Parallel Faith: Being a Disciple of Jesusናሙና

Day 2 | Learning With Jesus

Have you ever seen that T-shirt that reads “Another day has passed, and I still haven’t used algebra”? It’s an ironic reference to the idea that we spend a lot of time studying a subject we end up doing nothing with.

Our Christian life can sometimes feel like this; the information we accumulate seems to have no relevance to us because deep down we don’t really know how or even intend to put it into practice. It’s often easier to put the knowledge we gain in a religious box and keep it separate from our everyday life.

The original meaning of the word disciple points to an exciting adventure with Jesus that is so much more than living on autopilot. It comes from the Greek word mathetes (pronounced ma-thay-tase), which means “apprentice,” “devoted follower,” or you may even say “learner-doer.”

Although we may have an education system that likes to compartmentalize learning into different subjects, Jesus won’t let us get away with compartmentalizing his teaching. If we want to be disciples, then Christ’s teachings must impact every aspect of our lives. The style of education Jesus gives us is one that not only fills the mind but also transforms the heart. It changes us from the inside out.

I honestly think our approach to learning would change overnight if we introduced two new guidelines for learning throughout our Christian life:

1. We must put learning into practice in our real lives. There is a difference between learning from a textbook and listening to an instructor. Anyone who goes for skiing lessons before their first ski-trip will likely pay very close attention to what is being taught. They will hang on to every word the instructor says. Why? Because their life may soon depend on it when they’re out on the snowy slopes. This is discipleship: learning from our instructor as if our life depends on it.

2. We must all take responsibility to pass to others what we’ve learned. If I told you that you would have to teach someone tomorrow what you’re going to learn today, it would make you listen completely differently. When we have to take responsibility for helping others grow in Christ, it automatically takes our own relationship with Christ to a new level. We were created to learn, to do, and to pass on. Everyone is passing something on. It’s our decision to be intentional about it.

Discipleship is about learning that leads to lifestyle change with Christlikeness as the goal.