Pitching Our Tents Toward Discipleship BY RUTH MCDONALD
Call it intuition, but I could usually tell who my kids had been hanging out with by subtle changes in their speech and mannerisms. I’ve noticed the same phenomenon in myself when my pronunciation turns Canadian after a weekend with my best girlfriend. As Christ followers, we should spend time with Him, hang on to His words, and pick up His characteristics. The closer our relationship with Him, the more His speech, mannerisms, and personality influence us. People will notice as we remind them more and more of Him. I like the nuances of discipleship as defined by the Japanese culture. The word disciple (deshi) has been used among the Japanese since ancient times to denote a special relationship between master and student. The actual word means “younger brother” and originally referred to a student selected as the master’s protégé, taken into his household, and treated as a younger sibling. Teachers have many students but only a few deshi. Living with the master, a deshi takes on a familial resemblance and imitates his lifestyle, ensuring the master’s legacy continues.
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ONE | DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021
By being adopted into God’s family, doing daily life with Him, and imitating the things He does, we become true disciples. We grow to know Him well, and His habits wear off on us. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). He chose 12 men to do life with Him, much like a Japanese master teacher. Does that mean we need to adopt young believers into our homes and let them live with us for a few years? Actually, it sometimes does. We know one obvious group of people we are responsible to take into our home: our family. If you are a believer, and God has blessed you with children, you have the job of discipling them. If you’ve ever opened your mouth and heard your mother or father’s voice come out, you know this happens quite naturally. For good or for bad,
