Sold-out Disciples of Jesus: Skillet’s John Cooper

Dear Discipleship-first Friends,

In a world filled with noise and distractions, some voices cut through the chaos. One such voice is that of John Cooper, founder and lead singer of the band Skillet and the host of the Cooper Stuff podcast. Recently, Bobby Harrington asked John to record a video for Discipleship.org, sharing his thoughts on raising up a generation of disciples of Jesus.  We hope you are encouraged and challenged by this summary of that video.

Embracing the Great Commission

John encouraged his listeners to embrace the Great Commission in its entirety. He emphasized the importance of not just preaching the gospel but also of teaching and making disciples. In his words, “I think a lot of people in church have heard that we are to go into the world and preach the gospel until the end, but there’s another part: ‘Teach them everything that Jesus taught.’ In other words, we are making disciples. We are teaching people how to live in accordance with the concept that Jesus Christ is Lord over every part of our lives.”

For John, this was a lived experience that transformed his life during college. He shared the story of a local pastor who took him under his wing and challenged him to truly live as a disciple of Jesus. The pastor told John, “You believe you’re sold out. I know you want to be sold out. I know that you say you’re sold out. But here’s the thing, John, you don’t know what it means to live for Jesus. You’re not living like Christ is the Lord of your life in every area.” Through weekly meetings and deep conversations, John’s understanding of faith was reshaped, leading him to a profound appreciation for the power of discipleship.

Challenges in Today’s Culture

John spoke candidly as he highlighted the challenges faced by many young people and long-time believers in navigating a culture that often contradicts the Christian worldview and about the phenomenon of individuals straying from the core tenets of the faith, sometimes under the guise of progressiveness. He recounted it this way, “People I’ve gone to church with for 10 to 20 years, people who have been in the faith for 20 or 30 years, all of a sudden deconstructing their faith, basically leaving the historical tenets of the Christian faith in such a drastic way that when I talk to them, I have to say, you’re out of the faith. However, they actually believe that they are following the true Christian faith. They have flipped the historical church on its head. They are now calling good evil and evil good. So, they are supporting things that are well outside of our heritage in Christianity.”

Speaking Truth with Love

One of the most poignant moments in John’s address was when he emphasized the importance of speaking truth with love. He recounted a a time when he was having a conversation with a friend who was a secular musician—and he challenged his friend to align his lifestyle with the teachings of the Bible. Rather than rejecting the message, the friend responded with, “Bro, nobody, nobody tells me the raw truth, except for you.”  John hadn’t expected that response, but it underscored the impact when we are honest and authentic when we share loving guidance with others.

A Call to Action

John concluded with these words about the next generation, “It is the truth that sets you free. And if we don’t speak the truth, these young folks, these young believers–we are doing a disservice to them. So, I want to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. Make disciples. Yes, grace, but also, truth—and do it with all of your might.” John’s message was clear: the next generation must rise up and embrace a life where Jesus is truly the Lord of every area of their life.

In other words, we are making disciples. We are teaching people how to live in accordance with the concept that Jesus Christ is Lord over every part of our lives. We will show the full video at the National Disciple Making Forum, May 1st-2nd.

For King Jesus,

The Discipleship.org Team