Sun, Sep 20th - 6:58AM

“Disciple” or Just an Ordinary Christian

If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish [it], all that behold [it] begin to mock him,  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:26-33

        The term disciple in its noun form is rarely used today amongst Christians, at least to my hearing.  I don’t think I have heard someone referred to as a disciple, or in evangelistic outreach that a person needs to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.  The words “Christian” or “believer” are the common terms used to describe persons in the contemporary churches, even though “disciple” is the definitive word used by Jesus in the Gospels to describe one of His followers, or would-be followers.  A word search in the Bible (AV) yields a differing proportion of the use of these terms.  The word believer is used twice in the singular form, in Acts and First Timothy, and not in the plural.  Christian is found twice in the singular, in Acts and I Peter respectively, and once in the plural in Acts.  Now the word disciple can be found about 29 times in the singular, and about 232 times in the plural, once in Isaiah and the remaining times in the Gospels and Acts.

          I believe that there are at least two distinct reasons for the reversed imbalance in the use of these terms amongst contemporary American Christians.  First, there is a simple, linguistic ease that accompanies the word Christian.  It seems to cover the full range of persons associated with what has culturally and religiously been labeled as Christianity, or all of the religious groups who profess some relationship to the historic Jesus.  But the deeper and more essential reason is that becoming a disciple, in the strict, disciplined devotedness that this term implies is no longer thought to be absolutely necessary as accompanying conversion and salvation.  The Gospel has undergone a shift in definition in the past half to three quarters of a century.  Whereas the command to repent before a holy God and have faith in the atoning work of Christ was the historic message delivered to the world, today a very simplistic formula is given for would-be converts:  “simply believe.”  Those who state or imply that a full, radical change of lifestyle is needed upon conversion are accused of proclaiming a “works gospel,” or one requiring some kind of good deeds in order to be saved.  These newer gospel proclaimers have so intimidated those who would present the whole message that Christ and His apostles proclaimed, that they have effectively silenced them, and supplanted the Biblical Gospel with their newer, abbreviated version.  Even a cursory look at literature commonly used in evangelism today by well-respected denominational and para-church groups would confirm this assertion.

“Just ‘believe’ in what Jesus did for you on the cross, and go on your happy way to heaven.  Never mind the ongoing problem of sin in your life, and Biblical commands for holiness, because you are always going to sin no matter how hard you try to overcome it.  Perfectionism is a false idea promoted by legalistic, works-oriented believers.”  This statement is the sum total of counsel given to those who would come to Christ as new born babes in today’s Evangelical culture.  Certainly a form of discipleship is taught, but, again in a very simplistic and hollow, non-essential form.  “Read your Bible and pray every day, and find a Bible-oriented church to be a part of.”  I suppose that with this advice, shallow and lacking teeth to its imperatives as it is, a new believer could conceivably set out on a course for heaven.  The trouble with such spineless gospel preaching is that the hard sayings of Christ must somehow be dealt with in such a manner as to either negate them altogether, or spiritualize them in the mind of the new convert.  By this I mean that this new believer sees such commands to forsake all to follow Jesus, and to take up the cross of self-denial as merely metaphorical imperative rather than a real and practical one.  For a preacher, professional or otherwise to incorporate these New Testament sayings of Christ in his presentation to his audience would be tantamount to high heresy and place him in danger of excommunication by the bishops of today’s Evangelical Rome.  Hopefully, my facetiousness here conveys a serious, and actual fact in the church world today.  Though every theological system devised by man seems to have its good as well as bad points, it appears to be that the “Dispensationalists” must take the most blame for this present undermining of the historic Gospel and supplanting it with an easy, “no-cost” one, often devoid of persevering commitment rooted in genuine repentance.  Sadly, these folks have been looked up to as being very conservative in religious, social and political outlook and practice, and yet their pet doctrines have, likely done more harm to the body of Christ than many other teachings coming on the modern scene.

          While strict dispensationlism, in its common variety certainly does not justify spiritual laziness and loose living, the implications of dividing the Gospel into two distinct messages for two distinct groups, Jews and Gentiles are really quite devastating to the essential message.  All the commands of Jesus and His early disciples can be easily dismissed for our modern world, because “they were given to the Jews, who were under the Law.”  We, on the other hand, it is asserted are under grace, and, therefore need only to believe on what Jesus did on the cross in order to be saved.  All of the various commands given in the New Testament to crucify the flesh, live a consistently holy and blameless life are, by implication only options to strive for if one has the inclination for the “deeper life” with God.  But to lay them on one’s fellow church member is certainly a “no-no.”  In the first place, they are virtually impossible to comply with, and in the second place implying their necessity would not be a sign of openness to “seekers,” surely driving multitudes of them away to the more “seeker-friendly” churches.        Alas, it can be seen why this non-discipleship gospel has become so necessary in our modern, self-oriented culture.  Thus, the practical requirement for being a disciple of Christ and all that is implied in it in terms of separation from the world and to God have been effectively eliminated from not only the message of today’s churches, but the very lives of their people.

          Now, I wouldn’t want to place all of the blame for the present sad state of affairs in the body of Christ solely upon these dear saints who advocate and promote their dispensational doctrine.  All quarters have had their compromises in order please men and gain members and followers.  It is ironic, however that the most conservative element in the church today, many of who consider themselves to be “fundamentalist” in the faith, adhering to the supposed basic tenants of Biblical Christianity may be, unwittingly undermining those very tenants.  While many of them have become busy criticizing and correcting the glaring faults of other segments of Christianity, i.e. the “new revelations” from the Charismatics, or the amillenialism and lack of rapture in the Reformed positions, that they have failed to remove the doctrinal beam out of their own eye.  Truly, the systems and concepts devised by men are all bruised, shaking and broken reeds upon which we often try to stand.  Truly, the teaching of the whole counsel of Scripture is clear that there is but one doctrine, as Paul states it, “...the doctrine which is according to godliness...” 1Tim. 6:3.   While justification before a holy God is without merit or works on the part of the one being justified, discipleship, practical holiness, bearing the cross, or whatever other language is used to describe God’s requirement for us to live a life of repentance, true faith and full obedience to all of His moral commands is not optional for the professing Christian.  What kind of tribulation, failure or persecution will it take to get this truth into our adolescent Evangelical heads in this wicked time in which we now live?

          I suppose I could harp on all of the compromises of the present program-oriented churches, as I often do.  My point is simply this:  let’s go back and see what Jesus and His apostles taught about the Christian life.  Sure, there were false believers, wolves in sheep’s clothing back then.  There were carnally oriented Christians, and perhaps even entire assemblies of them.  But the call has always, from the beginning been the same.  ”Come, deny yourself, take up the cross, die to your flesh, and follow me!”  I know it’s a hard message to preach in this modern, selfish world.  But if we are obedient to our Master, we’ll proclaim it faithfully till He comes.  Mary Poppins sang, “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down...”

In our case, the sugar only diminishes the potency of the medicine.  Let’s give it full strength to a dying world, and let God be responsible for the results.

The disciple is not above [his] master, nor the servant above his lord.  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more [shall they call] them of his household?  Matt. 10:24,25

Come, Follow Me

Take up your cross and Follow Me

A home in heaven waits.

Forsake this world and you will see

The glory of its gates.

The sting of death is what I bore

For you upon the tree.

To give you life and so much more

As it was meant to be.

"Disciple," I am calling you

Reproach for me to bear.

As I your teacher always knew

My righteousness you'd wear.

Do not expect the world to give

Approval or its love.

My Spirit in your heart shall live;

Your mind on things above.

Come unto Me, I'll give you rest;

The journey is not long.

Eternally you will be blessed

And sing redemption's song.

Did not the preacher tell you this,

That dying is your lot?

In clinging to this life you'll miss

Salvation that you sought.

This cross for you I've made today;

It's not too much to carry.

I'll help you bear it on the way,

So come, and do not tarry!

WMC