What Kind of Disciple Are You?

What kind of a disciple are you?

Put simply, a disciple is a follower and a student.  As Christians, we disciples of Jesus Christ: following as he guides, and learning as he teaches.  Each time we come to him in prayer, study his word, gather with his people, and act in his name, Jesus works in our spirits and our lives to draw us closer to him.

We are being discipled in other ways as well, however.  Jesus is not the only one who seeks to teach us and lead us, to shape how we live our lives and understand the world.  Every waking moment of every day, we receive messages from others who seek to conform us to their values and practices.  Our culture constantly teaches us and leads us.  We are influenced in ways we never even recognize.

As one example, consider advertising.  Corporations and brands try to implant themselves in our brains so the next time we plan to buy a car or hire someone to fix our roof, they are the ones that come to mind.  And it is frightening effective.  For example, see how well you do on this quiz about insurance companies.

• Which insurance company does the cute little lizard represent?
• When Peyton Manning goes through his day humming things like “Chicken parm, you taste so good” which insurance company is he thinking about?
• Fill in the blank: “We are ______, bump, ba dump bump, bump bump bump.”
• When the little girl starts talking to her father in a deep voice, which insurance company is she talking about?
• Who does Flo work for?

If you know the answers to these questions, congratulations!  You are a successful disciple of the American advertising industry.

We constantly receive information and guidance that influences how we think and how we act.  If we are not purposeful about being disciples of Jesus Christ, his message and leadership will become a smaller and smaller part of our lives.  It is not enough occasionally to dabble in Christian stuff occasionally, or to rely upon Sunday School lessons learned long ago.  It is not enough, because none of the other influences in your life have slowed down or decided that you’ve learned it all and don’t need to learn any more.

When you read the Bible daily, pray regularly, and take part in the life of our congregation, you make the choice to have your life shaped by Christ.  You make the choice about whom you will follow, and who will teach you.  You decide that the message and the life that Jesus offers are more important to you than the ones you absorb without even realizing it.

What kind of a disciple are you?