Becoming a Christian vs. Becoming a Disciple

Christian

• Based on faith• Brings you life

Disciple

• Based on faith + works• Brings you change

Bottom-line

Christian

Life comes when we believe

Disciple

Change comes when we follow

Receiving eternal life…

…is amazingly simpleJohn 6:47

John 6:47

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

Becoming a disciple…

…demands a lot!Luke 14:25-27

Luke 14:25-27

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he

cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Receiving eternal life…

…demands believing in Jesus Christ alone for the gift of eternal life

1 Timothy 1:15-16Also, John 3:14-16, 18; 6;47

1 Tim. 1:15-16

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,

of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might

show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

Becoming a disciple…

…demands commitmentMt. 10:37-39

Matt. 10:37-39

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter

more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who

loses his life for My sake will find it.”

A “believer” is, well…

…someone who believes!John 11:25-27

John 11:25-27

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in

Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

A disciple is…

…a “learner”, a “student”, a follower of Jesus Christ.

Matt. 28:19-20

Matt. 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to

observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the

age.” Amen.

Receiving eternal life…

…gives what is needed to grow in the Christian life.

2 Peter 1:2-3Also, Rom. 6:1-14

2 Peter 1:2-3

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His

divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and

virtue,

Discipleship…

…brings practical change and growth.

Romans 12:1-2

(1 Cor. 3:1-3 examples of those who did not grow)

Because life comes when we believe,

But, change comes when we follow!

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living

sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Eternal life

…can never be lost.John 6:32-40

John 6:35-37

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I

will by no means cast out.

Discipleship…

…can be left.2 Tim. 4:9-11a

(Col. 4;14; Philemon 24)

2 Tim. 4:9-11a

Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens

for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me.

Receiving eternal life…

…is by faith alone and is completely apart from baptism

1 Cor. 1:14-17

1 Cor. 1:14-17

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I

had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not

know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach

the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Discipleship…

…demands baptism… and more.Matt. 28:19-20

Matt. 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Eternal life…

…is the result of believing in Jesus Christ for that gift.

John 20:31

John 20:31

but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that believing you may have life in His name.

Discipleship…

…results in reward to the faithful, but loss to the unfaithful.

1 Cor. 9:24-25Also, 1 Cor. 3:10-15; Lk. 12:22-48; 19:11-

24

1 Cor. 9:24-25

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such

a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable

crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

Eternal life…

…only comes by grace, God’s undeserved kindness.

Eph. 2:8-9

Eph. 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of

God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Discipleship…

…only comes by grace, God’s enabling power.

Gal. 3:1-3; 2 Cor. 12:9

2 Cor. 12:9

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in

weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ

may rest upon me.

Receiving eternal life..

…in the NT parallels the way things happened in the OT.

John 3:1-16; Romans 4:1-5

Rom. 4:1-3

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if

Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before

God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted

to him for righteousness.”

Discipleship……in the NT parallels the need for

the Jews in the OT to obey to receive reward.

Dt. 28-30

Deut. 28:1-2

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully

all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high

above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,

because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:”

Eternal life…

…do you have it?

Discipleship…

…have you made that commitment?

…is received when one believes that Jesus Christ will give them what He has promised, the gift of eternal life

(John 3:14-16, 6:47).

Eternal life…

Eternal life…

…is not something we’re born with. We’re all sinful and deserve judgment

(Rom. 3:23). Christ died to pay for our sins (Rom. 5:8) and so can offer

us the gift of eternal life.

Discipleship…

…is different than receiving eternal life. It is a process.

And, confusing the two has caused many problems.

Discipleship…Should you desire to become a

disciple of Jesus Christ, you should ask some key questions of yourself…

Discipleship…

…have I received eternal life?

Am I then willing to be baptized, to follow Jesus and to obey Him and

His Word?

Discipleship

Many of us here are believers, we have the gift of eternal life.

We’ve “downloaded the file”, but haven’t “opened it”.

Among those who have died for others, One stands above the

rest.

Should we not give our lives to Him?

Because life comes when we believe,

But, change comes when we follow!