I've often had to admit that Math is not one of my strong points. Back in my school days, I avoided Algebra as long as I could, and withdrew from Geometry while I still had some self-esteem and a decent grade-point-average! But somewhere along the line, I seem to remember a geometrical fact that goes something like this..."A square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always (and is most often not) a square". You see, a square, by definition, must have 4 equal sides. A rectangle must have four sides, but they need not be equal. I'm sure you had no trouble following that logic. I'm a bit light-headed from the mental stress, but I think I can proceed!

Now I want to make a spiritual parallel using the same logic. It goes like this..."A disciple is always a Christian, but a Christian is not always (and is most often not, unfortunately) a disciple. You see, it is easy to become a Christian, and praise the Lord, it is! God loves us, Christ died for us and rose again, and all we have to do is repent of our sins and trust in the finished work of Jesus, and we have eternal life! If one knows the facts of the Gospel, he or she can become a Christian in a matter of seconds by placing their personal faith in the Lord Jesus. One the other hand, it is not easy to become a disciple. That is a process that takes time and tenacity. We could say (in keeping with our above analogy) that becoming a disciple requires 4 "sides"/steps that are equally demanding. Christ declares them in Luke 9:23,..."If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.". Here are the 4 requirements of a disciple:

1. A Sincere Desire for the Savior- ..."If anyone desires to come after Me"... You cannot excel at anything without possessing a sincere desire to do so. Great athletes, students, teachers, businessmen, etc., all have one thing in common; they have a burning passion to be the best they can be. Unfortunately, many Christians do not have a strong desire to be a disciple of Christ. They are happy to be saved from their sins and from damnation in Hell, but seem to be content with living in spiritual mediocrity. Their eternal destiny is secure, so they put serving Christ on hold, and seek to enjoy all that the world has to offer



2. A Selfless Denial of Self- ..."let him deny himself"... A companion to the word "disciple", is the word, "discipline". Just as a serious athlete must be self-disciplined, so the true disciple of Christ must deny his natural desires and tendencies, and discipline himself to follow Jesus. This quickly "separates the men from the boys", so to speak. Hudson Taylor said, "A man may be consecrated, dedicated, and devoted, but he is of little value if he is undisciplined". Those words are worth pondering!



3. A Sacrificial Death to Self- ..."and take up his cross daily"... There is no mistake about it, the cross was an instrument of death. Everyone who was crucified, died. Jesus died physically on His cross. He does not demand physical death of all His disciples, but true discipleship demands a willingness to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus. In order to do that, we must die to ourselves, willing to live for Him, whatever the cost.



4. A Singular Devotion to the Savior- ..."and follow Me". A genuine disciple is one who loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. He resists the natural tendency to please himself, and he focuses solely on pleasing Jesus. He sets his affections on things above, not on things of the earth. He does not seek the approval and applause of men, but longs to hear from his Savior, "Well done, good and faithful servant".

Well, what are you? Are you a Christian or a disciple? First, make sure you are a Christian by repenting of your sin and placing your faith in the Lord Jesus, who died for your sins and rose again for your justification. But don't stop there. God saved you to serve Him, and He has planned great things for you to accomplish for His glory, the good of others and the Gospel's furtherance. Be a Christian and a disciple of Jesus Christ! You will be eternally glad you did!

To encourage you in true discipleship, we are scheduled to have Evangelist Randy Chovan at CBC to preach a series on this subject, from October 28-31. He is a dynamic speaker, but more importantly, Brother Randy practices what he preaches, and you will be helped and challenged in your spiritual life as you attend these special services with your family and friends.