Discipleship

I hope your summer is winding down in the best of ways! For this week's newsletter entry, I wanted to divert your attention to an excerpt from John Mark Comers's recent book, Practicing the Way which is a manifesto of discipleship in all its biblical, historical, and cultural formats that has been stirring in me all summer as I've been digesting it. - 'The Word Christian literally means 'little Christ', which is beautiful. It was originally used as a religious epithet to mock followers of the the Way. But over time, our spiritual ancestors embraced the slur and used it to self-identify as those becoming an apprentice of Christ. The problem is, in the West, we have created a cultural milieu where you can be a Christian but not an apprentice of Jesus. Dallas Willard says, 'The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who are identified as 'Christian' will become disciples - students, apprentices, practitioners - of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom into every corner of human existence." --

As you read this statement, what questions stir in your own heart? How are you allowing yourself to be discipled by jesus and by others? And are you discipling others all the while? We continue to filter our church community and ministries through the strainer of discipleship and covet your prayers for the same as we open up some opportunities in the Fall. Stay tuned!

Pastor Jamie