Why Christ is still calling for Disciples, not church members

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Jesus and disciples

Why Christ is still calling for Disciples, not church members.

Many people in the church today think that Disciples of Christ are a dead idea. They see it as history. They see it as a group of twelve (Matthew 10:1) or seventy (two) disciples (Luke 10:1) who Jesus Christ chose and worked with. They think disciples have done their part and are dead and gone since the first century and therefore it is now a dead idea, history, and irrelevant to Christ today. Are you among those who think so?

But this is actually wrong! Frankly, I was one of such until the Lord changed my mind! When the Lord called me Albert Etornam Dogbe (AED) after 13 years of working in multinational companies, and demanded all of my time, energy, skills, and experiences for His work, it was a traumatizing demand on me. But when I answered YES, He began to teach me discipleship through the ministry of the Holy Ghost. He therefore gave me some deep, rare insight into the subject of disciples, and discipleship. This humbles me really. And at the climax He commanded me one evening during prayer to “Disciple Him and Make Him Disciples” This was and is what changed my wrong notion (like many others still hold today) about disciples. In fact the Lord says this is His renewed call to His church and clergy “Disciple Him and Make Him Disciples”.

I am therefore a 21st century Disciple of Jesus Christ and everyone that calls him/herself a Christian MUST BE. Disciples are therefore still a valid demand, requirement of following Christ today in the 21st century. I am not writing to only  inform, educate and entertain your mind, but I write to impart to you the grace of a Disciple which I received from the Lord. I am imparting this grace with the sole goal of fulfilling my divine assignment of making disciples for Christ in every nation.

Unfortunately, disciples and discipleship has been abandoned by the church for the past 20 centuries (i.e. 100 years x20=2,000 years). Frankly, towards the middle of the Book of Acts, which I call The Acts of the Disciples, the name and activities and presence of disciples disappeared and that continued till today. Thankfully, the Lord has shown me the reasons for this, which I will share with you. In fact, I have told you one reason already; many Bible Translators not getting it right, not understanding the meaning, relevance of the word disciples as Christ used in what many call The Great Commission,(Matthew 28:19-20 KJV), which I call The Lord’s Final Command. They therefore, drop the word DISCIPLES and replace it with teaching them.

Disciples is what Christ commanded the Disciples to make for Him in every nation in His last command before His ascension to heaven, He did not ask for ordinary church and denomination members as we have today. (Please church members are good and necessary, but not an end it itself. Because being a church or denomination member alone does not fulfill the law of Christ, the royal law (James 2:8/Matthew 22:37 /Mark 12:30/Luke10:27). I am therefore not surprised one bit that the whole central idea or demand of discipleship hinges on this loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, spirit and strength.

He commanded them “Go ye therefore and make DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to obey all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20 KJV (Note that a few translations of the Bible have thrown the word DISCIPLES away or dropped it, not knowing its meaning and relevance in contemporary church. Please check your Bible version now and be sure what it says). The early Disciples were therefore charged to make more disciples in all the nations and be succeeded by disciples. In effect, Christ was saying, I want to be succeeded and represented in every nation by DISCIPLES.I want my ambassadors to be DISCIPLES, not church members or denominational lovers.

Do you know why? Disciples are a loyal breed of followers, students, representatives and call them ambassadors. If not for disciples who love their Master even unto the point of death, (of course Judas Iscariot and Peter initially must fulfill prophecy), the “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) would have been a major joke.

I have more to share with you. By grace, I would be showing you Who or What a Disciple is and is not and many more. But I stop here and ask for your reactions. Is your mind receiving light and illumination on the subject? I am not writing to inform, educate and entertain your mind, but I am writing to impart to you the grace of a disciple which the Lord gave me. I am therefore writing with the sole goal of fulfilling my calling of making disciples for the Lord in every nation. Are you beginning to see the truth that in the mind of Christ you are also supposed to be His Disciple rather than whatever name you may be calling yourself now?

Let me hear from you.

 

 

7 thoughts on “Why Christ is still calling for Disciples, not church members”

  1. Nothing is wrong with church membership, as long as it is the church of sanctified believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s not a church one can “join” here on earth, by filling out a form and being listed in a membership roster. Christ’s church members have their names written in heaven, and He sanctifies us to His service. Thanks for following my blog, The Well-Dressed Branch.

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    • Thanks James for your comment. You see it is very easy to be a church member for decades and even all your life without a commitment and a love relationship with Christ. Meanwhile it is the deep, love relationship with Christ that makes all the difference. Our names are written in heaven not because we go to church, but because we love Christ and have faith in Him. In fact the Lord made the point to the disciples (not just anyone around) that they should not rejoice that demons obey them, rather they should rejoice in this, that their names were written in heaven. “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Being a church member is therefore good, but not enough. Not all church members are saved or will see God: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew7:21-22). But He will say to many, “I do not know you, depart from Me, you workers of iniquity”
      Church membership is good and easy, even withces and agents of satan are in church, right? But It takes an extra step to get hold of Christ, to step into the innercircles of Christ, deep love relationship, which makes faith in Him easy, and your name in heaven, guaranteed. No one pays the price of discipleship as demanded by Christ and still misses the Lord, never! Let’s rather be Disciples, rather than just church members. Do you remember these demands (among others) of Christ on us? “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37-38)
      Every church member has one extra step to take, pay the price of disciples, it is a demand, a reqirement from Christ. My divine assignment is to teach and impart the grace of disciples to the church and clergy.

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  3. Yes you really doing a great job not for men nor earthly gain but for the salvation of lost souls.
    The bible did say that many are called but few Will be chossen.
    Yes the aspect of making disciples for Christ is much important no matter where u find yourself.
    Even at your workplace, u can tell one or Two people you come across about Christ. It could also be on your way and even in your car when you happen to offer someone a lift.
    May the good Lord who called you to his great work bless u and keep you going forward without turning back. Only God knows your way forward. Never look back and you shall surely get there.

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    • Very encouraging. By the work of the Lord, the wind of discipleship is dispatched across the church, the clergy and the nations.
      I see a ready and willing billions of multitudes enrolling themselves as disciples of Christ wherever I preach or they receive the message.
      God bless you Caroline. May you receive the grace and the special honour of a disciple (John 12:26).
      Thanks for visiting my site, reading and commenting.

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  4. Pingback: Why Christ is still calling for Disciples, not church members | Making Disciples for Christ

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