I am at post 4,999 on this blog. As I reflect on why I began this blog, I am also walking through John 13-17 in my reading and it gives me a wonderful opportunity to reflect on those great lessons of discipleship. This is why I started this blog: to learn more about spiritual formation and discipleship. It is walking with Jesus… and walking with Jesus in this world.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13)
There was far more Jesus needed to teach his disciples than he could get into the short time he spent with them on earth. They would have to experience far more to understand what he had said, and then they needed to learn even more. This is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Two great principles I have learned over the years
- Discipleship is more “caught” than “taught”
There is a need to frame a truth in a lesson, but that truth may not come alive until experience takes place. The disciples learned this in a hurry. Discipleship isn’t done alone. It’s not a “me and Jesus” thing. It’s not even “me and Jesus and this Bible” thing. Life teaches us. In those moments, the Spirit teaches us as well. We also learn from those around us.
Lessons in discipleship come so often from watching others walk through life and learning their lessons.
2. Life in Christ is about walking in the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is crucial in discipleship. The lessons learned in a classroom aren’t enough. Sermons aren’t enough. It is when life is happening that we need to understand how to apply the Kingdom in our lives and the Spirit is the One who can bring that particular application into our lives. To know in the moment what we are to do that brings Kingdom goodness is a valuable tool.
May we continue to be “people of the Spirit” in these tough times. In times like these, we truly need the voice of the Spirit calling to us saying, “Here is the way. Walk in it.”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 