Five Vital Signs of a Healthy Christian- Part IV
Where would we be without Staupitz? In a
thought-provoking article in Christianity Today, historian Bruce Shelley
pointed out that we would not have some of our greatest heroes of church
history had there not been mentors who loved and discipled them. Behind Martin
Luther was Johann Von Staupitz, professor of the Bible at the University of
Wittenberg. When Luther became an Augustinian monk, Staupitz became his
spiritual director and counselor. If it had not been for Dr. Staupitz,” Luther
later said, I would have sunk in hell.” It was Stauptiz who taught Luther about
grace and who directed him into study theology.”[1] The rest is history.
Similarly, think of the men and women who have
introduced you to Christ, taught you about Jesus, prayed, and stood with you in
your early walk with Christ. Where would we be without them Today? We are grateful
to those who mentored, loved, and discipled us.
We have been looking at five vital signs of a healthy
Christian. Looking into Acts 2:42-47, we derive five vital signs of a healthy
Christian and a Church. 1. Worship (Vs. 46-47) 2. Fellowship Vs.46. 3. Service
(Ministry) Vs. 44-45. 4. Discipleship, Vs.42. 5. Evangelism. Vs. 47.
We learned that a healthy Christian grows in
worshipping God, maintaining his vertical and horizontal fellowship with God
and others. A healthy Christian knows the Joy of serving others as Jesus did. Today
we will learn about another vital sign of a healthy Christian: Discipleship.
Acts 2:42, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, and
to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to
prayer.” How do we understand Christian discipleship? We will look at who is a
disciple of Christ, the call of discipleship, the seven marks of a true
disciple, and the rewards of discipleship.
I.
Understanding Christian Discipleship.
Can someone be a Christian and yet not a disciple?
What is the difference between a Christin and a disciple of Christ? The terms
disciple and Christian are related but not synonymous. The Greek term for “disciple”
in the New Testament is mathetes, which means “student” or “learner.” But
a disciple is also a “follower,” someone who adheres completely to the
teachings of another, making them his rule of life and conduct.
Biblically speaking, a Christian has placed his Faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian has been born again by the power of the
Holy Spirit. A Christian “belongs to Christ” and is daily being transformed
into the likeness of Christ. A true Christian (not one in name only) must also
be a disciple of Christ who has counted the cost and totally committed his life
to follow Jesus.
We have a problem in America. It is not that we don’t
have many Christians; we don’t have many disciples of Christ. The reason is
this, as Bonhoeffer notes, we preach cheap grace. “It is preaching forgiveness
without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline—communion
without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without
the cross, grace without Jesus Christ. The emphasis is on the benefits of
Christianity without the costs involved; hence, the adjective is cheap to
describe it.”
The salvation of our souls is a gift from God, but
discipleship is costly and takes discipline. When Christ forgives our sins and
saves us, He is not turning bad people into good people but making them into
true disciples. One of the reasons why the witness of the Church in the USA is
weak is that many Christians are just satisfied with getting saved.
They attend Church and participate in church
activities but never grow in their discipleship. The world needs not more
churches or Christian programs but true disciples whose hearts are totally
committed to Him. What are the marks of a True Disciple of Christ?
II.
A Few Marks of a True Disciple of Christ
1.
The
Confession of Faith followed by baptism.
The pathway of Christian discipleship begins with a
confession of Faith. Romans 10:9, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
After listening to Peter’s sermon, over three thousand people openly confessed
their Faith in Christ, repented their sins, and were publicly baptized.
Open confession of our Faith is an essential
characteristic of a disciple. In baptism, we openly declare to the world that
we are paying our allegiances to Jesus Christ. The first sign of those who join
the army is the uniform. Similarly, baptism is a public witness to the believer’s
identification with Christ. It is a voluntary act of obedience of a believer.
No true Christian disciple lives a secret life. Even
in certain countries where Christians are persecuted, many are not ashamed of
Christ. It is a terrible thing to be ashamed of Christ. Mark 8:38, “If anyone
is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father
with the holy angels.” We have freedom in this country to practice our Faith
publicly and boldly.
2.
The continuation of Christ’s teachings in the life of a disciple.
Jesus called a group of disciples and taught them about
the Kingdom. He urged them to remain in His word and let His words remain in
them so they can bear much fruit indicating that they are his true disciples.
John 15:7-8. After his resurrection, He gave them this command:
Matt 28:19-20, “Therefore, go and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given
you.” His disciples went out and preached the gospel. A Church was formed as a
result, and the early disciples were devoted to the apostle’s teachings and
prayer.
Continuing in Christ’s teachings is another mark of a
true Christian. To remain in His teachings, we need to know what they are. At
Hope Church, we emphasize reading and studying the Bible individually and
corporately in small groups. How is your Bible reading going on?
3.
A willingness to bear the cross.
The crowds followed Jesus for various reasons. He
challenged their core motivation by saying, “If you want to be my disciple, you
must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my
disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be
my disciple.” The cost of discipleship is a willingness to give up everything,
including our lives.
Bearing the cross is death to self! That’s what our
Lord did on the cross. It is because of that sacrifice we have received
salvation. The mark of a true disciple is a willingness to bear the cross. The
Apostle Paul carried his cross by enduring persecution so that many people
would be saved. Many true disciples of Christ worldwide are bearing the cross
for the gospel’s sake.
4.
Loving one another as Christ has loved us.
Our love for our fellow believers indicates that we
are true disciples. John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment:
Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your
love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Loving
others in God’s family is a command. How is this love expressed?
We go beyond
just maintaining superficial relationships. We are vulnerable to each other
when we struggle with a specific sin. We ask people to pray for us, and we pray
for them. We give and receive forgiveness when others hurt us, or we hurt
others. We serve and support one another with Joy. We share in the sorrows and
joys of our brothers and sisters. Let’s excel in our love for one another and
let the world know that we are indeed true disciples of Christ.
[1]
Bruce L. Shelley, “Where Would We Be Without Staupitz?” Christianity Today, 16,
December 1991, 29-31
