Towards Authentic Discipleship
The call to authentic discipleship is the invitation of Jesus to each and everyone who is open to His love and salvation. That contains the ultimate happiness and fulfillment of man—salvation. This is the way that God wants us to journey so that when the fullness of time arrives, we are ready to meet the Lord with our whole being. Thus, through encounter, prayer, and a partner, we are able to achieve authentic discipleship.
First, the encounter with Jesus is the gauge for discipleship. In Luke chapter 17, we have a basis for reflection on what the prerequisites are to encountering the Lord. We heard the story of ten lepers begging Jesus for healing. The primary thing that we have to realize is that it is the initiative of God to encounter you and me. It’s His desire to encounter you first. As Jesus is continuing His journey to Jerusalem, He wants to encounter the lepers who are in need of healing. This is an invitation to openness to the initiatives of the Lord as He encounters us even in times of need. The Lord encountered the lepers because they were in need of healing. In times of need, the Lord will initiate an encounter with us and help us rise up once again from the situation we stumbled upon.
Second, the prayer of a disciple will lead to authentic discipleship. The first work of a Christian is to pray. Through prayer, we will get our energy and get recharged to work our usual daily labors that are in accord with our own state of life. Our prayer life is our relationship with God. Thus, we can know God’s will through prayer. In prayer, it will instill in us the presence of God and make us aware of the occasions of sin that can lead us away from God. With this awareness, we are cognizant of the movements of the Spirit in whatever situations we are in.
Third, we need partners on mission for continual growth in discipleship. In the gospel of Luke, we read that Jesus sends out 72, and this number indicates the number of nations in the world at the time of Jesus. We need someone who can be our co-journeyer towards authentic discipleship. You and I are the hands of Jesus, asking us to be like Him as we journey through this world and build the kingdom of God here on earth, wherein love and justice reign.
Therefore, seize the present moment, for God is also present in our midst every time and everywhere. Grab each and every moment of our lives because we might miss out on the best thing in our lives. God allows all things to happen according to His good pleasure. Start offering up our day by offering it up to God. Allow God to bless the works of our hands so that in every word and work we are about to do, it may all be offered for the greater glory of God.
