The Believers Vs. The Disciples

By Gobel Brockman



A few months ago we had a guest speaker at our church, a missionary to South Africa. During the course of her message she mentioned something that I hadn't noticed before. She pointed out that the word 'believers' appears in the King James Version New Testament two times, but the word 'disciples' appears 244 times. I had pretty much brushed it off as two words with similar meanings. Turns out I was wrong. (Yeah, I was surprised too.) The New Testament Greek meanings:

'Believers' - "To think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit"
'Disciples' - "A learner or pupil, to become accustomed to"

Ask most people if they "believe in God" and they will say yes. I remember a story of two men in the United Kingdom walking by a church that had that week's message title posted on the church sign: "IS THERE A GOD?" One of them turned to the other and said in a thick Cockney accent, "I say, wouldn't there be a caution if 'e said there ain't?" Finding 'believers' isn't a big problem. The challenge is making 'disciples'. To be a disciple of Christ requires moving past mental assent and into a conscious decision to change the course of your life. The twelve disciples 'believed' that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but to become His disciples they had to leave everything and follow Him. We have a similar call. In the book of Luke Jesus made this statement: "Anyone having put their hand to the plough and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God."

As I think about this I remember all the people I've talked to over the years who were thinking of becoming a Christian. The one thing I've heard countless times is the concerns over what they would have to 'give up'. "Can I be a Christian and still do this or that?" type questions have been asked over and over. I realize now that at least part of what that means is they're a 'believer' who may not be willing to pay the price to be a 'disciple'. Jesus made an even more demanding statement in the book of Matthew: "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Being a Christian is more than saying, "I believe in God." It is a decision to become a follower for life and continue to grow and learn from the Master. It is a choice to make Jesus Christ the single most important thing in your life, and to follow wherever He decides to lead. I'm glad you believe in God, but that in itself doesn't make you a Christian. Move into discipleship - the decision to follow Jesus with all of your heart, make Him Lord of every aspect of your life, and continue to grow in your faith and learn from Him.

Let me put it this way: I can 'believe' there's more coffee in the pot on the other side of the kitchen as I type this. But until I become a 'disciple' and walk over there my cup will remain empty. So will yours (if you get my drift).