Disciple Is a Noun
Kingdom Corner Reading Room – February 27, 2026
📖 Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
Episode Summary
Welcome back to the Kingdom Corner Reading Room — where we slow down, open a good book, and let truth shape us one page at a time.
In this powerful session, we explore a foundational idea: “Disciple” is a noun, not a verb.
Drawing from Comer’s teaching on the Hebrew word talmid, we examine what it truly means to follow Jesus—not merely as a believer, not merely as someone who identifies as Christian—but as an apprentice whose entire life is architected around:
- Being with Jesus
- Becoming like Him
- Doing as He did
This episode challenges the modern separation between conversion and discipleship and invites us to reconsider the gospel itself—not as a minimum entrance requirement to heaven, but as an invitation into a transformed life in the Kingdom of God here and now.
Key Themes from This Episode
1. Disciple Is Identity, Not Activity
- The New Testament uses “disciple” (apprentice) 269 times.
- The word “Christian” appears only three times.
- You cannot “disciple” someone any more than you can “Christian” someone.
- Apprenticeship is something you are, not something done to you.
Language matters.
If discipleship is a verb, responsibility falls on others.
If it is a noun, responsibility rests with you.
2. Christian vs. Apprentice
- 63% of Americans identify as Christian.
- Surveys suggest only about 4% actively follow Jesus in a life of apprenticeship.
- The New Testament presents only two groups:
- The apprentices
- The crowds
There is no third category.
The question echoes across two millennia:
Are you in the crowd… or are you an apprentice?
3. The Gospel: Transaction or Transformation?
Many have heard the gospel presented as:
- You are a sinner.
- Jesus died for your sins.
- Believe and go to heaven when you die.
While biblically rooted, this framework often omits something critical:
Apprenticeship to Jesus.
Jesus’ gospel was:
“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.”
Salvation, in this fuller sense, is:
- Not just getting into heaven
- But getting heaven into you
- Not merely forgiveness
- But formation
- Not just grace that pardons
- But grace that transforms
4. Grace and Effort
A crucial distinction:
Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning.
Jesus consistently called people to practice His words.
The Sermon on the Mount ends not with:
“Don’t worry, I’ll do it all for you.”
But with:
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…”
Apprenticeship requires participation.
5. The Acid Test
A searching question closes this section:
Would someone hearing your version of the gospel naturally conclude that apprenticeship to Jesus is the only fitting response?
If not, something essential may be missing.
Quotes Worth Sitting With
- “Salvation is less about getting you into heaven and more about getting heaven into you.”
- “It’s less of a transaction and more of a transformation.”
- “Consumers of Jesus’ merit rather than disciples of the way.”
- “The greatest issue facing the world today… is whether those identified as Christians will become disciples.”
Reflection Questions
- Do I see myself primarily as a Christian—or as an apprentice of Jesus?
- Is my daily life architected around being with Jesus?
- Does my understanding of the gospel call me into transformation—or simply assurance?
- Am I in the crowd… or walking closely behind the Rabbi?
Coming Next
📚 Next Thursday in the Reading Room:
A Way of Life
🎙️ This Tuesday:
A brand-new Kingdom People in the Pages of History series begins:
“Courage Under Fire: Stories of Faith, Duty, and the Cost of Standing.”
From The Nightingale’s Song to Jim Thorpe, and now into a fresh arc—because history isn’t shaped by comfort.
It’s shaped by those who stand when it would be easier to sit down.
Connect Further
For a deeper devotional journey through Scripture:
📘 Searching for Significance: A Devotional Journey Through Ecclesiastes
by Matt Geib
Visit: SignificanceAcademy.com
Thank you for stepping into the Reading Room.
Sit with what you’ve heard.
Let the Spirit do His quiet work—
both to will and to do His good pleasure.
Amen and amen.
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