Believer or Disciple?

We had a challenging message today at The Vine Christian Fellowship.  The question before us was "Believer or Disciple:  can we be one and not the other?"  It was not a feel good and be happy message but the guest pastor delivered it in a manner that was not judgmental or condescending.  I think the church at large needs to hear this sort of message because we are in eternal danger if we get this one wrong.  We are so fuzzy on our theology and so many worldly and unbiblical messages have crept in.  One of which is that we can believe on God and merely give recognition that He exists and somehow that is enough.  No, it isn't.  We are called to believe in Jesus as Lord and that means we surrender to Him.  We do not come to Him to negotiate and attempt to have a little give and take.  We are called to pray "Let Your will be done".  Adding Jesus to our lives like adding a philosophy is not Christianity.  Being a disciple means we are teachable, disciplined and learning.  Any child is pushed to do things for himself and that includes feeding himself.  As a child of God we are suppose to feed ourselves.  We need to be in the Word throughout the week between services.  Sundays should be like desert.  Filling and sweet to be sure but it should be on top of what we have fed on during the week.  

Here is how we can be His disciples.  1.  Keep yourself in the love of Jesus and stay there.  2.  Serve God (and yes it can be work and inconvenient).  3.  Know who you are.  4.  Remember what is important (your soul and the souls of those people around you).