The process of following Christ is often thought of in terms of outward change. There should be something that look different in the believer.

On the “conservative” side of Christianity, sin management is found in having our sins forgiven. (Maybe you’ve seen a bumper sticker that says, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”) On the “liberal” side of Christianity, sin management is declared by saying you’re a Christian if you have a significant commitment to the elimination of social evils. So, either you are ready to die and face the judgment of God or you have an identifiable commitment to love and justice in society. That’s it.

On either end, it’s about something that is outward. That is following Christ. What we have failed to do is “lay out a framework of knowledge and personal direction adequate to personal transformation toward the abundance and obedience emphasized in the New Testament, with a corresponding redemption of ordinary life.” (Dallas Willard)

What we are truly needing to understand is we need our lives attached to Christ. As Jesus told the Pharisees, clean the inside of the cup first, then watch the outward be transformed as well.

How I came up with the idea of “Apprenticed to Jesus” is Willard’s teaching that we truly need to understand inner transformation. We are to be “apprenticed” to Christ. He is the Master Teacher. What he asks of me, what he recommends, how he instructs, that is what I do. He’s been down that road, so I must be willing to follow. The apprentice doesn’t tell the master how the craft is done. The apprentice watches and learns.

It is moving away from the “fire insurance policy” attitude of some prayer of commitment prayed one time at an altar, and it is also moving away from curing social ills alone to prove I am truly a follower of Christ. My life must be caught up in truly following him.