The Making of a Disciple

One of the most overused, and quite frankly, confusing, words in the Christian lexicon is discipleship. Every church you go to will preach about it on stage, encouraging its people to live it out, yet with no clear and concise definition of what it actually means. Or if it is made clear, the church across the street from them could have an entirely different way of living and being a disciple. 

Does this mean there’s a problem with the Word or the people who use it? Of course not! It’s simply due to the fact that each denomination, church, or general group of believers have placed different emphasis on what they believe God has called them to. This isn’t good or bad, it just simply is. So as we look back at Christian traditions throughout the ages we’ll see influences during the Patristic era (early church era) that heavily involved welcoming the widowed, singles, and poor while giving them a place to eat, sleep, and belong. This was radical because the surrounding culture was steeped in using others as a means of either gaining social capital or using them for their own gain. So when the lowly began to join the fringe movement of Christianity, it grew rapidly and seemingly overnight. All by taking in the very people God has called us to and treating them as the family of God.

We can trace back to the start of the Monastic movement that began out of a desire to live a separate and holy life unto God. So the people would move to the outskirts of the city and live their lives. Praying during set times of the day ranging from daybreak all the way to late evening, fasting for days (to mirror what Jesus did in the wilderness during His fight with Satan), and living as minimally as possible to starve the flesh and feed the soul.

Even in our modern era where the evangelical is the most prominent group in America, there are certain tenants which a large amount of the population hold to. A daily quiet time (typically in the morning) meant to build a relationship with God through His word and through prayer. Memorizing scripture has become commonplace as the main way we keep God at the front of mind. The most recent mark of an evangelical is participation in a small group that aims to aid and encourage one another in the faith.

All of these definitions and groups have something beautiful to tell us about who God is and what it means to follow Him well. Within the words I’m about to share, some of it will be my experience on how God has shaped me personally and the path He took me on, the ways He’s formed pivotal people in my life, and what I believe to be a way of centering our lives on the goodness and grace of God. I pray these words will encourage your heart, inform your mind, and grow you closer to Christ every step of the way.

PRAYER

This may come as no surprise, but one of the marks of a Christian is prayer. Here’s how I define prayer: prayer is when the human and divine come together to speak with one another, enjoy one another, and rest in each other's presence. There is no greater treasure for God than to be in and with His people (John 17:23), God is delighted when we speak to Him (1 John 5:14), and God rests in those who trust in Him (1 Cor 6:19).

I define prayer this way because it allows for the full expression of the human experience. To speak with God is to express what is on our hearts. From the sharpest of pains who’s sting feels infinite all the way to the greatest joy that seemed to have no end in sight. For me, it was through prayer that I truly began to see who God was and who He wanted me to be.

In February of 2021, I had a tragic death in my family. It was all the more painful because, leading up to it, we were in lockdown due to Covid-19, so all I was able to do was sit and pray, which felt like absolutely nothing. I couldn’t see my grandmother, touch her hands, talk to her face-to-face, or anything that would at least let her know that I was thinking of her. So I prayed for nearly every minute of the day during her hospitalization. I only wanted one thing, for my “Biba” to be healed. But she wasn’t. Quite frankly, no pain has ever come close to that. I thought that if my prayers were real enough or if I prayed hard enough maybe God would grant my wishes. If only. 

Then came the day of her funeral and the pain only grew, yet something was different this time. There was a warmth and a peace that hovered over me. A kind of peace that shielded me. Not a presence that neglected my emotions or experience, but a presence who stood with me comfortingly and lovingly over me. God was with me. God was with me in a unique way that he had only done less than a handful of times in my life. It wasn’t just that God only showed up for me when life was a mess, but His love seemed to show up uniquely when my soul knew nothing else but to cry out for help. This verse had never been more true for me, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Rom 8:26)

I don’t just say prayer is what marks a Christian because of the obligation we have to God. I say it because our souls have no better path to God than through prayer because it’s through prayer that God will meet us like no other could.

SCRIPTURE READING

This practice has held the largest part of me for most of my adult life. For much of my adulthood, I didn’t really know where to turn other than the Bible. I would search for answers hoping to find some sort of way to make sense of what was going on around me. I bought the studies, I bought the commentaries, I listened to the sermons, I earnestly did all I could to learn this treasured book. Not out of wisdom, but just to find all the right answers to the biggest questions in life. Much of the fruit of that labor has carried me forward and preserved me for years, because at no point can a person encounter the word of God and leave unchanged. All of that said not to brag or make myself seem higher, but simply to explain my background with the Bible and how it has shaped me.

The scriptures bring to light what every person experiences in life. The scriptures show what happens to a soul when it cries out for God in anguish (Psalms), they show what wise living looks like and leads to (Proverbs), they show what the human heart will do when left to do as it pleases (Judges), what it looks like for God to save and rescue a people who cry out for Him (Exodus), and so much more. The beauty of the Bible is that it holds nothing back. We see murder among brothers (Genesis), conceit for a mistress (Genesis), racial strife among two people groups (Romans), a woman with a barren womb crying out for God to bless her (1 Samuel), and a man pleading to God to escape death if at all possible (The Gospels). 

The Bible is depicted like this to tell a story. The Bible is a unified story meant to show the human experience, humanity's need for God, and how God rescues and redeems His people through His own death, resurrection, and ascension. The Bible cannot be summed up neatly in a box, but it can give a lens through which to look at the major depictions for us. Put simply, the Bible is never just one thing. It’s not just an encyclopedia to look up answers to, though it does provide wisdom and insight. The Bible isn’t just a devotional to mend the soul when weary, though it can provide that. The Bible is God speaking through His people to declare His glory, power, and mercy to His people for all of eternity.

CONFESSION

The heart of a Christian should aim to be pure, right, and pleasing to God, yet as we all know, our own humanity gets in the way of that. Sin can run rampant in both the mind and the body. Yet in God’s own kindness, He gave us the perfect remedy for a heart searching for answers: Himself.

While our eternities lay forever unchanged because of Jesus’ sacrifice and our acceptance of that, we continue to repent and be forgiven by God because of the ongoing sins we commit and state of our heart. At no point will we ever reach a state of perfection while living in a broken world.

God calls us to first confess to Him (1 John 1:9), assuring us of our security we have in and with God. Second, we confess to others for healing (James 5:16). And that’s where the beauty is realized. People I cherish and hold dearly struggle just like I do. I get to witness with my own eyes that we’re all tired and weary souls searching for God and pleading with Him to give us strength, wisdom, and courage to continue on.

It’s in the moments of complete vulnerability and openness that a soul can truly be seen for what it is. Confessing where your pains, hurts, and struggles are completely shifts the relationship you have with others. Some may use this to do harm and damage, while others will use this to pour out love and mercy towards you. The opportunity for others to take advantage, but the opportunity to grow and love with others is always possible when a soul is laid to bare. 

PRAYER

God, would you help me to be one of your children? Some days I feel like an outcast looking in from the outside, wanting love and needing guidance. While I know I’m accepted, forgiven, and loved, some days I just don’t feel that. So would you help me? Help me to remember that you hear my prayers, you’ve surrounded me with family, and that you’ve forgiven me eternally? It’s by your precious name that I pray, Amen.