Are you a believer or a disciple?

Gary Gibbs revisits the hard-hitting words of a book that challenges every Christian to consider the reality of their walk of faith

“Every disciple is a believer, but not every believer is necessarily a disciple. Jesus calls us to more than belief. He calls us to follow and be his disciple.”

It’s been just over ten years since Greg Laurie wrote these hard-hitting words in his book ‘Start! To Follow: How to be a Successful Follower of Jesus’. He went on to identify nine differences between a believer and a disciple:

• The believer looks to the cross. The disciple takes up his cross
• The believer obeys God when it’s convenient. A disciple obeys regardless of the outcome
• A believer decides once. A disciple decides daily
• Believers focus on eternal life (getting to heaven). Disciples focus on eternal rewards (bringing heaven)
• A believer prays when things get tough. A disciple prays regardless of the circumstances
• A believer sees the church as a service to attend. A disciple sees himself as the church
• A believer lives a saved life. A disciple lives a called life
• A believer makes heaven. A disciple makes history
• A believer receives Jesus Christ. A disciple represents Jesus Christ

Wow! Challenging or what!

Of course, we are called to faith in Christ (believer) and, as a consequence, to follow Christ (disciple). Sadly, many have stopped having been justified by faith (Romans 5:1,2) and have not embraced the reality that faith without works is dead! (James 2:17).

While the word ‘Christian’ is only used three times in the New Testament, the word ‘disciple(s)’ occurs more than 290 times. Each one of us is called primarily to be a follower of Jesus, his disciple, but it seems clear to me that what Jesus modelled with the Twelve in his humanity is meant to be worked out today in our relationships with one another.

I wonder whether you have a context where you are being held accountable for becoming more Christlike in your lifestyle and spirituality? Do you have a safe and secure friendship with someone, or a few, who can challenge, adjust, and encourage you to pursue Jesus in tangible ways?

Gathering together on Sunday mornings, as most of us do, is such an important element of our faith journey. It’s an occasion for corporate worship and being taught great biblical truths. But it is not primarily where discipleship takes place. There has to be a more intimate space where we ‘eyeball’ each other and develop transparent, trusting friendships if we are going to move beyond believing to following.

There’s a lot more to say. At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, in 2021, I wrote ‘The Discipleship Lifestyle: How Disciples Develop Disciples’.

The book dives deep into the journey of following Jesus and ensuring we do not live a sub-normal Christian life. It’s available on Amazon as a hard copy or Kindle.

 

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