A second question in our “basic question” series of sermons is “What is discipleship?”  All churches preach the importance of discipleship… following Jesus in daily life.  Our church and other Anabaptist churches especially emphasize it.  But we who value discipleship can also (like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day) follow Jesus in a 2^nd rate or elementary kind of way.  Do we reduce following Jesus down to keeping a certain set of rules?  John 15 describes our relationship to Jesus as branch to vine.  Discipleship does not focus on an outward adherence to a standard code, but on an inner reality.  That being Jesus’ own life flowing through ours.  What is discipleship?  Jesus living His life through us.