1. HOW BIG IS YOUR JESUS?
Jesus is not just your saviour, he actually made the universe (Hebrews 10:2). He designed the planets, stars, earth and every detail of every living and non-living thing on this planet, and he did it for us. He is the sovereign creator God and he lives inside every believer. Awesome!!!!!
However, is Jesus just your saviour and your ticket to heaven? If so then you are just a baby convert. Is he the Lord of your life whom you obey daily? If so then you are on the road to being a disciple. Converts can’t change the world, they just hold their religious fort. Only disciples can change the world because they are on the same mission Jesus was.
Do you fully appreciate Jesus as creator of the universe and also living inside you at the same time? Do you appreciate the scripture that says we can do the same things he did and even greater things (John 14:12-14)? These same things included the amazing miracles we normally think of when we read that scripture, and they also included the call to make disciples of the whole world.
Below are some reminders of the greatness of our Lord:
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
When Jesus had called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
2. OBEDIENCE OR BLESSINGS?
A convert just wants to get to heaven and have blessings on earth. If you have travelled to many countries as a pastor or teacher you will no doubt have been approached by a well-meaning Christian asking for you to pray a blessing over them. These are converts, not disciples. A disciple does the opposite. They seek out people to be a blessing to them.
The Bible speaks about the difference between a convert and a disciple. Here are some examples:
Converts:
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 5:13)
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. (Matthew 7:26)
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! (Revelation 3:1-2)
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)
Disciples:
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:11)
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:24)
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. (2 Timothy 2:1-4)
The key to being a disciple is obedience, not seeking blessings. Only when you know the life transforming power and love of Jesus and his amazingly compassionate heart for the lost people of the world will you join with him in the task of redeeming humanity. That’s when will you become a disciple.
3. ACTION
- Sit down and spend some time in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit if you are a convert or a disciple.
- Read these scriptures over and over again until the Holy Spirit starts to quicken them into your spirit. There is a special message in them for all of us.
- Share these scriptures with some other people. That’s what disciples do, they act on what they know immediately.
- Ask the Holy Spirit what it is he wants you to do as a lifestyle change because of these scriptures and this message of discipleship.