Difference Between A Believer And A Disciple Religion Essay

The chief occupation Jesus left us to make was to do adherents. There is a difference between a truster and a adherent. There is no such thing as an instant adherent ; like the word, it takes subject.

A comedian, negotiations about when he foremost moved from Africa, he was amazed at the assortment of instant merchandises he could purchase in the supermarket. There ‘s powdery milk: merely add H2O and you have milk. There ‘s powdery orange juice: merely add H2O and you have orange juice. Then he saw Baby Powder and thought, “ What a great state! If you want a babe, merely add H2O! ”

Some people think that ‘s how discipleship works. You take a truster, add a small

baptism H2O, and “ fagot ” you have a fully-devoted follower of Jesus-a existent adherent. But it takes more than H2O to do a adherent. Disciples are made, non born.

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You are listening to Word Alive with Dr. Derek Stringer, and my name is ( – )

Thank you so much for fall ining us for today ‘s edition of Word Alive coming to you from our Good News Broadcasting studio here in Ranskill, at the northern terminal of Nottinghamshire.

We are all about acquiring the message of the Bible out where people are. Into places, autos, offices. Once once more, thank you for remaining tuned. I promise you that today ‘s message will truly assist as you seek to populate a utile and effectual Christian life.

Dr Stringer has been taking us through selected transitions in Luke ‘s Gospel. We have focussed on what Jesus has to state about Storm Proofing Our Lifes.

Today ‘s message is from Like 14:25 to 35. The rubric is: Real Disciples.

I ‘ll bit in from clip to clip, but, here ‘s Derek.

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From Luke 14:25, Jesus was acquiring closer and closer to the cross. Peoples who wanted to see a miracle or acquire a free repast from Him were thronging Him. The crowd is about to go much smaller because He started puting Forth the cost of discipleship, and it ‘s non a popular message. It requires entire committedness.

A hog and a biddy sharing the same farm yard heard about a church ‘s programme to feed the hungry. The hog and the biddy discussed how they could assist. The biddy said, “ I ‘ve got it! We ‘ll supply bacon and eggs for the church to feed the hungry. ” The hog thought about the suggestion and said, “ There ‘s merely thing incorrect with your bacon and eggs thought. For you, it merely requires a part, but from me, it will intend entire committedness! ” That ‘s the cost of discipleship.

In this transition of Bible, Jesus provided five graphic images, and used each one to learn a lesson about discipleship.

Let ‘s figure them as we read the text:

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“ Large crowds were going with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “ If anyone comes to me and does non detest his male parent and female parent, his married woman and kids, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his ain life-he can non be my adherent.

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[ That ‘s mark # 1 ]

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And anyone who does non transport his cross and follow me can non be my adherent.

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[ That ‘s mark # 2 ]

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Suppose one of you wants to construct a tower. Will he non foremost sit down and gauge the

cost to see if he has adequate money to finish it? For if he lays the foundation and is non able to complete it, everyone who sees it will roast him, stating, ‘This fellow began to construct and was non able to complete. ‘

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[ That ‘s mark # 3 ]

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Or say a male monarch is about to travel to war against another male monarch. Will he non foremost sit down and see whether he is able with so thousand work forces to oppose the one coming against him with 20 1000? If he is non able, he will direct a deputation while the other is still a long manner off and will inquire for footings of peace. In the same manner, any of you who does non give up everything he has can non be my adherent.

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[ That ‘s mark # 4 ]

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Salt is good, but if it loses its coarseness, how can it be made salty once more? It is fit neither for the dirt nor for the manure heap, it is thrown out.

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[ That ‘s mark # 5 ]

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He who has ears to hear, allow him hear. ”

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Peoples commit to Jesus on several different degrees of familiarity. It ‘s like a set of homocentric circles. On the exterior you have the crowd. The rabble following Jesus knew who He was, but they would shortly be gone. Today, people in our vicinity who express an involvement in Jesus represent the crowd, but they seldom of all time worship with other trusters.

A deeper degree of committedness is the fold. These are people who attend church on a reasonably regular footing. In other words, they “ congregate ” with other people to idolize, but are non an active member of any local church. They call themselves church-shoppers, but they are more like church-hoppers. They are like a butterfly fluttering from one church to another, ne’er truly perpetrating themselves to function Jesus.

A deeper degree of committedness is the church. This circle represents those who have affiliated with a local church and have a deeper degree of familiarity with Christ and His organic structure. But there is a degree deeper than that which we could name the committed.

These are the 1s within the church who are existent disciples-they are extremist Christians-sold out to Jesus. Like in many administrations, in our church about 20 % of the people do 80 % of the work and give 80 % of the fiscal support of the church. That ‘s the committed nucleus.

Which circle represents where you are today? Where would you wish to be? The occupation of a adherent is to go portion of the nucleus committed and so travel out into the crowd to do more adherents.

As we study these five Markss of a existent adherent, allow ‘s first note the graphic image Jesus uses, and so delve into the significance of His words.

THE FIRST IMAGE JESUS USES IS A FAMILY.

Are you surprised Jesus said that to be a adherent you must detest your household? I read about one curate who entitled his message on this text, “ How to detest your married woman. ” You may be inquiring yourself, “ Does n’t He speak elsewhere about loving everyone, including our enemies? ” Sure, retrieve, Jesus frequently used figures of address to give His words a greater impact. He used metaphors, similes, and fables. And here, He merely employed exaggeration. Hyperbole is an knowing hyperbole to underscore a point.

My married woman uses hyperbole all the clip when she says something like, “ I ‘ve told you a million times to set the place down. ” I know it is n’t a million times ( merely half a million ) . So, do n’t acquire disquieted because Jesus used exaggeration. Besides, the Grecian word in this poetry means something wholly different than our English word for “ hatred. ” The word means “ to prefer above. ”

To be a adherent, you must love Jesus more than you love anyone else-even household members. Your love for Jesus should be so powerful that in comparing, it seems as if you hate everyone else. It is besides true that sometimes your love for Jesus will estrange you from others, even your household.

If you truly follow the Lord, you wo n’t hold to look for people to roast you and oppose you, they will happen you-and they may be your household members. In Matthew 10 Jesus said, “ All work forces will detest you because of me, but he who stands house to the terminal will be savedaˆ¦Anyone who loves his male parent or female parent more than me is non worthy of me ; anyone who loves his boy or girl more than me is non worthy of me. ”

Some old ages ago Heather Mercer and Dana Curry were arrested by the Taliban and held captive for 128 yearss in Afghanistan. It was the sort of narrative the media likes because they discovered Heather ‘s female parent was wholly opposed to Heather ‘s determination to work in Afghanistan. The media truly tried to play up the narrative to demo Heather ‘s committedness to Christ had divided her household. They wanted to maintain inquiring her how she could make something her female parent opposed. That ‘s what Jesus meant in poetry

26.

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In her book, Prisoners of Hope, Heather wrote:

“ We answered difficult inquiries posed by our households and friends. Extraordinary are the parents who do n’t resist at the thought of their kid traveling to a third-world, war-ravaged, drought-stricken country-and, in this instance, a state functioning as a hub for international terrorist activity. That we had decided to travel as Christian assistance workers to a state where a harsh, unpredictable government badly curtailed spiritual freedom gave most of our loved 1s pause at best, and otherwise prompted serious dismay. We were asked: ‘Are n’t you being foolish? Why would you endanger your ain safety? ‘ ”

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When God calls you, you have to do some hard determinations, and sometimes your

household will non leap up and down and joy over your picks. That ‘s the first grade of a true adherent.

Following: THE IMAGE JESUS USED IS A CROSS.

A existent adherent is person who carries his cross. There is a anthem we used to sing when I was a kid that said something about “ the cross I bear. ” I thought

they were singing about a cross-eyed bear. I remember believing if I of all time met a bear in the forests, I sure hoped it was a cross-eyed bear, so it could n’t see me good!

Many Christians are merely as confused today about what it means to transport a cross. I ‘ve had person say to me, “ I have migraine concerns, but I guess it ‘s merely the cross I must bear. ” The cross is NOT a concern or an ingrowing toenail.

Today, the image of the cross has lost its horror. The true message of the cross is decease. How many of you are either have oning a cross today, or have a cross on your Bible? How nice. But what if we began to sell small illumination theoretical accounts of an electric chair in the church bookshop, would you have on one? Or what if person made a syringe of toxicant and started offering it as jewelry to have on? Ca n’t you hear person walking up to you stating, “ I love your electric chair, where did you acquire it? ” Or would you state, “ Have you seen my deadly injection syringe? ”

Today, the cross has become benign-a piece of harmless jewelry. In the Jesus ‘ clip, it was a atrocious, agonizing Byzantine manner of executing. It was the noose, the electric chair, the deadly injection of His twenty-four hours. In the clip of Jesus when you saw person transporting across it meant one and merely one thing-they were every bit good as dead.

When a decease row captive in America is walking from his cell to the topographic point to be executed, the other captives say, “ Dead adult male walking. ” He ‘s alive and walking-but he ‘s every bit good as dead. That ‘s a perfect description of what Jesus meant when He spoke of a adherent transporting his cross. We are dead people. We should merely get down moving like a dead individual.

Paul understood what it meant to transport a cross. In Galatians there are three dynamite poetries about what it means to transport your cross:

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“ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer unrecorded, but Christ lives in me… ”

“ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the iniquitous nature with its passions and desires. ”

“ May I ne’er boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the universe has been crucified to me, and I to the universe. ”

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That means there is nil the universe has to offer you that involvements you-it ‘s as if the universe is dead to you and you are dead to the universe. For a adherent transporting a cross, the universe ca n’t offer a thing we want.

One of the authoritative books on discipleship is The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German curate during WWII. Because he opposed Hitler and the Nazis, he was imprisoned where he died before the war ended.

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He wrote: “ When Christ calls a adult male, he bids him come and decease. ”

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In many ways, a dead adult male is set free. You wo n’t be genuinely liberated until you understand what it is to be crucified with Christ.

THE Following Image IS: A TOWER.

Jesus presents the image of a adult male who plans on constructing a tower. Before he begins the building, he must “ number the cost ” to see if he has adequate resources to complete the occupation. Now this is the cost of discipleship, non the cost of redemption. Before you embark on the Christian life, if you stopped to inquire, “ do I have plenty to complete? ” The reply is ever, “ NO. ” It ‘s non our resources that are necessary-God provides all we need. God is the builder who finishes the occupation called redemption.

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In Philippians Paul said, “ Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will transport it on to completion. ”

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Jesus is speaking about the cost of entire committedness.

Actually, it ‘s better to believe in footings of the value alternatively of the cost. A good coating as a adherent is the key. A batch of backslidden Christians may travel to heaven when they die, but they wo n’t be completing good. In verse 29 Jesus spoke about the adult male “ who was non able to complete. ” Jesus says everyone will look at the incomplete undertaking and roast the 1 who did n’t complete it. I ‘m haunted by those words-I do n’t desire to go a religious dropout.

The older I get, the more I realise at that place can ne’er be any “ coasting ” in the Christian life. There is no such thing as religious retirement. The pages of the Bible are littered with great work forces and adult females who did n’t complete good.

Noah and his household were saved from the inundation, but hapless Noah ended as a bibulous adult male who got bare and cursed his boy.

Solomon was the wisest adult male in all of history, but he did n’t complete well-his many married womans turned his bosom from God.

Are you traveling to complete good? I ‘ve been around long plenty to cognize some folks who used to be faithful servants-real disciples-but they have dropped out. Oh, they still attend sometimes, and I suppose they ‘ll travel to heaven when they die, but unless something alterations they are n’t traveling to complete strong.

The good intelligence is none of you are finished yet. It does n’t count what has happened in the yesteryear, you still can complete good. The finish line is still in front. Are you sitting down on the path? Are you traveling to hardly drag yourself across the coating line, or are you traveling to cite God ‘s strength so you can sprint across the coating line?

It does n’t count how good you start if you fail to complete. A existent adherent coatings strong.

IN THE FOURTH PICTURE JESUS DESCRIBES A WAR.

In this image, Jesus describes two male monarchs. One is outnumbered, so he sagely approaches the stronger male monarch and makes peace before the conflict of all time begins. You and I are one of the male monarchs and God is the other. Guess which one we are? Because we can ne’er win against God, we must give up to Him. In Jesus ‘ clip a give uping male monarch could be made into a slave of the opposing male monarch, so it required great humbleness to bow down and inquire for footings of peace. It takes humbleness today to give up to Jesus.

You can non be a disciple unless you are willing to give up control of your life to Jesus. And that ‘s difficult to make. None of us wants to give up.

I one time read about a lifesaver on a beach who saw a drowning adult male. He walked into the breaker but did n’t travel out to deliver him. Peoples gathered on the beach and yelled and screamed at the lifesaver to travel out and deliver the submerging adult male. The lifesaver waded a small deeper, and kept his oculus on the drowning adult male, but the cries and shrieks of the looker-ons did n’t actuate him to swim out. Merely when it seemed the adult male was traveling down for the last clip, the lifesaver swam out with strong shots and grabbed the adult male and brought him back to shore. After some expectoration and coughing, the adult male was witting. But instead than acclaiming him as a hero, the looker-ons were angry at the lifesaver and said, “ You coward! You saw he was submerging, why did n’t you travel out earlier? ” The lifesaver patiently explained, “ You can see that he is much bigger and stronger than I am. ” If I had gone out earlier, he was threshing and kicked so violently that he would hold likely drowned both of us. Equally long as he was seeking to salvage himself, I could n’t salvage him. But when he got tired, and gave up, so I knew I could salvage him. ”

I do n’t cognize how true that narrative is. But I know this is true. That ‘s a great lesson about redemption. Equally long as you think you are strong plenty to salvage yourself, you wo n’t give up to Jesus. It ‘s merely when you give up and gain you are hopelessly

lost, that Jesus can come and deliver you.

Have you of all time come to a topographic point in your life where you have surrendered everything you have and everything you are to Jesus? I think existent discipleship is coming to Jesus and stating, “ Jesus, I give up. I give up control of my life. ”

I think one of the grounds the book of Psalms speaks of raising your custodies in congratulations is because the lifting of custodies has ever been a gesture of resignation. Even today, the constabulary will state, “ Put your custodies up! ” Have you surrendered to Jesus? I did n’t inquire you if you were a Christian. I have found I have to give up to Jesus frequently.

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Possibly we need to acquire on our articulatio genuss and raise our custodies and state,

“ I surrender all, I surrender all.

All to thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all. ”

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FINALLY, JESUS USED THE IMAGE OF SALT.

Salt was really valuable during Jesus ‘ clip. Roman soldiers were paid with salt rations. The Latin phrase is where we acquire our word “ salary. ” Even today we speak of

person who is “ non deserving their salt. ” In the clip of Jesus the greatest value of salt was in its usage as a preservative. Since they did n’t hold any manner to refrigerate meat, salt would be applied to fresh meat to forestall the meat from decomposing. The salt created a chemical reaction that slowed down the procedure of decay. It retarded corruptness, so as a effect, it preserved the goodness of the meat. That ‘s why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “ You are the salt of the Earth. But if the salt loses its coarseness, how can it be made salty once more? ”

We live in a state enduring from moral decay at an dismaying rate. Our society is acquiring more icky by the twenty-four hours. Like salt, we must come in contact with our perverting civilization to decelerate down the procedure of decay. As salt, our occupation is to continue the goodness that still exists in our civilization.

We must be the 1s who speak up. If we do n’t talk out against moral immorality, we ‘ve lost our coarseness. Now that sort of activity is non traveling to do us popular with our civilization. Have you of all time noticed how salt stings when it gets in a lesion? Salt irritates, but in add-on to being a preservative, it is besides an antiseptic-and our society needs a good cleansing! We must be salt in our corrupting universe. If we do n’t talk up against evil, our state will go even more perverse than it is now.

But the job Jesus identified is that some people have lost their coarseness. Pure salt ne’er loses its coarseness. A salt crystal is as salty today as it was 10,000 old ages ago. Let me state it once more pure salt ne’er loses its coarseness. That ‘s why we must remain pure.

The salt used in the clip of Jesus was n’t mined ; it came from the Dead Sea. When the H2O evaporated, it left salt. But the salt was sometimes so assorted with other minerals that although it looked like salt, and poured like salt, it was n’t salty. When it was placed on nutrient, it was tasteless. When it was applied to fresh meat, the meat rotted.

Jesus warned against the religious status that exists when our lives are non morally pure. When we allow impure ideas and impure behavior to go assorted in our personality, we lose our coarseness, excessively. Jesus posed the inquiry, “ If salt loses its coarseness, how can it be made salty once more? ” In His twenty-four hours, there was no chemical procedure to do “ unsalty ” salt salty once more. The lone thing to make with it was to set it on

the route and utilize it for crushed rock.

Sadly, many trusters live such impure lives that they have lost their sense of coarseness in a rotting universe.

Today, there is a simple chemical procedure that can reconstruct “ unsalty ” salt to pure salt, but that procedure was unknown during Jesus ‘ day-so what was impossible for adult male is possible for God. If you have lost your coarseness, God can do you pure once more! His blood can do you pure, His Word keeps you pure.

We should be unsafe adherents in this universe, but excessively many trusters are harmless to the Satan ‘s work. Too many Christians are like the Canis familiaris. One twenty-four hours, a adult male walked into an old small town shop and saw a mark merely inside that read: “ Danger! BEWARE OF DOG! ” The adult male looked around carefully, but all he saw was an old hound curled up on the floor, sound asleep. He said to the proprietor, “ That Canis familiaris does n’t look unsafe to me. ” The proprietor said, “ Well, folks kept stumbling over him, so that ‘s why I put up the mark. ”

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Are you a existent adherent?

Do you desire to travel from being in the fold into the church?

Make you necessitate to travel from the church into the nucleus of committed adherents?

Make you love Jesus more than anyone else, even your household?

Are you a dead adult male walking, transporting your cross?

Are you committed to completing strong for Jesus?

Are you invariably give uping everything you have to Him?

Are you willing to remain pure so you can be salt in a decomposition universe?

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Let us assist you. Reach us today and go forth a message on our FREE PHONE. State us you want to populate out the Markss of a adherent of Christ. We promise to pray for you. Promote us with your call.

You can reach us in other ways excessively. Our web site will give you all the inside informations. We make transcripts of these message available every bit good as cassettes and Cadmium ‘s.

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Jesus is looking for a few good work forces and adult females: the low, the pure, the dead, the committed. Will you decide today to travel from being a mere truster and do being a to the full devoted follower of Jesus, your end?

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This is Word Alive produced by Good News Broadcasting.

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And we will be back in the following programme with another message from the learning ministry of Jesus to assist us Ramp Proof Our Lifes.

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We hope that you will be after to fall in us so. Meanwhile, do delight acquire in touch, it will be a existent encouragement. FREE PHONE 08,000 92 78 92.

I ‘m ( – ) with Derek Stringer. Good-bye for now.