I’ve been massively blessed to be discipled by several different men and women. Men named De Cao, Greg, and David. Women named Renee and Sandy. Real people who have loved the Lord and have loved me enough to call me out on my stupidity – even if it means I don’t really like what they have to say in the moment. Men and women who have labored through my deep inner flaws, only to find there are more and deeper inner flaws that need to be dealt with!

Moses was discipled by his father-in-law Jethro. You might remember the story from Exodus 3. Moses brought everyone up out of Egypt and swung by his in-laws’ to pick up his wife and kiddos. Jethro wasn’t just Moses’ father-in-law, he was also the priest of Midian. So, it appears that we’re supposed to see him as a man of deep faith. He certainly conducts himself as such in the story.

After watching what Moses is up to all day long, day in and day out, Jethro pulls him aside, and corrects him. I think that, right there, that could be a decent definition of discipleship: to have a person of deep faith see your real life and offer you practical guidance on how things should change. Jethro puts it to Moses in frank terms, “The thing you are doing is not good.” How would you like anyone to watch you for a day and then have them say that in conclusion? Not me! Or, how would you like to be the person who has to tell someone they need to change? As much as you might enjoy telling them off in your mind, doing it to someone you’d like to remain friends with is a very tough conversation to have. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news… therefore, I think most of us actively avoid discipleship.

To save us from such discomfort and hurt feelings the church (in some cases) has reduced discipleship to the learning of biblical facts or abstract knowledge. That’s familiar and comfortable because it's way more like school than discipleship. Teaching me facts that I can then regurgitate back to you involves very little risk and consequently rarely results in true growth. Likewise, if I’m the one teaching the facts it’s easier as well.

What someone then goes and does with that knowledge is up to them. I might say to myself, “I gave them the truth, what they do with it is between them and the Lord.” Well, not according to Jethro. Discipleship for him meant correcting practical actions. (You could, of course, say the same thing for Paul, and Jesus, but we’ve been reading Exodus so I’ll stick to Jethro.)

“Woah! Wait a minute.” I can almost hear someone say, “Watch out. That’s headed toward legalism! Empty religion!” If Jethro had been telling Moses how to gain righteousness, then yes, that would have been legalistic and we should avoid it like the plagues themselves. But Jethro isn’t doing that. He’s not giving Moses a Bible quiz and calling it discipleship. He’s also not giving him an abstract lesson on how to be a good leader. Jethro is telling Moses how to do life differently and he’s expecting him to change.

The people who discipled me excelled at correcting me… Whew! Did they give it to me! I remember David saying, dead serious, “Daniel, one more time, and you’re fired.” I remember Sandy saying straight to my face, “Maybe you think so, but I think you’re wrong.” OUCH! “ [Daniel,] The thing you are doing is not good!” Their willingness to potentially offend me, to step on my toes, to call me out – wasn’t bad news at all. It changed me. Oh my goodness, that was good news for me! Though it can be rough, I am drawn to people of deep faith, who know me, and who will tell it to me like it is. Because deep down I know just how badly I need correction. Like everyone, I need true discipleship.

What about you? Do you have any Jethros in your life? Are you willing to come alongside and faithfully speak into any Moseses out there? I can hardly think of a page of the Gospels where Jesus isn’t lovingly correcting His disciples. Funny thing is, then He turned around and told us to go and make disciples. How sad that many come to church each week for an hour or so, maybe gain some abstract head knowledge, and leave only to wonder why their daily lives don’t change. They leave wondering why their struggles seem to continue to own them. To wonder why they don’t sense deeper fellowship with the Lord.

I encourage you to find a handful of Jethros and give them permission to speak into your daily life. I think you’ll be glad you did!