Come and Abide.
Following Jesus becomes more than something I believe.
It becomes a way of life.
Conviction says: “I believe in Jesus.”
Commitment says: “I’m arranging my life around Jesus.”
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you.”
– John 15:4
Discipleship requires two things
Proximity + Practice
Discipleship has a proximity
Shared Living, Learning, Mission, Practice
Jesus formed His disciples through proximity. He appointed them.
“that they might be with him and that he might send them out.” – Mark 3:14
Notice the order: With Him → Sent by Him.
They didn’t simply listen to Jesus teach.
They watched Him live.
We let people close enough to see our real lives—our struggles, victories, questions, failures, and ordinary moments.
We open Scripture, ask questions, listen, reflect, apply truth, and obey together.
We serve, reach, give, lead, and participate together in what God is doing around us.
We practice what Jesus taught, take steps of faith, learn from failure, receive coaching, and try again.
You can learn about Jesus from a distance.
But you learn to live like Jesus through proximity.
Discipleship has a practice
The 11 Rhythms of Jesus
Spiritual formation doesn’t happen by accident. Something is always forming us.
The question isn’t “Am I being formed?”
It’s “What is forming me?”
The 11 Rhythms help us intentionally arrange our lives around Jesus. They aren’t rules for earning God’s love. They are practices that make us increasingly available to God’s transforming grace.
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24
Surrendering ourselves so Jesus becomes the center.
Living dependent upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Allowing Scripture to shape how we think and live.
Aligning our hearts with God through prayer and surrender.
Responding to God with worship, gratitude, joy, and obedience.
Remembering and declaring our identity in Christ.
Building relationships where we are known, challenged, encouraged, and formed.
Cultivating homes and spiritual families centered around Jesus.
Moving toward hurting, overlooked, lonely, and marginalized people.
Using our time, gifts, influence, opportunities, and resources for God’s Kingdom.
Investing the life of Jesus in others so they can do the same.
Rhythms, not rules
The rhythms aren’t eleven boxes to complete. They are a way of life with Jesus.
Like breathing, they become repeated patterns of receiving from God and responding to God.
We don’t practice so God will love us.
We practice because He already does.
We don’t practice to earn an identity.
We practice from the identity we’ve already received.
And eventually the practices of Jesus begin producing the patterns of Jesus within us.
But maturity doesn’t stop with what God does in us.
It moves toward what God wants to do through us.
(Discipling: A Contagious Pursuit)