Three Essentials of Discipleship

A Model of Discipleship

The Gospels show us a model of discipleship that involves three primary action steps: receiving, responding, and resting.  At first, the disciples are simply people who are listening to Jesus.  They are learning and receiving from him.  Then he entrusts them to go out teaching and serving on their own.  After this, he teaches them how to rest and recover in the same way that he does.  This process of learning and growing is for the healing and transformation of the world through followers of Christ who are interested in being Christlike.

How is your discipleship going?

Is there someone in your life who you can genuinely confide in about your discipleship process?

Do you have a way of freely expressing thoughts and questions, whether through prayer, journaling, or another practice?

Have you ever felt that there was a barrier to your growth or your ability to not only believe in Jesus, but to follow him?

Receiving is Essential to Discipleship

Receiving from Jesus is part of discipleship.  Salvation. Love. Forgiveness. Teaching. New Life. His body and blood.  Can you name the different things that you have received from Jesus?  What is Jesus teaching you right now?

Sometimes receiving means revisiting, relearning, or reexamining.  In his ministry, Jesus often helped people to revisit and reexamine the teachings that they had already heard.  ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”  But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39

There have been times when I wanted a deeper understanding of a Gospel lesson, so I prayed, “Jesus, teach me how to learn from you.  Teach me how to learn.”

We see this practice being used by the disciples when they ask Jesus to teach them the same lessons all over again after hearing his parables.  “But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’” Matthew 15:15

Is there anything, whether externally or internally, that might hinder our ability to receive from Jesus?

Responding is Essential to Discipleship

Responding is part of discipleship.  Praying.  Serving. Giving. Forgiving. Sacrificing.  Can you name the different ways that you respond to Jesus?

When we come to our places of service and responding, we can approach these with that same prayer. “Jesus, teach me how to respond to you.  Teach me how to serve.”

Is there something that Jesus is inviting or entrusting you to do in this season of life?

Responding to Jesus can mean picking something up or putting something down.  It could mean speaking the truth in a way that feels risky, or releasing control over a person or situation.  Sometimes responding could mean holding something and waiting for discernment and clarity.  For the woman in this Gospel scene, responding was adoration.

“And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.” Luke 7:37-38

What in our lives or our culture might hinder our ability to respond to Jesus?

Resting is Essential to Discipleship

Discipleship is not sustainable or healthy without hearing Jesus’ invitation to rest.

“The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.”  Mark 6:30-32

Can you name the ways that Jesus invites you to come away or rest with him?  Prayerful silence. Sabbath. Music. Art. Retreat. Wilderness.

This can be a time for that same kind of prayer, “Jesus, teach me how to rest in you.  Teach me how to come away with you.”

Is Jesus inviting you to a solitary place, to recover your spiritual grounding or to refill your reservoir?

Restoration is an essential spiritual practice, and it is essential to discipleship.  Jesus himself models this regular grounding practice of going away by himself to seek solitude and prayer.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

What are some of the things that hinder our ability to rest with Jesus?

The Turning of the Wheel

This model of discipleship is not a ladder where we graduate to higher levels and leave student learning behind.  It’s like a wheel, where anytime we return to Jesus we return as students to receive from him again.  In the Buddhist tradition, this is called “Beginner’s Mind” or the spiritual practice of being a humble learner in all circumstances.

The turning of the wheel of discipleship is an ongoing process of transformation, and it involves receiving from Jesus, responding to Jesus, and resting with Jesus.

It’s the presence of all three things, and our willingness to do all three that promotes healthy discipleship.  And in all of these ways, Jesus is our teacher.  He teaches us to learn from him, he teaches us how to serve, and he teaches us to rest.  Each area is a way of following him, and he leads us to and through each one.  It’s a continual path following of Jesus, and he always takes the time to teach us.

May we create space in our lives for this invitation, with the willingness to move and be moved by the turning of the wheel.

To read more posts, visit my column here.  Check out my writing in “Soul Food: Nourishing Essays on Contemplative Living and Leadership”, or listen to me read a portion of my writing for the podcast Read, Pray, Write.