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Christians are Disciples – The Lost Doctrine – Acts 11:26 – Luke 9:57-62 – Bible study

Christians are Disciples – The Lost Doctrine – Acts 11:26 – Luke 9:57-62 – Bible study

    CHRISTIANS ARE DISCIPLES
    The Lost Doctrine

    ACTS 11:26 -LUKE 9:57-62

    Cooper P. Abrams III

      Introduction: 
      1. What is a disciple?   The dictionary defines a disciple as, “Someone who follows another person or another way of life and who submits himself to the discipline (teaching) of that leader  or way. (BakersEncy. of the Bible. Vol 1, pg629)

      2. Note that is says, “who submits himself to the teaching of that leader.”

         a. There are many who call themselves by the name of Jesus Christ,they call them selves Christians, yet do not necessarily called themselvesdisciples.

         b. To be a disciple or bear the name of a leader  one mustbe to some degree following that leader or teaching.   First youare converted, and then the process of becoming conformed to that leaderor belief begins

         ILLUS:      The Moonies follow:  Tan Sun Moon  
                  Mormons follow theirprophet and General authorities.
                  Evolutionists follow:Darwin, Carl Segan and the teachers of evolution.
                  Creationists follow:Bible
                  Masons follow: Teachingof Masonic order.
                  Jehovah’s Witnessesfollow the teachings of Russell Taylor and their leaders in Brooklyn, NY
                  Christians follow: Christ?
               
              You could in truth be a creationistif you believed in evolution.   You would be a evolutionist, right?

              Would you call a person a Christianwho did not follow Christ  or pattern their life by the teachings ofJesus Christ?

      I.  WHO RIGHTLY IS A CHRISTIAN?

             A.   New Testament tells us thatChrist began His ministry by calling “disciples.”  They latter werecalled “apostles” which means “ones sent forth.”   First they weredisciples – the twelve were called apostles and they were then sent out toteach others.

              Often we understand the disciples wereonly the twelve, however, it was the name given to all who believed in Christ.

             B. Acts 6:1-2, 7.  All those who weresaved were called  “disciples”.

              Acts 9:1,19,25-26,38.  Paul issaid to have persecuted the disciples of Christ.

             C. Acts 11:26.  The disciples were thenbegun to be
            called “Christians” meaning “Christ like ones”!

         D. It is unscriptural to teach that a person can be a “Christian”and not be a disciple.   I believe this to be one of the greatestfailures of Christian teaching.   

            1. It was not that way in the beginning, andGod has not changed His program.   The name or title “disciple”meant one who was totally submitted to the teachings of the people who wasdisciplining  them.    Christ discipled or taught the twelvemen whom he called to follow and serve Him.

            2. To use the name Christian also means tobe a follower of Christ,  which is a disciple, but it defined the lifethe disciple lived.  
              It was the world that gave disciplesthe name Christians.   Acts 11:26  records,  ” And whenhe had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, thata whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

              The name Christian means “Christ one.”  The verse says that the disciples “were called” Christians, but it does notseem to have been adopted in the early churches.    The name is only used three times in the New Testament in Acts 11:26, Acts26:28, 1 Peter 4:16

              In Acts 26:28, Agrippa after hearingPaul example the Gospel said “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”  This was  lost King Agrippa using the name non-Christians called thedisciples of Christ.

              In 1 Peter 4:14-16  Peter’s statement too is using the word from the world’s perspective,   “If ye bereproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of gloryand of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on yourpart he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief,or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any mansuffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God onthis behalf.”    The title Christian through the world’s eyeswas on the same par as murderer or thief.

              

              Tacitus who lived in the first centurywrote this interesting note:  The vulgar call them Christians. The author or origin of this denomination, Christus, had, in the reign ofTiberious, been executed by the Procurator, Pontius Pilate” (Annals xv. 44).
          
              However, after the first century thefollowers of Christ accepted the name as a title of honor.  (The abovefrom “Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words”)  ) In the New Testament the word “disciple” or “disciples” occurs a total of 256 times. I think we can see the significance of the name in how many times it was used.

              The point is that in the beginningbelievers in Christ were called disciples because they were those who followedChrist.    Only after the Bible was completed did they beginto use the name “Christian.”

              3. A disciple is a follower of a person. In New Testament times,  the leader of a group was respectfully called,”Lord,” or  “Master”, or Teacher.

               In Luke 6:46, “Jesus sharplyrebuked those who were incorrectly addressing  him as  “Lord” whenthey were not following Him.

               He said, “Why do you callme Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”  (Luke 6:46)

               Note Luke 6:40.  Jesus said,  “The disciple is not above his master  but every onethat is perfect shall be as his master.”

               The word “perfect” i s theGreek word,  katartizw (kat-ar-tid’-zo) and means  “complete.”  In Romans 9:22 we can see how the word is used and is translated “fitted.”

               “What if God, willing toshew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsufferingthe vessels of wrath, “fitted” to destruction:”   

           Word “fitted” is the same word, “katartizo,” and showsa relationship between character, and destiny.

               The principle is that onewho is “perfect” or “fitted” in Christ, will be like Christ, and their destinyis what Christ, determines, which is heaven.
               
           4. It is not proper for anyone to call themselvesa  Christian, if they do not follow  Christ!   JesusHimself stated this.

      II. HOW DOES ONE BECOME A “DISCIPLE” OR “CHRISTIAN.”

         A. Answer is simple.   To be a disciple you must submityourself to Christ, and  F O L L O W” him!

              We live in the day that some have termed,”easy believism”   In other words you can make a profession offaith in Christ, but you do not have any real commitment to Him.  Thisis the problem today.  Too many profess Christ, and yet their is nochange in their lives.

              The can call themselves “Christians”but not “Disciples.”

              God is in the life changing business.  Changing us from death to life, from sin to righteousness, from life of anxiousnessand uncertainty to no of peace and joy, of having only worldly purposes tothat of having and eternal purpose, from hell to heaven, as being of thisworld, to that of being a citizen of heaven.

         B. How then this done?    Rom. 10:9-10

            “If you will confess with your mouth the Lord
            Jesus, and believe in your heart that Godhas  raised him from the death, you shall be saved. For with the heartman believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made untosalvation.”

            1. So!  The first step in becoming adisciple of Christ, and calling yourself a Christian is to do TWO THINGS!

               ONE:  Believe!!  It would be dishonest and futile to try to follow a person and his teachingsif you did not believe them to be
      true!

           If fact, honestly, would a person submit themselveswholeheartedly to something they ready did not believe in???

          THAT’S THE PROBLEM: MANY PEOPLE TRY TO BECOME CHRISTIANSWITHOUT BEING TOLD THEY MUST FOLLOW CHRIST THE LORD OR BECAUSE THEY DO NOTWANT ALL THE RESTRICTIONS.

          Many become disillusioned.    They go throughthe motions of becoming a Christian, yet do not receive the blessing of God.   The blessings of God are only received with a person truly from his heartbelieves on Jesus Christ, follows what the Bible says  and then liveshis life as God instructs.

              2. Some do not grow spiritually andclose to the Lord because they are not taught and they do not read theirBibles which tells them what is best for them.    

              3. Others, are uncomfortable with thenew life that God wants for all his children.    The giveinto the flesh not willing to give up their old lives.   They wouldlike to go to heaven, but do not want all the restrictions or do they obeythe Lord and live like Christ says.

               You see there is a problem:  It is like a person who has a disease and needs to take medicine.   He doesn’t like the taste of the medicine, but he wants the benefit of whatthe medicine will do for him.

                He buys the bottle,pays money for it, but does not take the medicine.   Foolish, huh?

               Many want to go to heaven,want the blessing of God, yet do not want all the restrictions being a Christian,places on them.   They enjoy sin.    Remember theverse I read earlier?   Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord,and do not the things which I say?”

              Do you understand that this is a questionChrist puts to all who use his name.    Jesus would say tothe one who professed to be  saved yet lives a worldly life…”Why areyou called me Lord, Lord and not living like I have instructed you?”

               Our Lord, by whose namewe identify ourselves, in His word the New Testament say,  “And thisis the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil”  (John 3:19).

               Isn’t it worth noting thisverse follows John 3:16-18?  Jesus in verse 16-18 tells us how we canbe saved and then explains why many are not saved.

               Do you see why there areso many who use the name yet do not live the life?

               Do you see why there isso much false doctrine,  so many cults, so many false denominationswhich use the name of Christ, but pervert or change what Christ says to suitthemselves?

               They pick and choose, insteadof following the whole counsel of the Word of God!   They are notfollowing Jesus Christ, but making a false Jesus and following him.

               Folks, you take it all,or none of it!!!

               You can’t take the teachingof the love of God, and his marvelous Grace and not also take the teachingswhich tell of the wrath of God that will be revealed against sin!

                   You can’thave Heaven, without Hell!
             
              What God wants to do is change yourlife, and free you from the hurt, sorry, destruction and worthlessness ofsin.

      III.  JESUS COMMISSION TO HIS DISCIPLE IS TO MAKE OTHER DISCIPLES!

         A. Matthew 28:19-20,  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,  and of the Son, and of theHoly Ghost:  teaching them to OBSERVE “ALL” things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo I am with you alway, even  unto the end of theworld.”

         B. NOTE, the church is to:

            1. The word TEACH used in verse 19 is theGreek word “Ma-thet-e-uo.”   It is not the same word as in verse20 “TEACHING.   (The going is assumed: “as you are going.”)
              
               “Teach” is the word, “disciple”in verse 19 and means to make disciples of them.  

            2. BAPTIZE:   

               First command of Christ. Be baptized, as a  public show of the disciples commitment to Christ.    This is often missed or not stressed when a person is baptized.   The act of baptism is a public declaration  of one’s identificationas a disciple to Jesus Christ.

              It is the picture of the death of sinin a believer’s life.   When  we baptize a new believer wesay,   “Buried with Him in baptism, raised to walk in  thenewness of live.”   The statement is based on  Romans 6:4which says,  “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
       

            3. TEACHING THEM: (Matthew 28:20)

               Teach them what?  Whatis to be the  course of study?     

               To study the Bible as literature?

               Teach them to DO or “observe”what I have been teaching you, my disciples to do!    We are to teach people to follow the Lord and that means obey the Word ofGod.

            4.  THOSE THAT OBEY THE LORD JESUS AREGIVEN A  PROMISE!

               In other words, disciplesdo these things and Christ will be with  you, that’s his promise.   Don’t do them, Christ is  saying I will not be with you!

       CONCLUSION:

         1. Are you a true following of Christ??  Are you a disciple?

            The Devil, deceives so many, by saying youcan have heaven, without Christ…not so says the One who has the keys toheaven, and also Hell.

         2. Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among  men, wherebywe must be saved”.

         3. Do you want Heaven?  I’m sure you do. . !  The way is  simple, believe on Christ and follow Him.   Youwill be instantly saved, the moment you believe and put  your trustin Him.   The Lord gives you a NEW NATURE which is the very natureof God so that now you can live a godly life.    In fact thelife God would have you live is the very best life you can live.   

              It is so sad to see so many who professto know Christ living without Him, making their decision based on their carnalnature and suffering greatly because of it.

            Afraid, you can’t live as a Christ? Hindered by past sins,…He promised to forgive them all, wash you whiteas snow.

            And to always be in you, at your side, toaid, comfort and lead.

            Why don’t you turn you salvation over to Christ,the very fact you now feel and see the need is because of the Holy Spiritof God, working in your heart.

            Let go…let Him save you.

      To the Professing Christian:    Can you honestly say the wayyou live your life that you are following the one whom you profess is yourLORD?     Do you pattern you life after His?  When you have to make decisions do you follow Jesus’ words or your own carnalwisdom?      

              Only a true Disciple lives for theLord and seeks to be a copy of the Master to whom they follow.

              Any one who does not live for and likethe Master is not a disciple.   If you find yourself in that position.. .repent of your sin and right now being making the decisions a true disciplewould make….confess you sin and submit yourself wholly to Him.

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