Called to Discipleship

Jesus could have come to Earth and fulfilled His mission to save mankind right away. He didn't even start His ministry until He was about 30. Even then, He didn't save humanity right away. He waited for the right time. His ministry itself lasted only for around 3 1/2 years, but His legacy, what Christ left behind, continues.

Christ's legacy lasts because of discipleship. Christ did not wander on His own during His entire ministry here on Earth; He was accompanied by a group of men, the closest of whom were called the 12 disciples.

Mark Driscoll exclaims that "Jesus [called] the twelve from a come-and-see experience to a go-and-die life." In essence, we, too are disciples of Christ. We are taught about who He is and what He has done for us, and then we in turn should go and continue this experience. First, we are invited in to see exactly who Christ is. After all, how can anyone be asked to die for someone that they do not know? Someone may die for a friend, but who would willing die for a complete stranger? We need to experience Him, come to know Him and be known by Him. This is the milk and bread stage of our faith.

This stage is important for growing our faith, but our faith journey should not end there. We are called to so much more. Eventually, God will call us into another phase of life; to go and die for Him. This phase is the meat, the core, the essence of our faith. We trust that God will lead us here over time. But just as a reminder, where Christ leads, we still need to follow. Our Christian faith is anything but passive. It requires action on the part of God, and on our part as well.

Living Life