The Discipleship PathwaySample

What if, when God came to earth, He showed us who really mattered to Him?

I believe that’s what happened. I believe that Jesus Christ showed us whose hearts He came for by the company He kept and told us why He came in the trio of parables found in Luke chapter 15.

The three stories, which He told back to back to back, follow the same pattern: something or somebody is lost and then is found, and when they are found, there is great rejoicing and celebration.

The most famous of these stories is about the lost sons—one lost in the world and one lost right at home. Typically, we focus on the son who was lost in the world, the one who took his father’s money, squandered it, then finally returned home when the money had run out. But Jesus makes a point of showing that the other son was lost as well. Though he never left home, the older son was also far from his father’s love, separated by his anger and jealousy.

For the father in the parable, both sons were lost and both sons were loved.

For our heavenly Father, all of us are lost and all of us are loved.

Whether we’re lost in the world or lost at home, God is waiting to celebrate our return to Him. He is inviting us to go from lost and alone to found and at home in His love.

Then He wants us to partner with Him.

He wants us to search for and find others who are lost in this broken world. And He wants us to bring them home to His love.

How?

By walking the Discipleship Pathway, which is a proven journey of spiritual growth focused on becoming a disciple who makes more disciples. As we’ll explore over the next five days, there are steps you can guide others through on their way home to the Father, who is waiting to rejoice at their return.