By Jessyka Albert

There’s a statistic floating around that nine out of ten people like chocolate. I took a poll of my circle of friends, family, and colleagues—and found this statistic to be incredibly accurate. I think it’s safe to say that we live in a world where the love of chocolate is a common denominator. The 90 percent of us who love chocolate (my apologies to the other 10 percent) may have enjoyed a dessert or two described as “death by chocolate.” What this means is that whatever dessert this may be, chocolate is the primary ingredient. Delicious right? And although it might be one of the best desserts known to man, you can only eat so much. This dessert is overpowering and rich.

Often we treat discipleship the way we treat chocolate. For the most part, churches and Christians genuinely love discipleship—I’d speculate at least 9 out of 10. The problem is that we love discipleship like we love chocolate. We bring it out for special occasions, and when we do, we overdo it. This creates a fear of discipleship. Discipleship is not a dessert where you can take it or leave it; it’s the seasoning that goes into every meal. It might best be viewed as the “salt” of the table, rather than the chocolate.

Without salt—without discipleship—we are left with bland food and bland Christians. Why are we afraid of discipleship? Because we don’t understand it. There is a reason that almost every table has a salt shaker on it. There is a reason Jesus called his followers to be the salt of the world and not the chocolate of the world. And there is a reason why discipleship is still important today. Salt enhances flavor, much like discipleship enhances God’s children.

So what makes it scary to many people? I believe there are four main reasons for this phenomenon:

  1. Discipleship is scary when you have not been discipled yourself. Discipleship is really quite simple because it’s mostly about relationships. The ingredient that causes many to jump back in fear is their lack of experience with discipleship that is not just a two-way relationship, but a relationship that also involves Jesus. That takes any ordinary relationship and turns it into something intentional.

In other words, perhaps we are afraid to use the salt on the table because we have not tried it on our own food. How do we explain to someone else why they should put salt on their meal if we have not put it on our own?

  1. We’re afraid others might not like it. Again, discipleship brings Jesus into the picture. And unfortunately many people are afraid of becoming vulnerable and sharing their own journey with God. Discipleship is raw and honest. Remember, discipling is like salt, not sugar. Although it may sting a wound, it is also healing. Discipleship can sometimes be painful. Because it involves Jesus, it is not a normal relationship. Jesus isn’t interested in our “I’m good” cliche answers; he searches the deepest parts of our hearts, and that can be painful.
  2. We’re worried it’s useless. If you aren’t discipling because you think the time and energy isn’t worth it, I en- courage you to look at Jesus. Jesus discipled men he knew would deny him and betray him, but that did not stop him. We are not called to be judges; we are called to be fishers of men. To be salt and light to the whole world, not just part of it, and to disciple all people, not just some of them. This does not mean individually we have to disciple the whole world, but neither should we neglect those around us.
  3. We don’t disciple enough to be comfortable with it. I cannot emphasize enough that discipleship is a lifestyle. It isn’t a single day event; it is a way of life. It involves both discipling and being discipled. An important part of my life is having a circle of discipleship. In college, we would go on “Jesus dates.” This was a time with close friends where we could reflect on our lives emotionally and spiritually and uplift one another. Jesus dates are still an important ingredient in my discipleship lifestyle.

Discipleship is not supposed to be overpowering or a burden. It is supposed to be the practice of carrying one another’s burdens, of guiding each other to the feet of Jesus, of loving and growing with one another. It is meant to be sprinkled throughout our everyday lives. Discipleship is not the rich death by chocolate dessert of which we can eat only a little, but the seasoning we use at every meal.

Jessyka Albert is discipleship pastor at Boulder Adventist Church.