26 October 2007
Rhema Inspiration
Born Again To Be Disciples
“A disciple is a learner,
one who follows both the teaching and the
teacher.”
The membership rolls in the modern
Church contain the names of many people who have never
been born again. There are many other members in the
Church who have been born again, but their walk with
the Lord has stalled.
How do people become members of
the Christian Church* without being born again? Why are
there so many Christians who have stalled in their walk
with the Lord? The first reason is that the cross of
Jesus Christ is no longer ministered in much of the
Church. The second reason is that much of the Church
does not teach what it means to be a disciple of Jesus
Christ. Therefore, many people become members without
being born again, and many who are born again do not
mature as disciples of Jesus Christ. They stall in
their Christian walk and never become fruitful.
What is a disciple? A disciple is
a learner, one who follows both the teaching and the
teacher. Disciples of Jesus Christ follow Him and His
Word of truth. They are not just pupils; they are
adherents. They faithfully follow Jesus Christ, and
obediently adhere to His teaching.
The Church that Jesus Christ is
building is made up of people who have been born again
to be disciples. The Church that Jesus Christ is
building has ministers who teach what it means to be a
disciple and trains people to walk in the Spirit as
faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. One may become a
member of certain parts of the modern Church without
being born again, but no one is part of the Church that
Jesus is building without being born again. One may be
born again and stall in their walk with the Lord in
various parts of the modern Church because they are not
being trained by their leaders in following Christ. In
the Church that Jesus is building, His ministers always
train people in how to follow Christ (see Eph. 4:11-16).
Examine yourself and ask: Am I born again? Am I being taught about
following Jesus Christ? If I am born again, do I know
that I was born again to be a disciple of Jesus? Does
my life manifest that I am a disciple of Jesus?
How does one manifest that he or
she is a disciple of Jesus? Disciples of Jesus are
those who have been born again (John 3:3-7), have denied self, forsaken all, and
taken up their cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23; 14:27,33). Concerning denying self, one must be
crucified with Christ, which is the crucifying of all
self-centeredness. One must also be willing to enter
into the fellowship of suffering, even to the giving of
their physical lives for Christ and the gospel (Phil. 3:10). Concerning relationships and self, no
one comes before Christ (Luke 14:26).
The eyes of the Lord are looking
throughout the earth for those who are loyal to Him. He
is looking for faithful disciples; He is looking for
those who know that they were born again to be
disciples. Has he found one when He looks at you?
_____________________________
BIBLICAL APPLICATION:
And whoever does not bear his
cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. So
likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he
has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27, 33 NKJV
Pastor Wayne Wilson
New Covenant Church of Jesus
Christ
3147 Klondike Road, SW, Conyers,
GA 30094 USA
770-760-1101
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© 2007 New Covenant Church of
Jesus Christ, Conyers, GA USA
www.JesusAndHisWord.org
*Christian Church refers to the
universal body of Christ, the Church that Jesus is
building. No reference to any denomination is intended.
