Are You a Disciple or in the Multitude

​At first, reading this title a person may quickly say, “I’m a disciple”. Then the question is who or what are you a disciple of?  Throughout the Bible, Jesus had many followers but not many disciples.  Discipleship does not take place by sitting in a seat while the pastor preaches on Sunday morning or during the midweek service.  Discipleship takes place in the one-on-one or private small group setting in teaching and training what a biblical life looks like, what God says about various topics within the Bible and other training that is vital to Christian living.  Jesus spoke and taught the multitude but He expounded to His disciples in private (Matthew 13:10, Matthew 24:3, Mark 4:34, Mark 7:17, Mark 10:10).  Being a disciple reflects submitting to a local pastor to be discipled in the Word of God and godly living.  This does NOT mean that each disciple should be miniature versions of their pastor in clothing, hobbies, or other forms.  Discipleship does imply that disciples are submitted to hearing what the disciple-maker says and to the training to look more like Jesus Christ and less like the culture of the world.  When submitting to a local pastor, the heart and mind of the disciple must understand that the pastor is a gift from Jesus Christ to equip, mature, and train the disciple in the things of God (Ephesians 4:11-12).  One can accurately judge themselves if they are a disciple or part of the multitude by the level of obedience within their life.  This includes obedience to the local pastor (Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 5:17, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 13:1-2), the Word of God (Luke 11:28, James 1:22-25, 1 John 2:3-4, John 14:21), and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14, John 14:26, Galatians 5:16).  When a person is part of the multitude there is more focus on oneself being the guide and little to no submission to a leader.  This is reflected by those who go to church and do nothing the local pastor, the Word of God, or the Holy Spirit says.  A person that is part of the multitude allows their sinful nature or laziness to rule them making the Word of God of no effect in their life especially when that is their tradition of being a nonparticipant (Mark 7:13).  The battle within them is the desires of the flesh that war against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17).  Sadly, the flesh wins even though their mind believes they are right with God because they have marked off attending church on their chore list.  Christians should desire to be a disciple of Jesus Christ by being in the Word of God, praying, and being around their spiritual gift, the local pastor.  Each of these elements helps to train believers in the things of God.  With these Bible verses in mind, let’s reexamine the question.  Are you a disciple or a part of the multitude?  You’ll need to answer honestly because God already knows the correct answer, do you?  If you need to make adjustments to your walk with God, it is not too late.  Make the proper changes (Romans 12:1-2) and submit to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and your local pastor to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Come join us in being discipled and worshipping God each week at Abundant Grace Church in Sparta, TN.  For more information, visit abundantgracesparta.org.