggle is not against other people, but against the rulers, the powers, the world forces of this
present darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6.12). And in this
ministry we never lose heart, for even if our good news is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, "in
whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of
the gospel of the radiance of Christ, who is the image of God." (II Corinthians 4.1-6)
We are to
 Watch and Pray: as a wrestler (Eph 6.12), intercession is the issue,
for our struggle is against
the rulers
the authorities
the powers of this dark world
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 Stand and Resist: as a warrior (Eph 6.13), integrity is the issue,

so we put on the whole armor of God
1. Belt of truth 4. Shield of faith 7. Prayer of the 4 alls
2. Breastplate of righteousness 5. Helmet of salvation
3. Shod feet with gospel of peace 6. Sword of Spirit
In this way, it is the Lord’s Spirit and Words that fight his battles through prayer (Isaiah 59; 59.16-21). We
clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful
nature, knowing that our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13.11-14).

 WITNESS
Thus, we boldly, frankly witness with great joy, even in tribulation, which we know is our destiny (I
Thessalonians 1.2-10, 3.1-13, 1 Peter 2.11-12), telling of His excellencies Who called us out of darkness into
His marvelous light, making us a global people (I Peter2.9-10; See also Jenkins 2007 and Wolf 2010).
So, then, while there will be those who sneer, there will also be those who desire to hear more, and even
some who believe and join us (Acts 17:32-34).
Those who believe and join us are those who have come to know Jesus as their Rock, and the universal
disciple pattern is retained, remembered, and reproduced.
——

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 The Universal Disciple Pattern

In faith
we put off the old and
put on the new
We all put off the old self, the paleo anthropos, corrupted by various deceitful cravings and learned behavior
patterns of the cultures, worldviews and social environments we learned from the world. Now, we are
learning from Christ, being renewed in the spirit of our minds. We are putting on the new self, the neo
anthropos, being restored to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created us all—a
renewal in which there is no cultural, religious, ethnic, economic, or gender distinctions, but Christ is all,
and in all. (Titus 2.11-3.8)

In love
we let the Word richly dwell in us and
the Spirit fill us
Because we now love God, we live out His love for those in our oikos, our circle of influence of family,
neighbors, coworkers, and friends. When they join us, we rejoice. But when they cause us to suffer, we
never, never consider them our enemy. For such were some of us.
Whenever we encounter pressures, suffer persecution, or are even assigned prison, we are never surprised
at the painful trial of suffering, as though something strange were happening to us. We know, from the
beginning, that to such we are destined.
Instead, we rejoice in our sufferings, counting insult for the name of Christ as an honor. For us, shame
would be to suffer for doing wrong. Suffering for doing right is never a shame, only an honor. To such we
are called.
Having renounced our past ways of living, we now love others as He loved us—persistently and patiently.
After all, God changed and is changing us. Surely God can change them. (II Corinthians 4. I Peter 3.8-4.19)

In hope
we watch and pray for His return,
encourage others’ renewal, and
resist evil ourselves
We do not fight others, but now we fight for others, for we have been rescued from the Dark Kingdom into
the Kingdom of Light ourselves, and we know who the real Enemy is. So, we keep an alert watch, confident
in the hope of His return to restore all things in the new heavens and the new earth, in which rightness
dwells. And we wrestle in prayer for all in authority, and for our friends and families—for their eyes to be
opened. And we stand against and resist evil, as armored warriors. In this way, the Lord of all the earth fights
for us and for others, to bring His peace to our hearts and to our homes, to our people and to all peoples. (I
Timothy 6.3-21)
For there is no other Name given among all humanity for our salvation. God now calls all persons to
radically rethink how to live life on this planet. And He has established a standard for humane living:
Jesus, the Man. And God has given proof that that Jesus is in fact the appointed One for all humanity, by
raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17.29-31)
The risen Jesus is the Rock for us to build our lives on—all of us on this planet. Such is the good news of
earliest Christianity of the 1st century, and enduring Christianity of the 21st century. 
——

| © Thom Wolf, 2010, 2003, 2000, 1994. New Delhi: University Institute Publications |

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Thom Wolf (Ph.D., Andrews University) is professor of global studies, University Institute, New
Delhi, India; adjunct professor of sociology, Charleston Southern University; and adjunct professor of
global leadership, Andrews University.
He is a life member of the Indian Sociological Society and a contributing editor of Forward Press,
India’s first fully Hindi|English news magazine.
With a sustained interest in the ethical dimensions of comparative worldviews, Dr. Thom’s ideas have
been published by Far Eastern Economic Review, Journal of Applied Christian Leadership, and the Journal of
Contemporary Social Work of Lucknow University, as well as the Ministry of Culture|Government of
India, and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University.
Author of several books and numerous articles, Dr. Thom’s Phule: Apne Hi Shabdon Mein|Phule: In His
Own Words (2010) is in Hindi; India Progress-Prone: The Baliraja Proposal of Mahatma Phule (2008) is
translated into Hindi and Marathi; and ‚The Mahayana Moment: Tipping Point Buddhism‛ (2009), is
also in Tibetan (2010). 
——

Reading List
Allen, Roland (1880|1962) Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing.
Carrington, P. (1940) The Primitive Christian Catechism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Selwyn, E. G. (1946) The First Epistle of St. Peter. London: Macmillan & Company.
Davies, W. D. (1967) ‚The Old and the New Man: II. Paul as Teacher of the Individual.‛ In Paul and
Rabbinic Judaism: Some Rabbinic Elements in Pauline Theology, 111-46. New York:
Harper Torchbooks.
Elliott, J. H. (1990) A Home for the Homeless: A Social-Scientific Criticism of I Peter, Its Situation and
Strategy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Rosner, Brian (ed.) (1995) Understanding Paul’s Ethics: Twentieth-Century Approaches. Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans Publishing.
Stark, Rodney (1996) The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History. Princeton: Princeton
University Press.
Jenkins, Philip (2007) The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Wolf, Thomas A. (1969) ‚From Squareland to Roundland: You, the Person of Peace, the Unstoppable
Good News.‛ Los Angeles: Brady Training.
Wolf, Thomas A. (1979) ‚Oikos Evangelism: The Biblical Pattern,‛ Church Growth Magazine, pp. 11-12.
Wolf, Thomas A. (1980) ‚Oikos Evangelism: Key to the Future”, pp. 153-176. In Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr.
(editor), Future Church. Nashville: Broadman Press.
Wolf, Thomas A. (1996) ‚Outbreak: Luke and the Person of Peace.‛ A paper read at the Evangelical
Missiological Society-West Region 26 April.
Wolf, Thom (2010) Lifecode: An Examination of the Shape, the Nature, and the Usage of the Oikoscode, a
Replicative Nonformal Learning Pattern of Ethical Education for Leadership and
Community Groups. Unpublished dissertation for the Ph.D. Berrien Springs, MI:
Andrews University.
Wolf, Thom (2011) LifeCode: God’s Pattern for EarthLiving. New Delhi: University Institute
Publications. 