The Disciple
"Come and see."
Curious and hopeful, they responded and spent the rest of the day with Him. I'm not sure how they passed the time, but apparently it was so incredible that they went back and told their family, "We've found the Messiah!" (You can read the whole story in John 1.)
Simple + Personal
Set aside the religious clutter for a moment. It's not complicated. Just observe the way Jesus interacted and led those closest. He invited them into a relationship and, in the context of that connection, challenged them to live in the reality of a new identity -- an identity formed by this very relationship. It was an exchange unlike any other. It was a transformational acceptance revealing the character of the God full of grace and truth.
"A call to what?"
"Follow me." Jesus beckons us into something that alters the very fabric of our being. It's a call to lose ourselves, find Him, then find ourselves again but in a very different state. I promise you won't be left unchanged, although there may be very little awareness that change is happening until you look back on who you used to be. It's a call to follow, learn, and become.
Define it
"Disciple" literally translates to "Learner." Thus, a disciple of Jesus is simply a learner of Jesus' ways. When Jesus calls "Follow me," he is asking the learner to imitate His life. Disciples are people who learn to be like Jesus and to do what Jesus did. As Dallas Willard penned so well, "Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you."
Unstoppable Change
It cannot be reasonably denied that Jesus changed the world. Yet, this change began with a deposit in a few who drew closer than the crowds. Jesus' life was reproduced in very real people and the effects were unstoppable. (Don't miss what happened in Acts 2!)
Discipleship Culture
We're unapologetic about having a purely motivated agenda in our collective. We deeply desire to see everyday people answer the call to follow Jesus, learn His ways, and become like Him. In fact, it's our entire motivation! And why wouldn't it be? After all, it's been proven to change the world before.
