Would you say that you grew up in a Christian Home?

In my experience, that title can cover a wide variety of homes in the Western world. But I wonder, would those families also be able to say that they grew up in a Discipled Home?

Maybe you’re thinking, “What’s the difference?”

To answer that, we need to ask the question behind the question: “What’s the between a Christian and a Disciple?”

Christian Vs. Disciple: “Christian“

The word, Christian is only used 3 times in the New Testament. And when it’s used, the term is not one of endearment. It was an outsider’s label (created by unbelievers) to describe people who followed Jesus.

1. Acts 11:26
   • “and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.“
2. Acts 26:28
   • “And Agrippa said to Paul, ‘In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?‘”
3. 1 Peter 4:16
   • “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.“

To add to this evidence, as we read through Scripture, Jesus himself never used the word, Christian once. Moreover, the word, Christian was never included as one of the insider labels (among Believers) used within the Early Church.

Christian Vs. Disciple: “Disciple“

In contrast the word, Disciple appears 261 times in the New Testament. Click HERE to read through the list.

Again to add evidence to this argument, Jesus used the word, Disciple 14 times, speaking about those who would follow Him and His teaching.

I think Kyle Idleman states it best in his book, “Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus“.

“The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”

CAVEAT

Here’s what I’m not saying:

I’m not saying that we can never use the word, Christian in our day-to-day life. In fact, I’ve used the title several times throughout this week.

However, what I’m trying to highlight is that internally, within the setting of Church-life, we might want to consider using the title, Disciple a bit more frequently. In doing so, we’d be reminding ourselves what we really signed on for in becoming “Christians”.

But What About the Home?

Authentic Christianity, is a movement of Jesus’ Disciples spreading the Gospel globally, throughout history. But each component of this movement has always started locally.

I believe much of this has been established and facilitated within the home.

Once we’ve established that we want to go farther than just being a Christian. And instead, live out our lives as Disciples of Jesus. It’s time to look at our homes.

Do I live in a home where Jesus teaching is a position or a practice? Do I live in a Christian Home or a Discipled Home?

Join the Conversation, Leave Your Thoughts

In the Western Church, do you believe there’s a difference between a Christian and a Disciple of Jesus?