“Perhaps we have a misguided view of discipleship. We think about discipleship as information-centric. That’s a big mistake! Discipleship is relationship-centric. Discipleship is walking side-by-side with someone in the realities of life. This includes the mountaintop blessings, the curses of the deep, dark valleys, and everything in between.” – Sam Ingrassia (shared by my brother in Christ, Lance)

We often treat discipleship like a class — full of facts, bullet points, and memory verses. But Jesus didn’t hand His disciples a textbook — He handed them His time, His presence, His love, and His life.

Discipleship isn’t just about transferring knowledge — it’s about showing up, walking with, and living life together. That means being there in the blessing and in the brokenness, in celebration and in suffering.

True discipleship is relational. It means being present — not from a distance, not through a text, but shoulder-to-shoulder. Whether that’s coffee on a Tuesday morning, a phone call at midnight, or serving side-by-side in the trenches — it’s in the doing life together that discipleship happens.

 “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)

 You can’t disciple from afar.

— Rev. Carlos Figueroa

So today, ask yourself:

• Who are you truly walking with?
• Are you present in the lives of your brothers and sisters?
• Are you letting others walk with you too?

Let’s stop trying to disciple from a distance — and start living the kind of discipleship Jesus modeled: relational, intentional, and sacrificial.

-Rev Carlos Figueroa