Walk With Me: Learning Jesus Discipleship Style

The title Walk with Me really tells the story of how discipleship has worked best from the time Jesus first chose his disciples and how it still works best today. Jesus started with a small group of people he called to be his disciples, then he taught them the purpose of the work of the Father and the steps to making the kingdom of God known to those around them. Jesus's method of teaching his disciples was to walk with them through this process. He did this through everyday settings that all of us still experience today.

Jesus did preach and teach, but he was also invited into people's homes, went to weddings, and sometimes spent quiet times alone with his disciples. This is where the teaching of discipleship happened. Jesus ate with people, he touched people, Jesus told stories, and even let people get close enough to see the places where he had been hurt the worst. All of this was to help his disciples grasp ways to teach others the closeness of the kingdom.

This is how discipleship works today. We walk with people as they develop from observers of Christ to Christ followers, then take the next step to becoming a disciple of Jesus. The disciple today needs to walk with people through each of these steps. Only by walking together can we intentionally teach new disciples the importance of serving Jesus where they are right now and how to use the same situations Jesus used to help people understand the love and closeness of God.

Alan