As Christ followers we can fall into one of two camps. We either fall into the desirer or disciple camp. The desirer camp contains people who desire Jesus Christ, but do not want to do the work of being disciple. As a result these desirers of the Lord fall into laxity and become duo-focused; that is they want to follow Jesus and the world. In contrast the disciple is more than someone who desires Jesus, they are dedicated to Him! A disciple is a fully committed follower of Christ. They like the First Apostles are willingly to lay down anything that hinders their deep walk with Jesus Christ.
The reaction to these two camps is starkly different. Those who desire Jesus and make him part of the pie of their life are not fiercely persecuted. Because God is merely a piece of their lives, people do not scrutinize and even will applaud a desirer for not taking the "Jesus thing too seriously." The polar opposite is true for a disciple. A disciple will receive the full enmity and demeaning disposition of the world. They will be labeled as "overzealous," "crazy," "austere," "fundamentalist," and "just plain freakish." To be a disciple means to be like The Master Jesus in everyway and that includes being hated: "If the world hates you, remember that is hated me first." (John 15:18, cross ref. Matthew 10:24).
The response to this post may be an immediate call to be a disciple and a desire to stop being a desirer. But before you make the decision to be a disciple of Christ, "weight the cost." (Luke 14:28). Not everyone is cut out (wants to when they fully understand the cost) to be a disciple. There was a rich young ruler who said, " 'Teacher, I want to be a disciple.' To which Jesus responded, "Good, sell all your posses, come and follow me." The rich young man was grieved this for he had many riches. It then goes on to say that he did not become a disciple. Some may take from this condemnation because they are not willing to become a impoverish monk for the Lord. The young wealthy man did not loss God's love or even salvation for not being able to be a disciple; but he did lose out on knowing Jesus Christ deeply and becoming a big part of God's work. It is possible that this young man could have filled Judas Iscariot's place, but we shall never know.
I personally believe all believers are called to be disciples. The Lord says, "many are called, but the chosen are few." (Matthew 22:14). For many feel the call to discipleship, but few answer and make it their whole lives. Being a disciple requires devotion and depth in Jesus that will test your every desire. It can mean forsaking having a family, owning a house, having many riches, and plethora of other comforts. To be completely sold out to Christ requires a soul that is ready to suffer. The gain is tremendous, for the Lord says, "store up your treasure in Heaven, there it will never erode or be stolen by thieves." (Matthew 6:20). But it means dying to this world and being disciple of Jesus Christ this day. I exhort everyone to be disciple, but I have not allusions that everyone will become one. The world and all its wonders call to people. It is hard to resist the treasures and beauties of this planet.
Therefore discipleship itself can be broken into two factions. The first is those who desire Jesus and want to learn under him as Mary, Martha's sister did. (Luke 10:39). Christians of this caliber will learn deep mysteries and have a deeper relationship with Jesus. But the result is that they still have hand or piece of their pie in the world. This can be for good or ill, for that piece can lead a disciple to influence those lost in the world or drawn them far into the darkness of this place we call Earth. The second faction of discipleship is what I would many will call radical, but I call real disciples. Real Disciples have surrendered everything to the Lord and have chosen to be like St. Paul and St. John; fully committed and making their life reflect in every sphere the light of Christ. In this case, the whole pie is for Christ! As a result a real disciple experiences a depth and closeness with Jesus that transcends what can be found by the desirer disciple and desirer. However, the cost package will be suffering, loss, persecution, and even possibly martyrdom; all of which will bring a believer to a place in Jesus that allows them to respond as St. Paul did, "to die is gain."
The real disciple is not suicidal. He or she simply has reached the point where they are so connected (and trusting) to the Christ that nothing is too difficult, not even death. A real disciple lives at freedom few in this life can experience. Fear has lost its power over them and thus nothing can stop their mission for Jesus Christ. To be real disciple like St. Peter requires a trust in the Lord that will test your flesh to the breaking point. It is death of worldly bonds that try to bind you to this planet and keep you from a personal and profound walk with Jesus Christ.
Rich Mullins made a statement about serious discipleship, he said in no uncertain words that if you really want to be sold out for Christ and follow Him like the disciples did, it will cost you everything. He said, "do not ever take lightly what Jesus did for you and don't think for one minute that if it cost Him his very life, it will cost you yours." (Ragamuffin Film Credits).
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Addendum: Read for clarification, otherwise consider Rich Mullin's words the end of the post.
I personally believe everyone should be a 'real disciple,' especially in these End Times. I do not think the world is worth even a piece of our pie or time. I believe it is far better to surrender our lives to Christ as He sacrificed his life for us. I believe that we as Christians will need to be real disciples to survive the coming Tribulation and deceptions of the devil. But even more importantly, Jesus Christ is the only reason to give a 100% of your life! Dedicating your life as disciple to Jesus Christ is the greatest decision you can make! It will bring you to depth of relationship with the Lord that cannot be found in quasi-discipleship or desirer disposition.
Everyone must in his or her own way "weight the cost." I would have it that every Christian believer be a real disciple and follow Jesus so closely that you cannot tell where Jesus begins or ends in their life! That the Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and End has them completely to the point that their lives bare witness to Jesus Christ every second of every day! But I will not sell the package of real discipleship as easy or prosperous in a worldly way. No in stark contrast, being disciple of Jesus will require suffering, persecution, and even potentially death at the hands of Christ's enemies. I do not share these certainties to scare anyone from being a true disciple of Christ, but they should know full well what they are getting involved in.
The call to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ is the greatest call of them all and one we can all choose. I urge you to answer the call to real discipleship. For if you truly are wanting to follow Jesus, it will as Mullins said, "cost you your very life."
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