Mark 1:17, “Follow me” Jesus told them, I will
make you become fishers of men”.
In my last blog the edicts of
Jesus, the Great Commission, the Great Commandment, and the Great Compassion
was explained. In case you have missed to read the same you may click HERE. Let
me unfold what it means to be a disciple of Christ. When Jesus started His
ministry preaching repentance and the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17), He starts
connecting with people. The book of Mark records when He met Simon and Andrew.
He asked them to follow Him. It says in Mark 1:17, “Follow me” Jesus
told them, I will make you become fishers of men”. The commission
comes with a responsibility.
The word "disciples" was
used to describe believers over 250 times in the Gospels and
in Acts. The word Christian is only used 3 times. If these two
terminologies - Christian and disciple, exists in the Bible, then probably we
need to seriously find out what exactly each means. The word Christian first
time appears in Acts 11:26 where it records “the disciples where
first called Christians at Antioch”. It was not the other way
round. You don’t become a Christian because you are born in a Christian family
nor because you go to Church. Maybe Church attendance makes you a Christian, or
baptism, or confirmation, or having someone lay hands on your head and speaking
in tongues. However, the Bible does not define that term or establish it
as the goal to become a Christian. Everyone seems to be fighting for their type
of Christian to be recognized as the true Christian, even if it totally irrelevant!
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines
Christian this way, “Christian’s are one’s who professes belief the teaching of
Jesus Christ.”. After their training the apostles were commanded by Jesus to
make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19b). Though Christian
is first found in Acts 11:26, the word disciple is found much
earlier and more frequently in Acts. So, we can safely assume that the word
"Christian" was built on the foundation of the word
"disciple." Not vice versa. Without a discipleship, those believers
would likely never have been called Christians. Today, all true disciples are
Christians. But not all Christians are true disciples. Jesus has given the
Church a Great Commission. He has clearly told us what we are to do: "Go
and make disciples" But, instead we focus on making
Christians. The word Christian has no biblical meaning apart from the word
disciple. If today's Christianity is based on a foundation other than true
biblical discipleship, it is not biblical Christianity.
One Feisty Scottish Pastors
says; “The savior is not looking for men and women who will give their
spare evenings to Him-or their weekends or their years of retirement. Rather He
seeks those who will give Him first place in their lives. –Too often we look on
Christianity as an escape of hell and guarantee of heaven. Beyond that we feel
that we have every right to enjoy the best that this life has to offer. We know
that there are those strong verses on discipleship in the Bible but we have
difficulty reconciling them with our ideas of what Christianity should be.”.
Ensure disciples are increasing as
recorded in Acts 6:1 “Now in those days when the disciples were
increasing in number…”. When disciples increase in number there is
revival, growth and impact. But if the members who think they are Christians
increase in number probably your offerings may increase but the mission would
still be stagnated.
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Superb
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