Discipleship isn’t about getting people to see the way we do, it’s about embodying the gospel with each other.

When we first started this series, we were looking at how to respond when people we know and love are making radical changes in their life.

If you are like most people, one of two things probably happen inside of you: either you (1) sense a bit of panic because it feels as if your world is getting turned upside down or you (2) find yourself wanting to change with them.

There are those who tell you that what your friends are doing is wrong. They say they are heading down a slippery slope away from Christ. Others say they have finally found life, something wonderful they have never experienced before.

How are you supposed to know what’s actually true?

Much of the Christian world today tends to be primarily concerned with getting other people to see things the way they do.

Maybe they’re trying to convince lawmakers to establish laws that jive with their worldview or maybe they’re trying to convince someone not to leave their church, that their church’s way of interpreting scripture is best.

I would suggest, however, that far more people long for much more than figuring out the best way to look at life.

These people are not concerned about getting others to see things the way they do. They simply want to know that when they express the way they see things they won’t be rejected. They don’t know if their interpretation is best or not; they want to know Jesus loves them in spite of any errors they commit while trying to interpret at all.

My hunch is that this type of person makes up far more of the Christian population today than those who are dead set in their ways.

And if you are like most of my readers, you probably fall in this group.

The question for us, then, is not who is right; the question is who will disciple these people?

You see, discipleship is not about getting people to see things the way we do. Discipleship is about sharing the gospel with each other.

And by gospel, I mean something far more than telling people they need to repent from their sins. That is certainly a part of the gospel, but most of us already know we are sinful and in need of Christ.

The part of the gospel few of us grasp, however, is that in the middle of our brokenness and fallen nature, Jesus comes and invites us into relationship with himself. He isn’t asking us to get everything right in our lives. He invites us to reveal all we truly are so we can be fully known by him and so we can fully know him in return.

He wants to take the broken parts of our lives and fill them with love and grace.

What people in my church need more than being convinced the way I see things is the right way to see them is for me to learn how to speak and relate in ways that do not shame or condemn them. They need me to learn how to build them up in Christ, not point out where they are wrong.

This is what it means to share the gospel with brothers and sisters in Christ. The gospel is all about bringing together a people full of flaws—people from many different backgrounds, worldviews, and life experiences—and creating a family who graciously walks with each other as we learn how to live as God designed.

Where there is no room for mistakes—even wrong conclusions about life—there is no gospel.

We are a sinful people. That’s why Jesus is such good news. And discipleship is about sharing the same kind of grace with each other that Jesus has shared with us.

So when you have friends or family making drastic changes and you feel panic or want to change with them, before doing or saying anything, remember that you aren’t saved by your right theology or lifestyle—you are saved by the grace of Christ. You aren’t even saved by your belief in being saved by grace—you are saved by the grace of Christ.

Jesus comes to you, and your friend or family member, and says,

I love you. Trust me with your life. I know you have many questions, but all you need to know right now is that I love you, and I have made a way for you to live in relationship with Father again. Come join me in this journey of discovering all he truly is.

This closes out the series. I’d love to hear your feedback. Feel free to share in the comments below what you mean when you say you’re looking for life.

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