Practicing the Way Podcast Episode 01: Apprentice to Jesus

In Episode 01: Apprentice to Jesus, John Mark Comer and Tyler Staton define what it means to be an apprentice of Jesus in contrast to current understandings of the term “Christian” in Western culture, why apprenticeship is so desperately needed, and the myth of radical individualism.
This podcast accompanies the book Practicing the Way. Subscribe to the KZbin channel to stay up to date on future episodes. To learn more about the book, visit www.practicingtheway.org/book. To begin building your personalized Rule of Life, go to www.practicingtheway.org/rule....

[@pattimoose1]

I "got saved" when I was 16, by myself in my mom's living room. I had no idea what was next. I'd watch Billy Graham crusades and tons of people got saved. No one ever said....Okay, now do this. We have altar calls and people all over turn their hearts over to Jesus. And we rejoice for them! Of course we do! But no one teaches them to follow Jesus!! I'm 70 years old now and have been searching since I was 16 for the "Now What? Oh my goodness, I think I finally found it!!

[@jenniferdavis5834]

Thank you John Mark Comer for allowing me to see, through your teachings and writings, that the longing I had felt in my soul for so many years was the absence of the pursuit of discipleship to Jesus. Now this knowledge I’ve gained with your assistance has led me to the path I was meant to be on my entire life.

[@vedawattieram1974]

I have been seeking to make disciples Matthew 28 ...this podcast illuminates ...❤ Bless you!

[@bethburleson6684]

Thank you, John Mark and Tyler for your continued efforts to shepherd many who are trying to learn HOW to apprentice under Jesus in this modern age. Very grateful for both of you. ❤️❤️❤️

[@dw2367]

God has called you, JMC, to bless this grand audience, in this season, with all of the long form discussions God has ordained, within you. Thank you for moving into this season, and for being willing to share what the Holy Spirit is revealing to you, with the rest of us.

[@jrponce3732]

Thank you Pastor Comer for shepherding my heart during this season in my life. I have been blessed by embracing a more contemplative spirituality that is much more conducive to becoming like Jesus than the tradition I grew up in. May God continue to use you and your ministry.

[@ntuthukosoxsokhulu3028]

Thank you so much Tyler and John Mark, been following Bridgetown and JMC’s podcasts since 2021. I’m really loving this journey we are on 🙏🏾

[@nicoleboie3794]

Yay! thankful to meet you!! We lost the gifts and passion of Keller & Heiser & have been in need of new voice.

[@darrylcarlton7958]

Let me add my thoughts to an appreciation of John Mark Comer (and Tyler Staton, too). His genius mind seems to be totally in service to his Lord and mine, Christ Jesus. Ever since I have discovered his teachings, I have not stopped thanking God for him. Amen!

[@chg1107]

Every cell and fiber in my body longs for this. Spirit of Jesus, please help me. 🙏🏾

[@dustinpoisson]

Wow. This discussion is so fantastic, I'm so excited to see Practicing the Way develop. Count me in!

[@scottharrison9019]

Thank you John Mark and Tyler, you are such a blessing to my journey from the other side of the USA (Florida). Praying to become part of the 4% who are being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus and doing what Jesus did as a disciple (learner).

[@naturalepiphaniesco.7332]

thanks so much for your work! It’s been super helpful! Would love to see some version of this for Middle School/ Highschool! Brining up a generation of Apprentices to Jesus!

[@johnwestwell953]

Thank you for the clarity, simplicity and wisdom of your work. May God bless you as you continue to respond to Rabbi Jesus' call to make disciples.

[@joiwood423]

I am so excited to get my hands on this new book! Thank you Pastor Comer for your faithfulness to following and speaking about the truth!

[@losmcdonald]

"to be not one, but intertwined with another" wow. Amen.

[@ilanagreen5371]

Such a great an helpful conversation by two awesome humans - thank you John Mark and Tyler for who you are!

[@Diytinyliving]

Thank you for these conversations. After listening it feels as if for the first time I can take a deep breath. Far too much content is shallow and empty but this conversation gives room for a deep consideration.

[@Leawilliams2]

Thank you for this talk, your book, and for following Jesus yourself. I’ve been following your work over the past few years, and I’ve been blessed by your teachings and humility. I’ve been praying for your ministry and your own soul and family. Thank you for bringing these ancient ideas into our current conversations. May God use your contribution to the Church to build up His apprentices!

[@GP-xv3wk]

1000x yes! What a conversation. I'm very much looking forward to the next ones.

[@martinbuchwitz6985]

So good, so deep, so healthy. Love it!

[@catlee9198]

I saw you on the YouVersion Bible app this morning and found your channel here. Thank you for the message you are bringing others! Very insightful episode. I found your podcast as well so will follow you there.

[@isaacmwangaza]

I loved every minute of this thank you so much John Mark Comer for sharing this

[@JEM0101]

Love the background given and the way forward. The big C church needs this. Praying a way is made for many to come to this understanding and move in this direction. This is definitely radical compared to where the church has been and is. God is doing a new thing! Do you see it? I pray more and more so! So appreciate words to stirrings inside of me. I see many saying this same thing about your work.

[@JustJosh365]

This information is so great, I bought 2 copies of your book so you can get some socks! I am kidding about the socks. Thanks for your insight, much appreciated.

[@user-qd4ij1yb7w]

Wonderful - let the work begin!! :)

[@ojaswijoshi4337]

Congratulations on your new podcast! Best wishes for success, peace, prosperity, abundance, and good health to you and your loved ones.

[@anal.mendoza]

Hi John Mark, may the Lord bless you from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic! It's my first time listening to this episode so I really appreciate it.

[@josephnieves6947]

This is amazing!!! Wow thank you for this.

[@lindajwerner]

Fantastic conversation!

[@warleyrobby]

I love this!

[@justincaseIspeak]

I like your books.

[@BaronReed-rj9rz]

Dr. Michael Heiser (it boils down to believing, loyalty in the finished work of Jesus Christ and trusting, love in the person of Jesus Christ.

[@Sunwolfe]

I've read the book and plan to suggest or loan it to others...I may have to purchase another as mine is so full of notes, LOL!. You're on to something here, JM. My battle is not necessarily to present Yeshua to my family/friends (F&F) so much as it is to get them to seriously consider Him. They hear "Christianity" with an ear politically and contemporarily tuned and are ultimately uninterested. I think, however, if I can distill the first ten minutes of your exchange with Tyler into a coherent and conversationally expressed thought, I might be able to get F&F to include it in their own thought processes when they hear to term "Christian" or use it politically. The rest is up the Holy Spirit. Thanks so much for your book, brother. Prayers your way that Adonai guard your heart and mind in this--I've a feeling you're gonna need it.

[@JoshAlicea1229]

I like to say, I’m in the process of converting.

[@ironwill5884]

Reach back to Antiquity to take hold of a word (disciple) yet never consider the mindset/worldview of those who saw themselves and the world (both visible & invisible) considerably different from we moderns of the West. Call yourself a ‘disciple’ yet stay in your egalitarian post modern worldview and you get this silliness. Being mimetic includes embracing Christ’s Bride (His Church) and THAT should be the center of our lives. Get to Church and allow the mysteries therein to mold you, guide you, and draw you into a closer relationship with the Living God. It’s not about doing your own thing no matter how seemingly pious. It’s about offering back to God all of Life. Get to Church!

[@dougyip]

Apprenticing to Jesus = apprenticing into Eternal Life -- this is what he means when Jesus says he is the Way, Truth and the "Life". We are invited to be in union with and partake of the Trinity's everlasting way of being - abundant life which overflows the Fruit of the Spirit.

[@Blockishbookhead]

Daily trying to crucify the desires that compete with Jesus and His Way for first place in my life. I left behind makeup, fashion, the gym, secular music and entertainment. But after 3 years without these, I see I am only scratching the surface of dying to self. Working on getting rid of as much stuff as I can, so I can spend more time helping the poor and less time managing my stuff. I feel torn about organic food. Jesus says not worry about what you eat. At the same time, our bodies are God’s temples. I could eat poor quality food and give the money I save to the poor, but not eating good quality food might make me have health problems later in life which would get in the way of my being the hands and feet of Jesus. Anybody have any clarity on this issue?

[@chrissteinbacher6552]

Dont fall into the trap of asceticism. Christians often go from one extreme to the other. Stay balanced.

[@tarawatson8624]

Whatever you choose, the more expensive food or charity, are both ways to improve your generous walk. The Lord bless you in your free choices to do good. My thinking changes between every supermarket aisle: cheapest, locally grown, fairtrade, less packaging, in season, grown in sustainable manner and the round again if there are more aisles.

[@kathleenparonto5324]

Amen

[@BaronReed-rj9rz]

Dallas Willard is very helpful along the same lines.

[@jjmonty8090]

John Mark, hope to meet you one day, I’d love to get your thoughts on discipleship in a deeper manner. Here are the highlights that I’ve been harping on for a bit with regard to discipleship. 1. Jesus didn’t enter into this Master/Rabbi phase till 30. 2. Discipleship necessitates 2 things: a prepared and willing Rabbi, and a submitted student who has been called by the Rabbi. 3. Discipleship is not a short process. With Jesus it was 3 1/2 years of full time apprenticeship. 4. It seems as though followers of Christ are in one of two stages, either you are a disciple or you have become a master/rabbi. 4.

[@user-wb9ve9zl2q]

Interestingly, the 268 uses of mathetes/disciple in the New Testament occur in the Gospels, Acts, and never again. Why? I tend to think it relates to the message of this podcast and book. We only are to be followers of Christ. Or we are only to follow those who help us to follow Christ.

[@FrTreyPhillips]

this is giving off strong obi wan and anakin vibes

[@DonielleWinter]

So shouldn't this discipleship/apprenticeship be taught, like full disclosure, at or before conversion? Rather than wait for someone to "accept Christ"/"trust in Jesus as their Savior" and then as they maybe "mature" during the first 5 years or 25 years after becoming a Christian hope they're drawn toward this idea of apprenticeship/discipleship?

[@tomtammaro9442]

I've been thinking about this too. I would say New Life is based upon faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The 12 were apprenticed for years before having the opportunity to put their faith in the resurrected Jesus. Just a thought

[@robertalbers5293]

I love your comment. And yes to your question. It should be modeled as it's being spoken in to a person ...... thenI.... we give the opportunity to accept and hopefully the spirit will convict them

[@philyoung7648]

Edified much by "God has a name" in spite of not knowing who JM Comer is. Wanting to know more, a kindle search led to a " Fancy History" biography of JMC which was so strange it made me think that it was written by an AI engine. Did you ok this?

[@Andy-re5wi]

So what about the demoniac at the mark 5:17 that was saved and his instruction was not to ‘come and follow me’ but stay in the city. Granted when Jesus returned the city was transformed but what do you make to that as apprenticing. Seems like, and I’m a fan of discipleship under Jesus, but the paradigm here is based only the 12 and not the early church. Whereas the 12 were apostles not just 12 people chosen for ignoble purposes

[@realestatewithme7040]

🙂

[@Box52222]

Just focus on obeying the word. Simple. No psychology needed. Am i wrong?

[@bernadettematera-stacey1982]

Jesus said you are My disciples if you obey My commands. Something any other rabbi of the time would say. I didn't hear you mention obedience...

[@MichaelAllanBrown]

Respectfully, please listen again: BECOME LIKE JESUS & DO THE THINGS JESUS DID. This is the definition of obedience to God's will for us.

[@billgoedecke2265]

Thank you - I am interested in Christian scripture - but I do not know what Christians are talking about when they name “Jesus”. I gather that the name originally used in these scriptures was Joshua and that the name Jesus was of Greek origin. Any case I truly believe that Christian scripture says to follow the way of Jesus - not to believe in him - and that Jesus was essentially not religious - that it is about the living waters of the Spirit as spoken about in the parable of the well. That is why I found this video given that the speakers are talking about following the way of Jesus. But I don’t get this idea of devotion to this figure who was apparently a person who lived more than 2,000 years ago. I don’t think it is about following any particular person, whether Jesus, Gautama Buddha, Mohammed, and more, but is about embodying the teaching. I have my practices and find nuggets of truth in scripture.

[@W0nderer]

The Bible speaks about Jesus being a person to follow and a way to reach God. Also that He is God and died and was raised from the dead. Lastly, that through the Holy Spirit (the third part of God) Jesus lives in the hearts of Christians as a physical presence. Jesus also said whoever believed in Him would have eternal life.

[@billgoedecke2265]

@@W0nderer Oh to each his own. For me I need the living faith as Jesus spoke about in the Parable by the Well. And in the words of Jesus when he says that we are the light of the world. For me much of scripture is allegory as Paul alludes to for at least one instance (Galatians 4:21-26).

[@pakelgoynshmoynzgravar]

-khm