BECOMING AN APPRENTICE TO RABBI JESUS

Be With Jesus + Become Like Jesus + Do As Jesus Did

I love this meme!! How can you argue with this kind of evolution since we are, indeed, meant to become more and more like Jesus in our life of faith? In traditional Church-y language we used to call it “sanctification.”

In keeping with the constant social media requests to have photos fixed up with AI…can anybody do a version of this meme with women?!? I know I am seeking to become more and more like Jesus….

According to scripture, it used to be called: The Way

In the Spiritual Wellness Community, we’ve been reading John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way, learning about what it means to be an apprentice of Jesus—to really follow him. Pastor Comer relates our discipleship journey to that of the original disciples who followed Jesus as their rabbi. When a disciple followed their rabbi it was much more like being an apprentice than being a typical student…a disciple literally followed the rabbi as the rabbi went about their life while the disciple watched and learned. Eventually, after being with the rabbi and being taught by the rabbi, the rabbi would begin to let them do some teaching and ministering. Hopefully, the day would finally come when the rabbi determined that the disciple had learned all that the rabbi had to teach, at which time the rabbi would send the disciple out to become a rabbi and find new disciples to apprentice and learn the way that they had been taught. They had been transformed and shaped, and now they would do that for others…and so on, and so on…

Following a rabbi was not only instructional; it was formational.

In other words, the disciples didn’t just believe in their rabbi, they reshaped their entire life to become like their rabbi. The goal was to be so much like their rabbi that they could then duplicate that experience in shaping others that same way. Belief was not the goal….total life transformation was the goal. It’s that whole Gospel thing about “losing your life to find it”…

This should give each of us cause for reflection…

So many people say they believe in God and that Jesus is their Savior…so what? Does it actually change their life? Does the belief along transform? Or is it just in their head as a premise they agree with?

I love to pray and read/study scripture and worship…but am I an apprentice to Jesus? Is He my rabbi? I want to answer, “Yes!” to those questions!!

Jesus is so much more than just someone I believe in!! And so, to make sure that I am actually following Jesus as my rabbi, I am spending this year working on my Rule of Life so I can live intentionally in a way to become more and more like Jesus. And I am blessed to be doing this in a loving and inspiring community of women who are also each working on their Rule of Life as well.

Whether you know it or not, you already have a Rule of Life, as do I. The question is: Does whatever you do as a Rule of Life (whatever your current practices may be on a day to day basis) bring you closer to Jesus or not?

I know….that’s harsh, right? Because most of us don’t live that intentionally from day to day while we are running on the hamster wheel just trying to get it all done.

So….what if you decided to be intentional about a Rule of Life instead of living a haphazard unconscious Rule of Life?

A Rule of Life can be as simple or as detailed as you choose, but there are a few things to consider: 1-it is a means to an end…a way to be intentional about being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus in order to do as Jesus did. 2-it must be consistent with your personality and gifts, your life and experience…you are following Jesus as a person God created so make sure you are being that person and not trying to be someone you’re not (I constantly have to make sure I’m not operating under Monk Envy as being a monk does not really work in my life). 3-it usually needs to be more about subtraction of things that distract you from Jesus and less about a to-do list of spiritual practices. 3-it should imitate things that Jesus did…ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern what Jesus practices would look like applied to your life and context.

PS You can do this whether you’re a busy mom with young kids or a retired teacher, an entrepreneur or a factory worker. Your Rule of Life will always be what you can do in your season of life with your commitments and your family configuration…and it will grow and change with you as your life grows and changes. It’s not a formula: it’s as individual as God made you YOU! It is perfectly normal to focus on different practices in different seasons of life!

What did Jesus actually do if I am supposed to spend time with Him to become like Him?

Author/Pastor John Mark Comer, in his book Practicing the Way, has identified 9 spiritual disciplines that are clearly practiced by Jesus in the Gospels. This list makes for a great starting place to shape a Rule of Life, though there are lots of things that could be in your Rule that are not on this list. But, overall, I think most things will fall under one of these areas:

Prayer

Scripture

Sabbath

Fasting

Solitude

Generosity

Community

Service

Witness

How might other practices fall under these categories? Well, hospitality might fall under Witness if you are inviting those outside the faith to dinner or maybe it falls under Community if you like to host your faith family. Contemplation, or listening to God, probably falls under Solitude, but Meditation might fall under Scripture if you practice Lectio Divina. Doing the Examen could fall under Prayer, but maybe you only do it weekly as a Sabbath practice. Do you see what I mean? It’s up to you to define how you follow Jesus and what works in your life.

Nobody is meant to “go it alone” when following The Way of Jesus

One thing I can attest to is that creating your Rule of Life in the context of Community is so helpful and inspiring. The first Rule of Life I did, when I was training as a Spiritual Director, was done by myself in prayer and discernment. It turned out pretty fantastic….but I have never been able to live up to since it was more aspirational than pragmatic. This time, as I embark on this process with the women in the Spiritual Wellness Community, I am able to be inspired by their journeys in building a Rule of Life as well as held accountable, loved, graced and challenged in my own process. It is so much more meaningful, with an emphasis on the journey and that a Rule of Life is ever-adaptable. We are taking a full year for this….last time I did it in a month.

I have already learned that the process of discerning your Rule of Life is as formational as following Jesus by your Rule of Life. Who knew?

From the Practicing the Way Course companion guide regarding the practices we choose for our Rule of Life: “The Practices are disciplines based on the lifestyle of Jesus that create time and space for us to access the presence and power of the spirit and, in doing so, be transformed from the inside out. Practices are a means to an end: to live and love like Jesus.”

You don’t have to go it alone, even if you don’t currently have a community context in which to work out your Rule of Life

It’s not too late to join us as we embark on month #2. Women who want to check it out can sign up on the angelstringsministry.com website and the first month is FREE. So…..why not? Do it with a friend. We Zoom on Tuesdays at Noon ET and the recording is posted on the website under the Members Only section within 24 hours if you can’t make it. We have a small group but members are scattered across the continent.

And, as a member, you are also getting the benefit of what I offer privately for Spiritual Direction and Therapeutic Harp clients applied to our group.

You have nothing to lose by trying it, but you could experience an incredibly gracious and loving community of inspiring women in which to learn to better follow Jesus and intentionally seek to be more and more transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

As Jesus’ disciples put it: I pray that you will Come and See.

Spiritual Wellness Community Membership for women February schedule:

BOOK: Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer & Practicing the Way Course Companion Guide

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:38-48, Love your enemies

Feb 3, 12p. ET. Topic introduction: The Practices

Feb 10, 12p ET. Group Spiritual Direction using the appointed scripture

Feb 17, 12p ET. Meditation/Prayer time with Therapeutic Harp

Feb 24, 12p ET. Discussion and sharing, Rule of Life sharing

See the Members Only section on the website or the 2026 Schedule for weekly reading assignments and exercises

May God bless you on The Way;

May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi along The Way;

May you call upon the Spirit to transform your way along The Way.

Shalom,

Julie