Are You a Believer… or a Disciple? | The Radical Change
What is the difference between simply believing in Jesus Christ and actually living as His disciple?
In The Radical Change of a Disciple, we examine one of the most important distinctions in the Christian life: salvation is received in a moment by grace through faith, but discipleship is a daily choice to follow the One who saved us. The message begins with a challenging question: if someone followed you around for seven days and you were never allowed to tell them you were a Christian, how long would it take them to notice something different about your life?
Beginning with Nicodemus in John 3, we establish that eternal life is never earned through works, behavior, commitment, or religious performance. Salvation depends entirely upon what Jesus Christ accomplished for us. But once we have believed, another question emerges: After salvation, what?
From there, we look at the radical transformation that takes place as the believer learns to follow Christ. Jesus did not merely call people to admire Him, talk about Him, or know facts about Him. He said, “Follow Me.” Discipleship involves renewing our minds with Bible doctrine, replacing human viewpoint with divine viewpoint, denying the dictatorship of self, and choosing every day to take up our cross and follow Him.
We then walk through the Beatitudes and discover that true discipleship is not primarily about outward appearances. Jesus begins with what is happening inside the soul: humility, spiritual hunger, mercy, purity of heart, and a willingness to allow God’s Word to expose and transform what is really happening within us.
Ultimately, discipleship is not about becoming better at looking like a Christian. It is about allowing Bible doctrine, under the power of God the Holy Spirit, to change who we are when nobody else is watching. God is not impressed by the image we present to people. He looks at the heart.
Salvation is a gift. Discipleship has a cost. Salvation happens once. Discipleship happens daily.
So the question is NOT simply:
Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
The question for the believer becomes:
Are you following Him?
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries | Grace Bible Church | GBIBLE.ORG