“Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
At Spirit & Truth, we believe that everyone who has confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, and believes in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead for their sin is a part of the body of Christ. However, simply being a member of the body of Christ…a believer…does not make us disciples. Since the Great Commission is a call to go into all the world and make disciples, not just believers, it’s important for us to distinguish between the two, and be intentional about disciple making.
A simple way to think about who or what a disciple is would be to consider that the word disciple shares the same root as the word discipline. Disciple literally means a student or follower, but the common root suggests that it is not just a casual or haphazard follower, but a disciplined follower. So the call of God for his disciplined followers is to go out and make more disciplined followers of the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.
We are not merely called to convert the lost to believers. That is worthy of celebration and excitement, but does not complete the assignment. Our duty is to walk with the convert as he/she learns the Word, character and nature of God; grows in faith; is transformed by the renewing of his/her mind in such a way that God is glorified with their daily walk and talk; and ultimately are equipped and empowered to go out and make disciples themselves.
Salvation is a free gift from God. We did nothing to earn it. Discipleship, however, is where we become co-laborers with Christ in doing His will for His glory. Contact us for more information on how to join with us as we all grow together as disciples of Jesus Christ. Click HERE to read our covenant statement.