What Does Discipleship Look Like?

Discipleship is helping another person to follow Jesus. That’s it.

Helping another person to follow Jesus.

You see someone whom you want to have more of Jesus in their life, and you know that would mean them following Jesus with even more of their life, and you think, “I could help them with that.” So you get involved, lean in, and help them follow Jesus. That’s discipleship.

We, as a church, want to grow in discipleship. I pray that we will always want to grow in discipleship. And one way I believe we can grow in it is by first asking: what does discipleship look like? What does it sound like? What does the way in which the discipler relates to the disciple, remind us of when we see it?

Well, in the pages of Scripture it often looks and sounds and feels like relationship between devoted father, or caring mother, and beloved child. 

Paul, to the Corinthians, says, 1 Corinthians 4:14-15,

“I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

To the Thessalonians, he writes, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 11-12:

“We were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.…and Like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you…”

Paul’s approach to discipleship mirrored that of a parent toward a child — Gentle and generous, affectionate and sincere, loving, instructive, and intentional. Though it may never have been formally agreed upon or explicitly stated, Paul’s manner of discipling these spiritual children of his made one thing very clear: he was committed to them for the long haul, as a parent to a child. 

Where are your spiritual children in this church? 

Where is that man, that woman, (or young man or young woman) who is just a bit further behind you in their walk with Jesus, and needing just a bit more help to follow him, and whom you think, “I could help them with that.”

Perhaps you’re in your 20’s, or perhaps you don’t yet have children of your own, and you wonder: “Can I really become a spiritual father, or spiritual mother to someone?” Paul could. Having no children of his own he let the love he received from his own heavenly Father flow out to others in parent-like form and feel.

Perhaps you are a father or a mother already and think, “I don’t have any spare time to switch out my parent hat for the discipler hat.” But don’t you see, you don’t need to. Keep playing the same role, as father, as mother, just widen out your field of vision a bit, consider who you might extend your fatherly, motherly care out to. 

What is discipleship?

Discipleship is helping another person to follow Jesus. 

How does discipleship look and feel?

Like the gentle, affectionate, committed love of parent for child. 

Who here, in this church, might you seek to disciple in such a way? 

Let’s pray.

Father, we turn now, and bring these sins, and all our other sins, before you in this moment of silent confession…

Father, we believe right now, in this moment, you hear us. Amen.