Into His Likeness Leader Guide

In the ancient disciple-rabbi relationship, the disciple would follow the rabbi so closely that he would be covered in the dust kicked up from his rabbi’s feet. Thousands of years later, though we walk on roads of pavement and not dust, we are still called to be disciples—to follow our Rabbi, Jesus Christ, so closely that we are covered with his life, changed, and made new.

But this transformation in Christ doesn’t happen overnight. In his newest book, Edward Sri reminds us of two basic truths: First, (A) The truth of our human condition: we are full of many weaknesses, wounds, and sins. And second, (B) The truth of our high calling—we are called to be perfected in God’s love and transformed in Christ. Living as a disciple is all about the process of getting from A to B.

Edward Sri intertwines engaging prose and relatable stories with biblical wisdom and the lives of the saints, demonstrating that transformation in Christ is possible in all ages. We are reminded that the saints were not always perfect, but works in progress—just think of Matthew the tax collector, Paul the persecutor of Christians, and Peter the denier of Christ. Edward Sri reminds us that the earliest disciples are models not of perfection but of a process. And it’s that process that Jesus wants to reproduce in our lives today.

Do you sense that movement in you—that desire to go deeper in your relationship with Christ? Do you have a longing to follow Jesus more closely, to be transformed by him? Do you notice a stirring inside, a longing to love God with all your heart, but feel unsure what steps to take next?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, know that God is the one who has put those yearnings in your soul. He has already given you the heart of a disciple. This book simply aims to help you follow those initial promptings of the Holy Spirit so that you may more intentionally encounter Jesus anew each day and be more disposed to the power of his grace molding you, transforming you ever more into his likeness.