This morning, we’re going to address the question, Who is a Disciple of Jesus today? This is a very important question to answer. According to the Bible, a true disciple of Jesus is a follower of the Lord Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is someone who is saved and has eternal life. The question of who is a disciple of Jesus needs to first of all be asked of ourselves. Am I a disciple of Jesus?
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Why examine yourself? There are many who think they are disciples of Jesus, but are not. Realizing that you are not Jesus’ disciple is the first step to becoming one. Many think they are disciples because they go to church, read the Bible or like some of the things that Jesus taught. God’s Word clearly tells us how to become a disciple of Jesus. We’ll give you an opportunity to make sure you are Jesus’ disciple at the end of the service.
Not only should we examine ourselves, we are to ask the question of those around us. Are they disciples of Jesus? There are three possible answers to the question. The first is Yes, someone is a true disciple of Jesus. The second answer is No, someone is a false disciple of Jesus. A false disciple is someone who claims to be Jesus’ disciple, but is not. Finally, there are those who don’t claim to be a disciple and are not.
1 John 4:1 (ESV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Behind every person, there is a spirit. Within every true disciple of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Guiding the lives of every false disciple or non-disciple are evil spirits. Why do we need to discern whether others of Jesus’ true disciples? Because it will help us to interact with them in the way God desires. Thos are true disciples of Jesus, we treat as brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who are false disciples or follow other religions, we seek to win to Christ and are beware of their teaching.
70% of people in America claim to be Christians or disciples of Jesus. Only 25% of people in America are practicing Christians who agree that their faith is very important and attended church in the past month. Undoubtedly, true disciples are only a fraction of that 25% of practicing Christians. Today, we want to learn more from Jesus about who is a disciple?