Too often it happens that someone desires to avoid hell and gain the promise of heaven; so they are baptized and somehow think that this action is sufficient to save them regardless of what else they do or do not do. Even though they have been taught about being added to the church and becoming a working part of a local congregation, they remain aloof. Even though they have been taught about the Lord’s expectation of spiritual growth on their part, they do not grow. Many remain under-developed and may not even know it. Below, then, is a test to determine if you’re a D.U.D.
1. True – False. “I care more about what a congregation has to offer me and my family than what all of us can bring to the church.” If you honestly answered true, have you ever thought that, perhaps, your attitude leans toward selfishness? The church consists of members who are people just like you. If everyone had the attitude that you have, there would be no programs of any kind because everybody would be waiting for someone else to do something. The only way anything gets done is through volunteers who have a commitment to their Lord and to the well-being of the local congregation. By working together we function as the body of Christ should (1 Cor. 12:12-27).
2. True – False. “If there are not any children that are my children’s age, I will try to find a larger congregation.” If everyone had the same attitude, wouldn’t that pretty much insure that small congregations would remain small and large congregations would stay large? Have you ever thought that if you stayed with your family, the next family who came would be more likely to stay since your children were there? If no one takes the first step to build up the youth population, how will it ever happen? Have you not thought of the idea that you could work to bring other young people who know your children? Your family could be a catalyst rather than a disappointment.
3. True – False. “I make encouraging comments to others to help build them up and keep my negative comments to myself.” If that is false, you are not helping. It is not that there is no need for constructive criticism. Taking people aside to vent your complaints does not contribute to the esprit de corps of the congregation, and it makes you look bad. “I didn’t like the song leading today,” “the prayer was too long,” or “the sermons just don’t move me” may indicate that the crux of the problem is with you—not those leading in worship. Have you thought about making a positive suggestion to any of the leaders instead of whispering behind their backs?
4. True – False. “People in the congregation don’t pay enough attention to me.” If you answered true, why is that, do you suppose? How often have you made an encouraging phone call to other brethren? Have you prepared food for others when they were ill or visited them in the hospital? Have you offered to mow someone’s lawn while he was recovering from a sprained ankle or broken leg? Have you asked yourself why you expect to receive kindness if you have never shown any (Pr. 18:24)?
5. True – False. “I am more of a positive influence than a problem.” If you can be depended upon each week to be present for worship and to participate in the various activities of the congregation (unless illness prevents you), may your tribe increase. If it is false, shouldn’t you determine to do better? People should not have to leave worship each week wondering where brother absent and sister sluggish are. Elders must give account for the souls of the members. Do you make it easy or difficult for them (Heb. 13:17)? If they were discussing your absence, would they be saying, “We’d better call him immediately; he never misses worship” or “That’s the third absence this month; what else is new?” Are you an asset or a liability?
What Is a Disciple?
According to the Scriptures, certain things are to be true of those who are disciples of Christ. It is simply stated in Matthew 8:23: “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.” The key word is followed. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a disciple is a “person who subscribes to the teachings of a master and assists in spreading them.” In other words, he is a follower and evangelistic (by definition). The contrapositive form of this statement (which is always true) is: “He who does not follow what his master teaches and does not help to spread those teachings is not a disciple.”
It is important to note what Jesus taught His followers in Matthew 10:24-25a: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.” What are the implications of these words? When a disciple is being taught, he may have questions about teachings he does not fully understand; so he asks questions for clarification. What he does not do, however, is disagree. He cannot place his opinions and judgments above his master’s—first because he is a follower, and, second, because the master is wiser than the pupil.
Therefore, non-involvement with the church is not an option. The brethren at Corinth had a lot of problems, but this one was not one of them. They were eager to be present to worship—and just as eager to be the center of attention by exercising their spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12). They were rude to each other and divisive, and these problems had to be corrected. But they were not apathetic and lazy. They were true disciples, as shown by the corrections that they made when Paul rebuked them for their errors. They improved themselves from being very imperfect to gaining a level of maturity.
Forsaking the assembling of ourselves together is not the mark of a disciple. How can one be a learner if he is not present to be edified? How can one assist in spreading the teachings of Christ if he does not first know them himself? Furthermore, how can one be a disciple when he does not practice what his master taught? Jesus exercised compassion on the sick, healing them wherever He went. Today, Christians do not have the ability to heal, but they can still express compassion on those who have various needs (Matt. 25:21-46).
Your goal, then, is not to disagree with your Master, but to follow Him. Not doing what He taught is not only foolish (Matt. 7:21-27), it is dangerous and indicates that you are not a disciple at all. As Luke records, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (6:40). While genuine disciples know that at times they will fall short of the goals the Lord has set before them, they must also realize that they cannot just ignore them and still be called disciples.
Besides following Jesus and not disagreeing with Him, discipleship involves other elements. First is commitment (Luke 14:26-33). The time to make that decision is at the point of initial obedience. Yes, Jesus wants to give you salvation, but He expects commitment out of you, also. You don’t find that in many “sinner’s prayers.” Those concocted salvation promises were invented by men, not God, and are barely more than slogans. Most of them say nothing of repentance, although a few do. All of them omit baptism, which the Scriptures never do, and none of them say anything about commitment or counting the cost in becoming a disciple. Those statements have no other goal in mind than to try to impart salvation cheaply. They are disgraceful and an insult to the Holy Spirit who inspired the New Testament! God is interested in those who diligently seek Him—not those who passively and momentarily want salvation.
Second, a disciple is one who continues in the Word of the Master (John 8:31-32). No one becomes a follower of Jesus by displaying a casual interest in spiritual concerns. One must read the teachings of Christ, meditate upon them, think about their meaning, and then walk and abide in them (1 John 1:7). There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth.
An absolute requirement, third, is meeting with the saints for worship, as is described in Acts 20:7 and required in Hebrews 10:25. A young disciple needs to be taught by those who are older in the faith and encouraged by his older brothers and sisters. A true disciple does not say (unless a health issue is involved), “Shall I go to worship this morning or stay home and catch up on sleep or various projects?” To intentionally determine to be somewhere else or do something else is to disagree with the Master who built the church and is Head over it (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23).
True disciples, fourth, have love for one another (John 13:34-35). But how can that love be expressed if you isolate yourself from the assemblies and activities of the church? A great many things can happen in a week’s time. The one who misses a couple of Lord’s days may have missed a great deal. How embarrassing it is to be one of few who do not know (due to willful absences) of a serious medical condition that has befallen a brother or sister! You cannot exercise the proper love and care for your brethren if you choose to be absent when all the other brethren are meeting.
Fifth, Jesus expects certain actions on the part of His disciples; He said: “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8). Bearing fruit is not accidental; it results from purposeful efforts. It results from the spreading of the Master’s teachings. Other people may decide to become Christians based on what they see in your life and what they read in the Scriptures. You cannot convert others if you yourself are lukewarm and uncommitted. You cannot afford to be a stumbling block to another (Luke 17:1-2); you must walk as closely with God as you can.
A Disciple Under Development (Excellent!), (DUDE)
The good news is that you don’t have to be a DUD; you can go from being a DUD to a DUDE. Everyone has free will, and God has given you the time to repent! If you have grown slack in your worship and service of Him, why not determine to become a disciple all over again? It may be that you once had a strong determination to love Jesus, your Lord, but over time, and confronted by various problems, you allowed yourself to slip (Heb. 2:1-4). Don’t become complacent! Hell is still hot, and heaven makes a much better eternal dwelling place. Sin is just as real as it was when you first obeyed the gospel, and you are still in need of salvation from it. Repent and become a disciple again. There remains much work to do in the kingdom!
TRUTHS WE MUST FACE
Marvin Weir
Would it not be wonderful if all at the age of accountability could see Satan for the master deceiver that he is? The warning is clearly sounded forth by Paul:
“…for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
The devil is no one’s friend; he works day and night “seeking whom he might devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan encourages everyone to take a “lighthearted” approach toward sin, but the wise man tells us: “Righteousness exalteth a nation; But sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). This is a truth that we must face!
If we are going to make the world a better place in which to live we must take seriously the responsibility of training our young people in the way of the Lord. The wise man again reminds us: “Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). This is a general rule that does not prohibit freedom of choice. A child who has been properly trained at least has a good foundation to which he can return. Paul said to young Timothy: “And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3: 15). Failure to properly train children when they are young meets with the devil’s approval. This is a truth that we must face!
There was a time when the home, the school, and the community demanded that young people comply with a higher standard of morals. The truth is that such a standard of morality has eroded at an alarming rate the past several decades, and many young minds no longer have a conscience that convicts them of wrong-doing! The teaching of the Bible and its sacred principles is the only solution to successfully combat the problem of immorality. The Psalmist states: “Thy word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11). Young Timothy is instructed: “Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16). Without God’s Word to anchor a young person’s life, he is like a ship that has broken away from its mooring. This is a truth that we must face!
The things written in the Old Testament were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4). One cannot help but give thought to the period of time when judges were raised by God to deliver God’s people who had been brought to their knees because of sinful living. The book of Judges ends with this sad commentary of the people: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
What about many who profess to be Christians today? The world continues to influence far too many members of the Lord’s church instead of those members influencing the world. So many times Christian parents “give in” to the demands and peer pressures of a worldly society and thus teach these compromised standards to their children. One preacher states it like this:
“Styles of dress have changed to include the acceptance of nudity; filthy language is promoted as a mark of maturity; alcoholism is identified as a disease; fornication is labeled as an affair; and the people enter and exit marriage relationships at will.”
Friends, teaching must take place that clearly marks the above things as being contrary to the will of God and that which will prevent one from entering into the kingdom of Heaven. This is a truth that we must face!
The Bible is our pattern, and it is this very pattern that is under such vicious attack today from within and without the Lord’s church. Parents must see that the Bible is exalted in their homes; the study of this book must be demanded. The concept in the minds of many that Bible classes and Sunday evening services are optional has led to an ever-growing lack of respect for God’s Word. Parents have become so busy with secular matters that they have ceased to see that their children are involved in Bible study. It is no wonder that far more young people now find things other than the Bible far more interesting and challenging. Such is not the fault of the Bible or the church! In most cases, parents have allowed the world to influence their homes much more than the Word of God. This is a truth that we must face!