Witness as imitation

“Discipleship is the beginning, center, and end of evangelism.” This statement by Pastor Phil Kniss framed his first sermon in a series on Holistic Witness. Our discipling of others may take different forms for different needs, but the goal is to draw ourselves and others into deeper discipleship. In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus highlighted first the call to make disciples. This was the imperative from Jesus, with the baptizing, teaching, and obeying to follow. To be able to disciple someone, we must first get to know them and listen carefully to what they need. Pastor Phil suggested that discipleship is never a solo action, we are discipled in a community of grace and forgiveness, a community of practice.