The heart of discipleship is union with Jesus himself. Scripture repeatedly emphasizes this reality through the metaphor of the vine and the branches. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” This teaches that spiritual life, fruitfulness, and the presence of the Holy Spirit flow only through a personal connection with Christ. Belonging to a church, to an institution, or to a human structure is secondary. The lifeline of the disciple is the personal union with Jesus, maintained through belief in him as the One sent by God, through obedience to his teachings, and through attentive dependence on the Spirit.
Discipleship is inherently individual. The Bible shows us that Christ knows each disciple personally and can work through them in ways that may not involve human approval or institutional recognition. Ananias was personally called to lay hands on Saul of Tarsus, an encounter that changed the course of history, while the Ethiopian eunuch was led by Philip into immediate joy and obedience despite having no church to attend. Paul, in Arabia and later in prison, was sustained directly by Christ and the Spirit, bearing fruit through letters that shaped the church. John, exiled on Patmos, received visions and instructions for the churches even while physically isolated. Elijah in the wilderness was nourished and guided directly by God. In each of these cases, faithful discipleship occurred because these individuals were personally known to God and joined to Christ, not because they were supported by human structures.
Establishment, when it exists, can serve as a support for discipleship, providing teaching, community, accountability, and encouragement. Yet it can never replace the essential union with Jesus. Churches can tolerate compromise, ritual can mask spiritual disconnection, and structures can foster a sense of security that may obscure dependence on Christ. Even in a flourishing church, a branch that is not joined to the vine remains spiritually dead. Conversely, when establishment is stripped away, when believers are rejected, scattered, or alone, the underlying reality is revealed: union with Jesus is sufficient. It is this connection that allows the Spirit to flow, producing life and fruit even outside the camp, in opposition, or in isolation. The vine sustains the branch directly, and personal discipleship persists even when human structures fail or are absent.
Without this union, there is no sap, no Spirit, no fruit, and the Father removes what is disconnected. The branch must be joined; spiritual vitality cannot be substituted by membership, ritual, or institutional approval. True discipleship is relational and active: it flows from obedience, belief, and trust in Jesus, and it produces fruit even in solitude or opposition. Being known to Christ, being available for his guidance, and holding to his teachings are what sustain life and fruitfulness. The lifeline of discipleship is personal connection to the Son of Man, the branch drawing sustenance directly from the vine, the Spirit flowing through the believer to enable obedience, joy, and fruit.
Even when churches or structures exist, this union must continue. Establishment can enhance discipleship, but it can never replace it. Being part of a thriving congregation does not automatically ensure union with the vine. Discipleship is tested most clearly when everything else is removed. Being outside the camp, whether by exile, rejection, persecution, or personal solitude, does not diminish the reality of discipleship if the branch remains joined to Jesus. That union brings the Holy Spirit, life, and fruitfulness. Fellowship with Christ himself, sustained through belief and obedience, is the enduring, sufficient reality of the Christian life, and it is the ultimate source of strength, guidance, and fruit even when all human support is gone.
