Are We A Convert, A Believer or A Disciple?

I was doing my quiet time reading Luke 5 about Jesus calling his first disciples.
And I was reading this passage just days after I had a chat about this with a badminton teammate playing in the Veterans (over 50 years old) Inter-Association / City / Club Badminton Tournament. It is as if there is a re-affirmation of the message.

I had played mixed doubles with this veteran kiwi lady earlier in May in Whangarei (North of Auckland). I remembered in that game I told her to cover the front of the court and exhorted her to run for one play. After the game back in Auckland, one of the organizers told me that the lady is 74 years old!!! Wow!!! isn't it amazing that this lady can still run and play badminton at this age. This challenges us to keep fit and get running even up to our 70's and beyond. After that revelation, I am now more careful in encouraging my partner to go for the shuttle.

We had another tournament just the previous weekend in Palmerston North (south of Auckland and nearer to Wellington) and I had the opportunity to chat with her.
I think she asked me what I was doing and I shared with her that I am a pastor.
Then the conversation led to her sharing with me that she is a protestant.
So I obviously will ask the next question: Which church do you attend?

She mentioned that she has not attended church since she migrated from Scotland years ago - having to take care of her children.

She asked "Must a Christian go to church?"
I asked her what is God's commission for all of us.
She pondered and waited for me to answer.
I shared with her the gist of Matt 28:19 - go and Make Disciples.

Did Jesus say "Go and make Converts?" or "Go and make Believers?"
No. Jesus said "Go and make Disciples."

So I asked her whether she wants to be a convert or a disciple.
She said "Disciple."
So I asked the next question - "What is a disciple?"
She knows it well - "A disciple is a follower."

Mt 28:19-20 gives us some pointers of what a disciple is like.
A disciple is a follower who is willing to be taught to obey everything Jesus have commanded us.

So coming back to her question, "Must a Christian attend church?"
What does the Bible say about this?
Today we think of church as a physical building.
But in the early days, Christians gathered together in houses.

The home gathering is the church.
e.g. 1Cor 16:19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
e.g. Rom 16:5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.

So I mentioned to her that she could always a attend a home group if church (on Sundays) is inconvenient for her.
So I asked the lady, what does she want to be - a convert or a disciple?
She had earlier nodded that she wanted to be a disciple.
That gave her something to chew upon as she stood up and went on with her matters.
As she went, she said that I was a good pastor.

I was worried that I had offended her.
But with her parting words, I felt so privileged to be able to share this with her.
Sometimes we go on doing what we do but God has a purpose for us all to be at a certain place and a certain time.
God has placed us where we are for His divine purposes.

On this Badminton trip, I was privileged to be able to know another Laotian player who is not yet a believer. But whis son and daughter in law are Christian leaders in an Auckland church and had studied in a Bible college in Singapore. I look forward to sharing life together with him.

Coming back to Luke 5 and other verses like Matt 28:19-20, what are the marks of a disciple?

1. Willing to be taught - Teachable and humble (Mt 28:20)

2. Have a teacher (Mt 28:20)

3. Follower of Jesus and obey everything that He commands (Mt 28:20)

4. Prepared to leave everything to follow Jesus

This is repeated twice in Luke 5 and found only in Luke 5 - 5:11 and 5:28.
e.g. Luke 5:11 So they (Simon Peter, James and John) pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Are we prepared to leave everything to follow Jesus when called to do so?

5. Make disciples

Just as our spiritual father / leader make disciples of us, we continue the process of making disciples (Mt 28:19-20).

So looking at the marks of a disciple
- are we a convert, a believer or a disciple?