Are We Converts or Are We Disciples
Transcript
BEN CERULLO: Well, thanks for tuning in today for Ministry Moments. You know, this week I want to talk to you about a topic that I believe has kind of divided the church today. You know, it’s a question of: Are we converts or are we disciples? Because there’s a big difference between the two. And it’s a difference in the effectiveness of the ministry today. See, it’s about bringing God’s kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.
And you can’t do that if we’re just satisfied making converts or being a convert, for that matter. You know, I don’t know about you but I think about it all the time when I read the Bible. What was it like to be part of the early church, or just to be there to see what took place? Because man, when I read it, it comes alive to me. These crazy stories of blind eyes opening, deaf ears coming unstopped, dead people coming back to life again. And demons coming out of people. It’s just amazing to read those things.
But then you fast-forward to today and you look and you see, man, where are those things? You hear about them here or there. But where, really, is that power that the early church had? Well see, there’s a difference between being that convert and being the disciple. Because that’s what Jesus said. He said, that they were the disciples that follow Him, to be like Him, to imitate Him. Not just to come to the knowledge that He is the Son of God, but to actually take steps to follow Him and to pattern their life after Him.
When you think about, what was it really like to be a Christian back then? It’s the same thing it’s about today. We’re supposed to do those same things. And we’ve got to get back to our roots of discipleship – becoming that disciple, becoming like our Master, our teacher Jesus. If we’re ever going to change the world, we can’t just be satisfied with the information. You know, when you think about it, what does it really mean to even be a Christian?
Where do we even get that name from? It’s only found three times in all of the New Testament. Christian. And it wasn’t given by the believers, it was given by the Greeks. They called them Christians. They were first called Christians, the Bible says, in Antioch. And it was a derogatory term. It was kind of like, “Those are those crazy Christians. Those Jesus freaks over there.” You know, the early church, they referred to themselves as the brethren, the faithful, the elect. And that’s what we’ve got to be. We’ve got to be brothers.
We’ve got to be faithful. We’ve got to follow Jesus with all our heart. And not sit on the sidelines, but get out on the frontlines. You know, you can’t just be happy watching the game. You’ve got to play and get in the game. You’ve got to have a desire for that. And not allow fear to hold you back, but to get on the field and say, “Coach put me in. I want to play. I want to be part of the team.” See, God wants you on His team. That’s why He chose you. He said, “You didn’t choose Me, I chose you.”
And God chose you for great things. To be used by Him, to show the world that Jesus is not some nice story, but He is alive today. And release that resurrection power. So stay with us this week, as we go deeper into the question and the journey from convert to disciple.