{"id":1084760,"date":"2025-10-07T14:53:03","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T20:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awmi2.wpenginepowered.com\/?post_type=browse-teaching&p=1084760"},"modified":"2025-12-04T10:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:59:12","slug":"a-believer-or-a-disciple","status":"publish","type":"browse-teaching","link":"https:\/\/www.awmi.net\/browse-teaching\/a-believer-or-a-disciple\/","title":{"rendered":"A Believer or a Disciple?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A Believer or a Disciple?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A Believer or a Disciple?\u200b<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Ways to Access This Teaching<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Watch<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

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Listen<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t

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Purchase<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Watch<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

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Listen<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

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Purchase<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Call to True Discipleship: Moving Beyond Religion<\/b><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s church, it seems we\u2019ve lowered the standard from what Jesus told us to do. In Matthew 28:19\u201320a (New King James Version<\/i>), Jesus gave clear instructions: \u201cGo 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<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is not a command to get people to repeat a prayer and just say words that make them feel like they\u2019ve \u201cjoined the club.\u201d No. Jesus didn\u2019t say, \u201cGo and get people to make a decision.\u201d He said to go and make disciples. Discipleship involves a lifetime of following Jesus, learning from Him, and putting His teachings into action.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that salvation is as simple as believing and receiving. We see that with the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39\u201342). That man didn\u2019t have time to go to church, pay his tithes, or do any of the religious rituals. He simply said, \u201cLord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom,\u201d and that was enough for him to be saved. But if that thief had been able to live another twenty or thirty years and never moved beyond that moment, I don\u2019t believe that would\u2019ve been true salvation.<\/p>\n

The Bible says in James 2:20 that \u201cfaith without works is dead.<\/i>\u201d And in John 8:31\u201332, it says, \u201cIf ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.<\/i>\u201d If there are disciples indeed, then there are people who claim to be disciples but are not.<\/p>\n

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A Heart of Religion vs. a Heart of Relationship<\/b><\/p>\n

Many people today claim to be Christians but don\u2019t have a genuine relationship with the Lord. They might follow certain rules or go through religious motions, but they\u2019ve never fully committed their lives to God. They\u2019re Christians in name only.<\/p>\n

I know this may offend some people, but the reality is that many will stand before God one day and find they never truly received salvation. They were religious, but not redeemed. And this mindset isn\u2019t unique to Christianity\u2014it\u2019s found in other religions as well.<\/p>\n

Did you know that if you were to put a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu, and the average Christian side by side and ask them what made them worthy to enter heaven, each one would likely point to their deeds? A Muslim might point to their acts of devotion or jihad. A Buddhist may highlight their abstinent lifestyle. A Hindu might reference their worship of countless gods. And a nominal Christian might cite their church attendance or tithing.<\/p>\n

But a true Christian would simply point to Jesus and say, \u201cI haven\u2019t done anything to be worthy. My only claim to heaven is that I put faith in a Savior.\u201d<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Christianity is the only religion on this planet that has a Savior. Every other religion requires the individual to do something to earn God\u2019s favor. Christianity is the only one where the focus isn\u2019t on what we do but on what Jesus did for us.<\/p>\n

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. \u2013 <\/i>Romans 3:23\u201324<\/p>\n

What Makes You Worthy?<\/b><\/p>\n

True Christians don\u2019t rely on their own efforts to earn heaven\u2014they rely on Jesus. He took our sins upon Himself and died for us, and our salvation rests on faith in Him alone. It says in Romans 10:9\u201310, \u201cThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

And yet, sad to say, there are many, many people today who say they are Christians, but when asked what makes them worthy, they point to what they\u2019ve done. That\u2019s not what salvation is about. True salvation is rooted in faith in Jesus alone.<\/b> And anyone relying on their own actions to justify their salvation makes me doubt whether it\u2019s true salvation.<\/p>\n

I know this message is offensive to some. It might be hard to hear, but it\u2019s true\u2014there\u2019s a difference between being a believer and being a disciple. Jesus didn\u2019t call us to just believe in Him; He called us to follow Him, to become His disciples, and to make disciples of others.<\/p>\n

The Trap of Self-Righteousness<\/b><\/p>\n

Consider the scene when Jesus was speaking to the Jews in John 8:33\u201334. They said, \u201cWe be Abraham\u2019s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?\u201d<\/i> They were so blind to their own bondage that they couldn\u2019t even recognize it. Jesus replied, \u201cVerily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

There are a lot of Christians today who think they are free, but in reality, they\u2019re trapped.<\/b> Whether it\u2019s addiction to sin, the pursuit of materialism, or the emotional slavery of anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness\u2014they\u2019re in bondage. True freedom comes from being set free by the truth of God\u2019s Word. And that freedom is only found when we embrace Jesus as our Lord and Savior, not just as a historical figure we claim to \u201cbelieve\u201d in.<\/p>\n

Jesus continued in John 8:35\u201336, \u201cAnd the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

There\u2019s freedom in the Son of God\u2014a freedom that has nothing to do with a religious checklist. It\u2019s a freedom to live according to God\u2019s Word, to love others as He loved us, and to walk in the fullness of the new life He offers.<\/p>\n

A Lesson from India<\/b><\/p>\n

Back in 1981, I visited remote areas in India where I preached to churches that had one or two thousand people. Though many claimed to be Christians, they hadn\u2019t truly committed their lives to Jesus; they had simply added Him to their collection of countless \u201cgods\u201d.<\/p>\n

I saw a shrine with pictures of Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus, which highlighted the issue: they saw Jesus as just another god. That\u2019s not true salvation. Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6 and Acts 4:12).<\/p>\n

On my flight home, I spoke to a minister who had also held meetings in India. He claimed to have gotten tens of thousands \u201csaved,\u201d yet he never countered any of their other beliefs. That\u2019s not the example we see in the Bible.<\/p>\n

Confronting False Beliefs<\/b><\/p>\n

In Acts 17:23, Paul went to Athens and boldly<\/b> confronted the ignorant worship of the people there to the UNKNOWN GOD, and said he was there to declare Him to them. And earlier in Acts 4:12, Peter proclaimed that there is no salvation in any other name but Jesus. The apostles didn\u2019t sneak around their beliefs\u2014they confronted them head-on.<\/p>\n

I understand the hesitancy to confront people, especially those who have been hurt by so-called Christians. But that\u2019s not how the Apostles preached. They boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, even though it led to persecution.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

The early church faced intense opposition, mostly from religious people, and we face similar resistance today. If you preach that salvation isn\u2019t just repeating a prayer but requires a life change\u2014turning from sin, living in obedience\u2014religious people will come against you.<\/p>\n

Some might think I\u2019m saying that unless you\u2019re a disciple, you\u2019re not truly saved. That\u2019s not what I\u2019m saying. It\u2019s possible to be a believer without being a disciple. If your faith is sincere, you can still make it to heaven with the minimum requirement. But you might get there a lot quicker without understanding healing, walking in joy, victory, prosperity, and so on. God never intended for us to limp into heaven. He wants us to be born again and then start growing, maturing, and becoming disciples by continuing in His Word.<\/p>\n

The Call to Be Disciples<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for the church to stop settling for half-hearted Christianity and rise up as true disciples\u2014followers of Jesus who live according to His Word and reflect His love and power to the world around us.<\/p>\n

Take a moment to ask yourself: <\/b>Am I truly a disciple of Jesus, or am I just going through the motions?<\/i><\/b> <\/b>Is my faith a living, active relationship with Him, or is it a set of beliefs I hold on to but never truly apply to my life?<\/i><\/b><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Jesus commanded us to be disciples indeed\u2014those who continue in His Word and allow His truth to make us free. If you\u2019re ready to step into true discipleship, dive deeper into His Word, and live out the freedom He offers, I encourage you to take advantage of the materials we have available.<\/p>\n

Move beyond professing to be a believer and become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. That\u2019s where true freedom and transformation happen.<\/p>\n

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