Kingdom Culture - Disciple > Believer
Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. We believe there is something to be said about the unique difference between being a ‘Believer’ and being a ‘Disciple’. Think about it, what immediately comes to mind when you think of a ‘Christian’?
If you stop people at Walmart or Publix and ask them, “Are you a Christian?” Some people would say, “Yes.” Others would say, “What do you mean?” Some would tell you, “Yes, but …” or “No, but …” or “Yes, but I’m not like …” And some would flat out say, “No, I’m definitely not a Christian.”
Today, we more often describe ourselves and others as Christians rather than disciples. By changing the word that we use to describe ourselves, we have lost the clarity the word “disciple” conveyed about what a follower of Jesus actually is. Our use of “Christian” today obscures the fact that a lot of people who call themselves Christians are not actually disciples.
Here are four examples to consider when wrestling with this distinction:
A believer believes Jesus is their Savior but lives to please themselves while a disciple believes in Jesus as their Lord and says I am here to please God.
A believer exalts their opinions, their feelings, and their thoughts above the Word of God but a disciple exalts the word of God above their opinions, their feelings, and their thoughts.
A believer thinks the church is a place where they go to hear God's Word and hear a good message, a disciple thinks of the church as a place where they learn to do what God's Word says.
A believer often serves God based on convenience, but a disciple serves God based on deep conviction.
Do you see this difference we’re trying to draw out here? We want to see this church progressing individually and collectively in the faith, becoming more spiritually mature as a true disciple of Jesus. As I said, this message isn’t meant to shame anyone, it’s meant to challenge us.
Pastor Robbie spoke out of several different passages, specifically in the Gospels, where we see so much of Jesus’ ministry and the call to true obedience that we see. There are three main points that we drew out of these passages to really make this distinction clear.
A true disciple lives with radical abandonment for His glory. (Matt. 4:22; Luke 14:33)
A true disciple lives with joyful dependence on His Grace. (John 15:16a; Eph. 1:3-6)
A true disciple lives with faithful Adherence to Jesus and an urgent Obedience to His Mission. (Matt. 4:19, 28:19-20)
We believe that it's impossible to believe this gospel and to know this Christ and be silent. A privatized faith and a resurrected Christ is practically impossible. And yes, the cost of discipleship is great. To live with radical abandonment for His glory, faithful adherence to His person, urgent obedience… is costly. This requires sacrifice and uncomfortable change. But I submit to you this morning that the cost of non-discipleship is far, far, far greater.
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Kingdom Culture - Disciple > Believer: The differences between a Disciple of Jesus and a Believer in Jesus are vastly different - we believe we are called to more than mere belief but to dive into devotion and obedience!
The Source: The Disciple sees Jesus as the source not only for their salvation but for their way of life.
The Path: The Disciple engages with their faith as a journey to become more and more like Jesus.
The Result: By seeking to view Jesus as more than just the source of our salvation and the example by which we are to live, we come into what biblical salvation looks like - increasing in sanctification.
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We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!