Discipleship in Everyday Life: How Does it Work?

The word “disciple” sounds kind of old-fashioned and religious, and it can be difficult to imagine using the label about ourselves. “Oh yes, I’m a disciple of Jesus” doesn’t exactly come easily to modern lips.  

But if we think of Jesus as announcing “the kingdom”—a way of doing life that brings renewal to a tired and hurting world—and a “disciple” as someone committed to learning from Jesus how to live this new life, then maybe, just maybe, it’s imaginable.  

Still, what does this look like in everyday life? What does discipleship look like in that place where many of us spend some forty hours a week—the workplace? 

I asked several Anglican lay people in various jobs how this works for them. Let me share some of the answers with you.   

1. Their workplace is where Jesus teaches them the ways of the kingdom
   One person told me how she was struck by a specific story about Jesus and tried to incorporate his example into her work. I love that she says she is “slowly learning.” That’s the way it normally is in a mentor/apprentice relationship—being shaped little by little: 

   One recent insight which cracked my hard heart is how Jesus responded to the rich young ruler asking about how to live: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” I think he is helping me to look at people and remember how he loved people, and that is what he wants us to do.  M, Physiotherapist 

   When we “look at people,” one thing we learn is to recognize and honour the image of God in them. Did you know that was important for accountants? Well, if the accountant happens to be a disciple of Jesus, yes, it is. And really, for anyone in any job at all. 

   The key effect [of my discipleship] on my work is the knowledge that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. K, Accountant  

2. They use their unique gifts to play their part in God’s work  

   An apprentice learns first of all by imitating the Master, until they get to the point where they can express that work in their own unique way. Each then adds to the richness and variety of the work.My goal is to seek justice and beauty through my work as an architect. I believe that good design affects us as people. I hope that the spaces I help create speak to people’s souls, much like nature can do, to point towards God’s hand in my work. E, Architect

   I sought after work in which my God-given interests met a hunger in the world. I knew working with women and children would be part of it. J, midwife

   Eventually recognizing my own God-given skills and abilities is what led me to become a psychotherapist. S, Counsellor

    

3. It all comes down to love 
   Of course, the motivation for what we do is key. When St Paul is teaching about spiritual gifts, he warns us, if I “do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor 13:2) The folk I spoke to understand that this is at the heart of what they do: 

   The challenges that have been placed in my life as a wife and mother have enabled me to use my skills to bring hope, justice, comfort, and compassion to families challenged by severe mental health concerns.  C, Community Development Worker 

   I have been given an opportunity to convey Christ and His mission here on earth not only through WHAT I teach (i.e., the content), but also through HOW I teach (e.g., with compassion, concern for the whole person, spiritual discernment, etc.). R, Educator 

4. The love and creativity of God are expressed through them
   In one sense, these folk are not doing anything original. They are simply passing on the love and creativity that they see and experience in God: 

   The ways in which I have experienced God’s love have led me to want to share God’s love and bring hope to others.  C, Community Development Worker 

   I’m drawn to the creativity of our creator, the dizzying complexity and amazing abilities of his creations… I just try to make sure that my faith and abilities as a reflection of the creator shine through. B, Creative Writer 

   I have always understood my job to be the way that I reflect Jesus in the world. B, Educational Consultant

5. Their work is a calling—a vocation—from God
   The primary calling of a Christian in the New Testament is always to follow Christ: that is the “vocation” which comes with our baptism. But there is also a secondary “vocation within a vocation”—work that we discover and express through using our gifts:
   
   I’m definitely not in it for the money, or because it is easy. It is all about calling. E, Architect
   
   It is definitely a vocation. S, Civil Servant
   

So, discipleship in the workplace is perfectly possible. It is real, and it is down-to-earth. It affects the worker’s head and heart and hands. It makes no difference what our work is: after all, every aspect of life is the work of the Creator, and so every aspect of life needs the renewal of God’s Spirit—and, amazingly enough, God does this through the work of committed disciples like us! This is the most amazing privilege any human being could ever have.  

(This article is an edited version of a chapter from John’s 2021 book, God is Always Bigger.)