What do you behold? Whatever it is, you will be shaped into that image.

Discipleship is the primary task Jesus gave the church in this age, so every believer must answer two questions:

• Am I making disciples?
• Am I discipling people and being discipled according to the biblical paradigm?

Discipleship is often reduced to acquiring new information, embracing certain disciplines, or adopting certain behaviors, but this is not the heart of discipleship. You can know information, live a disciplined life, and behave properly yet not be discipled. At its foundation, discipleship is a process that produces transformation as a people corporately behold the beauty of God in the person of Jesus. If discipleship begins in any other place, it may accomplish some valuable things, but it has lost sight of its biblical framework.

We have taught people how to behave, but have we taught them how to behold?

If people embrace certain rhythms and engage in certain disciplines but are not fascinated by the beauty of God, then they are not discipled. Accordingly, we must lead people to behold God and be transformed into His image. God is not looking for a people who behave like Him. He is looking for a people who become like Him.

In Discipleship Begins with Beholding discover:

• Why biblical discipleship is centered on corporately beholding the beauty of God in the person of Jesus.
• Why beholding has always been central to God's purposes for His people.
• How corporate beholding is foundational to the way God relates to His people beginning in the Garden of Eden and continuing through the Exodus, the Tabernacle of David, and the New Testament church.
• How God plans to accomplish His purposes through a people who behold Him and become like Him.
• How to behold the beauty of God on your own and together with others.
• Why simple disciplines like singing are far more powerful than we realize.

The great need of our time is a people who are beholding the beauty of God by the Spirit and are satisfied in Him.

Whitefield, Samuel