There's quite a bit of talk in the church world these days about the importance of discipleship. I am thankful for this emphasis, and I certainly believe it is a much needed corrective to its lack of emphasis over the years. For too long, being a disciple of Christ was synonymous with simply attending church. However, just attending church does not make someone a disciple of Christ any more than shopping at Walmart makes me an employee. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a calling to die to yourself and live for Jesus. It's costly and sacrificial.

In my sermon on Sunday I referenced Rosaria Butterfield's journey of discipleship. She was a committed LGBTQ advocate and was in a committed homosexual relationship. In addition, she was a tenured college professor at an elite university where she frequently attempted to dissuade students from believing in Christ. She said she viewed Christianity as "stupid, pointless, and menacing." However, she later came to know Christ as her Savior and said she began to read the Bible like a glutton devours food. She said, "I fought against the conviction with everything I had. I did not want this. I did not ask for this. I counted the cost. And I did not like the math on the other side of the equal sign. Then one ordinary day, I came to Jesus, open handed...Jesus triumphed, and I was a broken mess. Conversion was a train wreck. I did not want to lose everything that I loved."

Rosaria Butterfield would go on to leave her tenured position and her immoral relationship so that she could follow Jesus faithfully. For her, discipleship was costly and sacrificial. The truth is that it's always costly and sacrificial. As our church has been studying the book of John, we see that immediately in John 1 as Jesus calls his first disciples. When Jesus called Andrew and Philip, they dropped all they had to follow Jesus. James and John were busy minding their own business when Jesus called them as well. This happened again and again, and it's probably the same story that happened in your life. Discipleship is a calling to follow Jesus, but it's also a calling to bring others with you.

So, what exactly is discipleship? We can sum it up biblically with three ideas.

First, discipleship is following Christ. Discipleship is the act of following Jesus, learning from him, conforming one's life to his teachings and example. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, "if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." There is much more that could be said here, but in essence, discipleship is the act of laying down your life to follow Jesus.

Secondly, discipleship is a journey of transformation. It involves the process of being transformed into the image of Christ so that others see Jesus in you. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." This aspect of discipleship points to the reality that mere head knowledge of the gospel is not what Jesus demands from us. He wants each and every disciple to be transformed into someone more like Jesus than the world.

Lastly, discipleship also means making other disciples. Discipleship encompasses the responsibility to pass on what you have learned about Jesus to others to make new disciples. This is clearly the commission given in Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus says to go into all the world and "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Most people are completely comfortable with the first and second aspect of discipleship and prefer to outsource the act of making disciples because it's easier and safer. The reality though is that being a follower of Jesus requires your willingness to share Jesus with others and call them to this journey of discipleship.

As a church, it must be our desire to follow Jesus in such a way that, not only are we believing the right things, but that we also move outward toward others to make disciples who will come and follow Jesus with us. This is the essence of discipleship - that we would behold the greatness of Jesus, walk with him in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that we would bring others along with us as we go.

Let's commit ourselves to this journey of discipleship. It's not always easy. It's always costly. It's always sacrificial. But, the beauty of it all is that it is in the laying down of our lives for the sake of the gospel that we truly find life.