Sometimes we refer to Christians as believers or disciples. Some Christians may even use the terms interchangeably. In this post, I want to address the question, what is a disciple? In doing so, it should become abundantly clear that these two terms--believer and disciple--are not the same.

You might say that to become a believer is the means but to become a disciple is the end. It is good when a person repents of his sins and places His trust in what Christ did on the cross. All of heaven rejoices when that occurs. But God's ultimate will is for each man and each woman to become a disciple of the teachings of His Son Jesus Christ. Hence, in the Great Commission, we are commanded, "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19, NIV).

Frank King is a former church pastor. He is currently an evangelist and an author. Frank holds a Master of Theology degree. Through the grace of God, Frank has been blessed to cross cultural lines in his preaching. Website: http://www.efrankking.com
Blog: http://wwwefrankking.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITER - MAKE YOUR OWN WEBSITE

The Nature of Doubt

4. Learn to nourish and feed your faith, rather than your doubt. Read and meditate on God (Ps 119:148), keep a spiritual diary and a prayer journal. Read devotional classics and other material that will help stimulate your thinking. Your faith will become rock solid if you feed and nourish it with God’s word.

(Visit my web site at www.epreacher.org)

How can you get the most out of your searching of the Scriptures? Here are seven guidelines from Whitfield, adapted from his sermon "The Duty of Searching the Scriptures."

In all these ways, then, search the Scriptures. Taste and see how good is the Word of God (Psalms 34:8); it will then be sweeter to you than honey and the honeycomb and dearer than gold and silver (Psalms 19:10).

1. Have always in view the purpose for which the scriptures were written: to show us the way of salvation through Christ. Jesus adds in John 5:39 that the Scriptures "testify" about Him. So look always for Christ in the Scripture. He is the treasure hid in the field, both of the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament, you will find Him in the prophecies, types, sacrifices, and shadows; in the New Testament, He is manifested in the flesh to become an atonement for our sins as a priest and as a prophet to reveal the whole will of His heavenly Father.

2. Search the Scriptures with a humble, childlike disposition. God hides His meaning from those who are wise in their own eyes and reveals it only to babes in Christ (Luke 10:21) -- that is, to those who realize they know nothing yet as they ought to know, who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6), and who humbly desire to be fed with the pure milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2).

3. Search the Scriptures with a sincere intention to practice what you read. A desire to do the will of God is the only way to know it: "If anyone chooses to do God's will," said Jesus, "he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17). But to those who consult His Word with a desire neither to know Him nor to keep His commandments, He never will reveal Himself, even if they should search the Scriptures to all eternity.

4. Apply everything you read to your own heart. Whatever was written in the Book of God was written for our learning. And whatever Christ said to those in earlier times we must look upon as spoken to us also. All the precepts, threats, and promises belong to us and to our children, as well as to those to whom they were immediately known.

5. Labor to attain that same Spirit by which the Scriptures were written. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God . . . because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). The words Christ has spoken are spirit and life (John 6:63). Their true meaning can be no more understood by the man without the Spirit than a person who never has learned a language can understand someone who is speaking it. If we are strangers to His Spirit, we must continue as strangers to His Word.

6. Before you read the Scriptures, pray that Christ, according to His promise, would send His Spirit to guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Intersperse short prayers while you are reading; pray over every word and verse, if possible. And when you close the book, ask God to engraft the words you have read into your heart and bring forth in you the fruits of a good life.

Do this, and you will draw God's Spirit into your heart. You will experience His gracious influence and feel Him enlightening, enlivening, and inflaming your soul by the Word. You will then not only read, but alos mark, learn, and inwardly digest what you read.

<em>7. Read the Scriptures constantly. Dig in them as for hidden treasure; take as many pains in constantly reading God's Word as miners do when they dig for gold and silver. The Scriptures contain the deep things of God, so they can never be sufficiently examined by a careless, superficial, cursory way of reading. They require an industrious, close, and humble application.

The psalmist reveals that a good man meditates on God's law "day and night" (Psalms 1:2). So search the Scriptures not only devoutly but also daily, for in them are the words of eternal life (John 6:68).

In all these ways, then, search the Scriptures. Taste and see how good is the Word of God (Psalms 34:8); it will then be sweeter to you than honey and the honeycomb and dearer than gold and silver (Psalms 19:10).

Expressing love for others who show love and appreciation to us is not difficult, but expressing love to those who are driving spikes into our hands and feet, spitting in our face, scourging us, or beating our face beyond the point of recognition, is another matter altogether.

The Lord Jesus Christ taught, “Greater love has no one than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends (John 15: 13 NIV).”

The greatest act of love (John 3: 16) in all of history is when the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ became a man and suffered both spiritual and physical death on a Roman cross in payment of the sin debt of the entire human race.

In the midst of betrayal (Matt. 26: 50), injustice (Luke 23:15,24, 25), desertion (Matt.26: 56) and denial (Luke 22:34), the Lord Jesus Christ’s concern was not for Himself, but for others.

None of these events took the Lord Jesus Christ by surprise and none of this dissuaded Him from going forward in the plan of God.

While many believe that the look (Luke 22: 61) that Peter received from the Lord Jesus Christ was one of condemnation, I believe it was one of compassion and understanding like that of a parent when his/her child fails. It was certainly not an “I told you so” attitude.

When all is said and done, love cannot be measured by the intensity of emotion, but by what one is willing to endure for the sake of others.

This expression of love was not limited to those who followed Him, but was extended to the very ones taking Him into custody (Luke 22: 51) and taking part in the crucifixion (Luke 23: 34) in fulfillment of the plan of God.

Expressing love for others who show love and appreciation to us is not difficult, but expressing love to those who are driving spikes into our hands and feet, spitting in our face, scourging us, or beating our face beyond the point of recognition, is another matter altogether.

It can never be said that our Lord asks anything of us that He did not already do Himself, nor can it be said that He ever asks us to do something that is not possible for us to accomplish.

One of His last earthly deeds was to provide for the care of His earthly mother while he suffered there, nailed to the cross (John 19: 26, 27).

Due to the infiltration and promotion of religion, there is much confusion and debate in the Christian Community as to exactly what the work was and the permanency of the work that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished while on the cross.

All Christians will agree that Jesus died on the cross for sinners, but not all have a clear understanding of what exactly took place and why it was to be so.

If it were only His physical death that was the issue, He could have died anytime after His first breath was taken and accomplished His work.

For instance, God could have let Herod succeed in his attempt to destroy the infant King (Matt.2: 16) rumored to be hidden in his kingdom.

If the physical death of the Lord Jesus Christ were the only criterion for accomplishing the plan of God, He certainly could have risen from the dead following the slaughter at Ramah (Bethlehem) just as easily then as from the tomb following the crucifixion, could he not? Furthermore, if this were the case, there wouldn’t even have been the need to make His plan known to anyone!

This however, was not the plan of God, nor would have it accomplished the work that He had come to perform.

Time and space here does not allow for a detailed explanation of why it was that everything happened how, when, and where that it did, but all of it was a part of the plan that God has designed for the salvation of the human race (Luke 24:44).

Even his closest disciples were ignorant to the many prophecies He fulfilled until they were able to do so retrospectively.

Satan knew that if the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ could be destroyed before He completed the work ON THE CROSS, then God’s plan for salvation would have failed.

To our shame, many who claim to be Christians are Scripturally ignorant to many of the events leading up to and including the spiritual death endured by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Consequently, many of those who claim to be Christians are unable to accurately communicate the Gospel Message to others (Heb.5: 12/1Pet.3: 15) or are “ashamed (Mark 8:38 NIV)” to be publicly identified as one of His followers.

Man, in the name of religion, has added religious rituals and requirements to what was completely accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ while on the cross.

Man’s ONLY part in God’s plan for salvation is to BELIEVE in the Person (who He is) and the Works (what He did on the cross) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even this act of faith (believing) requires the pre-salvation ministry of God the Holy Spirit who makes the Gospel Message understandable (1Cor. 2: 14), giving the recipients the means and opportunity to respond and be saved.

Attempts to evangelize or to spiritually edify someone apart from the work of God are futile (John 15:5).

There is no such thing as one deciding when it is that he/she is going to “get right” with God. A person can choose to be moral and religious at will, but the spiritual re-birth (John 3:3) necessary for salvation, can only come as a response to the presentation of the Gospel or doctrine under the circumstances involving the filling (control) of God the Holy Spirit.

Salvation can only happen in response to the call of God and no one knows when the last time that will be for anyone.

One of the reasons that God allows unbelievers to live so long is to be living examples of exactly what God does NOT want anyone one of us to become.

There are “death-bed” conversions, but no one is guaranteed that he/she will have such an opportunity (Hebrews 3:7,8). It is my personal opinion, that most people face death and the issues of death in the same way that they faced life.

We can suffer physically and psychologically for ourselves and for others, but only the Lord Jesus Christ could suffer the spiritual death for any one of us in payment of our sin debt.

All acts of self-righteousness, that is ANYTHING that Man attempts in order to make himself right with God, are no more than “filthy rags (Isa.64: 6 NIV) in the sight of God.

When we come to realize that if it were not for what the Lord Jesus Christ did for each and every one of us while on the cross, every one of us would be spending all of eternity in Hell. This is why His saving work takes on an all-important personal application.

He suffered on that cross as much for each one of us as he did for any other individual human being, or for that matter, the entire human race.

Some point the finger at the Romans while others point the finger at the Jews, but the truth is that the payment of the sin debt for each and every one of us is the cause for the nails being driven into His hands and feet as well as all the other suffering He endured.

This act of love on His part is what calls for a personal response regarding salvation, and a commitment to the post-salvation spiritual life that is characterized by obedience (John 14:15) and discipleship (John 21: 15-17) on our part.

In becoming a man and having never sinned, the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ was the only one whose sacrificial work was acceptable to God for payment of the world’s sin debt.

The Lord Jesus Christ was not half God and half Man. He was simultaneously both God and Man. He was the only member of the Trinity to assume humanity. He was the only human being to be both God and Man in one person.

In His deity, He was as much God as was/is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In His humanity, He was as much human as any one of us, with the exception that He was not born with a sin nature.

This (being born without a sin-nature) was accomplished through Mary conceiving the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of God the Holy Spirit, and not by human copulation (Psalms 51:5) by which the sin nature is passed down from generation to generation to all human beings (1Cor.15: 22). There is nothing sinful about sexual relations between a husband and a wife. These verses are referring to the passing down of the inherent sin nature and the manner in which it is passed down from generation to generation since the Fall of Man.

Following the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph had other sons and two daughters (Mark 6: 3, Gal. 1: 19), but none of them were born without a sin nature as they were conceived and brought into this world via human copulation. Scripture (John 7:5) reveals that at least for a period of time, some of these (half) brothers did NOT believe in Him.

Being born without a sin nature did NOT mean that it was not possible to sin. Adam and Eve did not receive a sin nature until AFTER Eve was deceived and Adam willfully sinned.

It was while in a state of sinless perfection that the first human sin was committed, just as it was in a state of sinless perfection that the first angelic sin was committed prior to the creation of the human race. In neither scenario was there a pre-existing sin nature.

The key to understanding the function and purpose of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is to acknowledge that He could have, but did NOT sin.

Being tempted is not a sin. If it were, then we are all in a lot of trouble as this would mean that the Lord Jesus Christ sinned (Matt.4: 1-11) and that His saving work on the cross would have meant nothing at all! Hebrews 2:17 reveals to us that He was tempted in EVERY way that we are.

The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ could never have sinned, nor could it have been tempted to sin (James 1: 13). It was His humanity that could have sinned, but didn’t as He CHOSE not to do so in order to fulfill the very purpose of His coming.

Human nature can, and often does, rationalize and thus justify just about anything we choose to. In the final analysis, we do what we do because we choose to do so. It is we, therefore, that are responsible and accountable for the decisions we make.

In order for Him to offer His humanity in payment for the sins of the world, His humanity had to remain free from sin. This principle was illustrated in the animal sacrifices during the Old Testament dispensation. The sacrificial lamb had to be free of all defects in order to be accepted by God.

While some may contend that it was easy for Him (as God) to refrain from sinning, this argument neglects to note that if He had used the power of His deity in order to overcome the temptation(s)presented by Satan, this would have disqualified His humanity as the Lamb of God.

The misuse of His deity in order to sustain His humanity was the intended objective concerning two of the three temptations posed to the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt.4: 3,6). After all, would there be anything essentially wrong about a hungry man turning a stone into bread or be willing to put himself is harm’s way to demonstrate to Satan one’s faith in God?

If it hadn’t been possible for the Lord Jesus Christ either to sin by misusing His deity outside of its purpose and plan of God, there would have been no point in Satan tempting Him as He did making the entire Matt. 4: 1-11 episode no more than a charade! In His humanity, it was possible for Him to have sinned, but He did not resulting in His victory and Satan’s loss.

The destruction of the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ PRIOR to completing His work on the cross remained a primary Satanic objective right up to and including His need for prayer in the Garden when He sweated out blood through the pores of His skin. His prayer to have this cup taken from Him, if possible, was over His concern for the ability of His humanity to endure long enough to complete the work on the cross. He was not trying to avoid the cross as He had come to Earth for that very purpose.

In truth, it was harder for the humanity of Lord Jesus Christ to resist temptation than it is for us in many instances.

Resisting the temptation to do something when we lack the means or opportunity to carry out the desire is no great accomplishment.

However, being tempted and having the means and opportunity at our fingertips to carry out the desire is an entirely different matter (Matt.26: 53).

By taking humanity upon Him, the Lord Jesus Christ made is possible for God the Father to forgive the sins of Man through the Work of the sinless “Lamb of God (John 1: 29 NIV)” without compromising the Romans 6: 23 demands of justice that His deity requires.

If the death of Romans 6: 23 was a reference to physical death, than everyone, upon dying physically, would then have paid the price for his/her salvation and would be eligible to live in Heaven. There would have been no need for the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer on the cross as all of would then be capable of “earning” our own salvation as we are all destined to experience physical death. In truth, neither our sinful humanity nor any works that it produces could ever be acceptable in the eyes of God (Isa.64: 6).

The death spoken of in Romans 6: 23 is spiritual death.

The sin debt for every individual is paid for by experiencing spiritual death (separation form God) for all of eternity in Hell in the case of unbelievers, or is paid for by making application of the spiritual death endured by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross in the believers’ behalf.

The requirement of the death penalty of Romans 6:23 will be satisfied by one of these two ways for every soul that was ever created.

As of the moment of our salvation, our sin debt is stamped “paid in full” with the very blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is for this reason, that the ONLY sin that will cause anyone to go to Hell is the sin of disbelief as this is the only sin that was not atoned for by the Lord Jesus Christ while on the cross.

It is for this same reason that any attempt to diminish the permanency of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross or to elevate any religious ritual to its equivalency is nothing short of the sin of blasphemy.

Believing that one can lose his/her salvation is one of the greatest accomplishments of Satan and perhaps the worst insult that a believer is capable of in the post-salvation spiritual life. It is a direct attack on the character and nature of God.

Instead of a believer enjoying the peace that comes from knowing the “truth” that sets him free (John 8:32) from such satanic bondage, the believer is inevitably enslaved by some form of works program in a futile attempt to obtain or retain what cannot be obtained by human effort or lost by human failure.

This is NOT a license to sin, as all sin results in divine disciple (Hebrews 12: 6) while here on earth and loss of various reward(s) in Heaven, but NOT salvation (1 Cor.3: 15).

To some degree, humans can relate to the physical torture and psychological pain that the Lord Jesus Christ endured leading up to and while on the cross.

However, it is beyond human comprehension to truly understand or truly appreciate the spiritual death that He endured in behalf of the entire human race (1John 2:2} as He quoted the 22nd Psalm, “…My God, my God, why have you forsaken me (Psalms 22:1 NIV)?”

The Lord Jesus Christ paid the sin debt of Judas Iscariot, Adolph Hitler, and Osama bin Laden just as surely as He did each one of us.

What determines who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell is one’s belief or disbelief in the Person (who He is) and the Works (what He did on the cross) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is NO act of morality or religion that one can do or have done for him/her that can serve as an alternate means to receive or retain salvation.

Communion or the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is NOT a reproduction (Heb.7: 27) of this Work, but a ritual in which His work on the cross is brought into “remembrance (1Cor. 11: 24, 25)”.

This is not an attack on the sacredness of the Communion ritual, but nothing or no one can be elevated to a position of equality with the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ without contradicting what is revealed in Scripture.

The Lord Jesus Christ did NOT die physically so that we would not experience physical death. He died physically as the means of departing from His earthly body (as we all will do) in order to receive it back in resurrected form (John 12: 24).

Physical death (or the Rapture in the case of the last generation of the Church) remains to be the means in which we will leave these bodies at the time and circumstances that God has appointed for each one of us.

He died spiritually (separated from fellowship with God) while physically alive and on the cross so that “whoever believes in Him (John 3: 16 NIV)” would NEVER experience spiritual death in “Hades (Rev. 20:13 NIV)” awaiting the final judgment or in the “...Lake of fire (Rev. 20: 15)” for all of eternity.

He did NOT say that His work was about to be finished when He died or that it would be finished when He would rise again. He, while still physically alive and on the cross, said, “It is finished (John 19:30 NIV), and THEN after having completed the work that He came to do, “…he bowed his head and gave up His spirit (John 19: 30 NIV).”

Spiritual death is NOT the end of existence, but a spiritual separation from God.

Spiritual death (not physical death) was the death experience by both Adam and Eve on the day that ate of the forbidden fruit. Physical death was not experienced until many years later and must be distinguished from the spiritual death that they experienced on the day that ate of the fruit.

Physical death is the means of departing from this earth and that is why it is called a “precious (Psalms 116: 15 NIV)” event for the believer and in the eyes of God. Fear of death is an objective of Satan (Hebrews 2:15).

Physical death was not a part of the paradise experience of Adam and Even prior to the Fall of Man.

Once Man fell, this Earth was no longer the paradise for Man as it had been prepared to be. The title and deed passed from Man to Satan (Luke 4: 6).

It was an act of mercy for God to cut Man off from the means of living forever (Gen.3: 22) confined to our earthly bodies and trapped in the devil’ world (Luke 4:6).

If Man were never to leave this planet, his existence would be one of constant and never-ending discipline for our disobedience or persecution from the devil’s world for our obedience. For the child of God, suffering is not a question of if, but for what reason.

While such are the traits of a true disciple (Heb. 12: 6/1Pet. 2: 21), I, for one, am glad to know that there is coming a day when spiritual warfare (Eph. 6: 12) on this planet will be a matter of history.

If there ever were such a thing as a fountain of youth in the natural realm, it would have had its initial appeal as did the fruit to Eve, but would also have eventually proved to be the greatest curse that Man would come to know.

Man would never die and would be forever trapped here in the devil’s world with its ever-increasing perpetual evil.

Only a fool or a Christian with the wrong set of priorities would prefer to stay here on Earth beyond the appointed time of our departure at the completion of the work that we given to do.

Every human being since the Fall of Man, with the exception of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ due to the virgin conception, receives this sin nature through the human reproduction process and is born physically alive, but spiritually dead (1Cor. 15: 22).

We do not become sinners as a result of committing our first personal sin; we are BORN that way!

It is for this reason that “No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he [spiritually] born again (John 3: 3 NIV).”

The only Biblical exception is for those who either physically or mentally does not reach a stage of moral accountability (2Sam 12: 23). This passage speaks of the death of David’s child and how he (David) will so to be with the child when he (David) dies. David reveals the confidence of his own eternal salvation and that of the child who obviously had not reached an age of moral accountability to make choices of his own. In principle, this would also apply to any person, who due to a physical or mental handicap would likewise be unable to reach a stage of moral accountability.

Martyrs can lay down their physical lives for their beliefs and heroes can lay down their physical lives for others, but no man can lay down his soul for anyone else.

Martyrdom, suicide, and homicide cannot destroy a soul (Matt. 10: 28).

Adam, Eve, and every human soul ever created are just as alive now as he/she was on the day of his/her birth. Physical death results in a change of location, not an end of existence (Matt. 22:29,32).

Every soul that was ever created and imputed to the body at birth will live forever in one of two possible locations and environments.

Without the work of the Lord Jesus Christ while on the cross, there would only be one final destination for all souls and that destination would be Hell.

Some believers are called to be martyrs, but every disciple is called to lay down his/her life for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every disciple lays down his life by turning every area of it over to the control and purposes of God.

Whatever area(s)of our lives that we refuse to hand over to God, is the area(s)or the issue(s)that prevent us from entering into or remaining in discipleship (Luke 14: 26.

There are no part time openings in the field of discipleship.

We advance in discipleship as we make the intake and application of the Word of God, our top priority under the filling (control) of God the Holy Spirit in the development and application of the “mind of Christ (1Cor. 2: 16 NIV).

God forces no one to be “born again (John 3: 3 NIV) and He forces no born again believer to enter into or remain in discipleship. Both require an act of free will on the part of the individual.

Truly the majority of each generation of Man rejects God’s one and only plan of salvation and the majority of those who accept it fail to enter into or remain in discipleship (Luke 8:14).

Religion makes demands and threats and causes one to comply out of fear, guilt, or perceived obligation. Love provides the means and opportunities, and then leaves the response in the hands of those to whom it is offered.

The laying down of one’s life requires an unconditional surrender of self and obedience (John 14:15) to God.

The action of one’s free will is what makes such a commitment an act of love. True discipleship (John 21: 15-17), free of any compulsion or false motivation, is the greatest act of love that a believer can ever commit him/herself to in response to the act of love that his/her Friend chose to do for him/her while on the cross (1John 4: 19).
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (R) Copyright (C) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All Rights reserved.