“You must choose to accept Jesus’ invitation to a life of apprenticeship.”

-John Mark Comer

          When you, as a reader, hear the word disciple, what comes to mind? If you grew up in church or have been in church for some time, I guess this word has been used a time or two. Often, it is used to describe a Christian. A person who is committed to Jesus and follows his teachings. We read the command to make disciples in Matthew 28, but what does it mean to both be a disciple and to make disciples? It seems in church, or at least in the West, we have turned discipleship into a church program, a pathway to move along in our journeys of faith. Now, I want to be clear discipleship is all about growth, but it has not always been viewed not as a program or pathway but as a lifestyle. 

          When looking at the scripture, the idea of disciples comes from the rabbis of old. These teachers would invite a select few, the best and brightest, to learn under them.  John Mark Comer says a better way to describe the idea of a disciple is to think of an apprentice. (Comer, 2024) To be an apprentice to someone means every moment is spent observing, learning, and asking questions to be well-versed in the task at hand. Comer writes, “For Jesus first apprentice, the goal wasn't to pass a test, or get a degree, or receive a certificate to frame on your office wall; it was to master the art of living in God's good world by learning from Jesus how to make steady progress into the Kingdom of God.” (Comer, 2024) The unique invitation of Christ is not reserved for just a select few but rather the whole world (John 3:16).

        Considering a biblical understanding of discipleship, we must respond. To see that it means more than a program we go through at church or a pathway we follow in community, you and I must respond with our whole lives. It is not simply a one-time event or box to check off a list but rather a way of living, always aiming to observe, learn, and live out, becoming more like Jesus daily. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to master the art of living in God’s good world and show others how to do that, too.

- Pastor Josh

Comer, J. M. (2024). Practicing the way: Be with Jesus, become like him, do as he did. WaterBrook.