“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ“–Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Today we are able to see and experience various ways to worship God, to experience church and to do mission. Christianity have spread and is continuing to do so in every corner of the world. What bothers today people like me is not the number of people who attend churches or being baptized, but the number of people who in their daily life, live in a way that God approves, attracting non Christians to check out the FAITH.
Today, we can search and find numerous articles online and books in bookstores and libraries that will fit with the Christianity that is in our mindset and lifestyle. Some of that variety is good and myself I enjoy exploring outside of my normal christian box. But on the other side that variety might leave some puzzled as they ponder on the way of Christ. What Christ said, what Christ did and what his followers said and did after His resurrection? If the result of our biblical research would embarrass us, so be it, as we must be looking for truth and not comfort.
Bonhoeffer was stating that discipleship is more important that anything else we do in the Christian world, more important that services, singing hymns or even giving. Discipleship in fact is a kind of training. The master has one or more apprentices and they learn the skill. Discipleship works like that: includes teaching but it is more than teaching, it is learning to do.
As we explore Christianity, we might say that its history is amazing and we are so grateful that has continued until today in our time. There are many “masters” unknown by us, but those we know from the Christian history, have told us that they always had people who followed them and continued the faith. They had disciples. Without disciples we don’t have a tomorrow’s church.
Today as we aim to follow Jesus, we need to understand that Jesus has installed His church on earth to do what He wanted his disciples to do. So within the church of Jesus, discipleship happens, more than in a program or class. Happens in a daily life, in the sincerity of our living with the community of faith and the rest of the people.
We disciple our kids, our friends even without calling it discipleship. Discipleship is natural, it produces according to its kind. If we work to have a discipleship that is based on classes and special day gatherings only, that it is going to be reproduced: we are going to have more and more classes and events. When discipleship is part of life and that is shared with each other naturally, that produces “organic” disciples who can reproduce themselves too to other people that God bring in their way.
Follow Jesus with the best of your knowledge and ability and let others see your journey, before it becomes “perfect”. Jesus’ commands are not heavy and are enough for every disciple to deal with. He said: “GO and make disciples”. Its a calling for every real christian, born-again children of God who have the desire to obey their Lord and also to see more people like themselves to live Kingdom principles in our communities and beyond.
Brother Endrit Journey 