We are in the second year of our Teen Decade emphasis. It is the one time each century that we live the 7 years between '13-'19. And it is the perfect time to highlight the teen culture in America.
Every time I am with young people I see a desire to know what it really means to be a Christian. In Africa this week with Missionary Kids from the Live Dead movement has helped to define the contrast between a convert and a disciple. The commitment level of some of these MK's is second to none. And so I would like to quickly define the differences between the spiritual development of a believer through the stages of Christian growth
The difference between a convert and a disciple. Maybe one of the most needed definitions in Western Christianity. Here is a quick reference guide to understanding these terms more clearly:
CONVERT
What a metric. Take your life and lay it beside this standard. By doing so, you may find the answer to whether you are a convert or a disciple.
Every time I am with young people I see a desire to know what it really means to be a Christian. In Africa this week with Missionary Kids from the Live Dead movement has helped to define the contrast between a convert and a disciple. The commitment level of some of these MK's is second to none. And so I would like to quickly define the differences between the spiritual development of a believer through the stages of Christian growth
The difference between a convert and a disciple. Maybe one of the most needed definitions in Western Christianity. Here is a quick reference guide to understanding these terms more clearly:
CONVERT
- A believer under discipline
- Someone who has professed Christianity personally
- The relationship of a person with the church and fellow believers
- One who has turned from the ways of the world to the ways of Christianity
- The beginning journey of a convert toward Christianity
- A learner under discipline
- Someone who has professed Christianity to others
- The relationship of a person with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit
- One who has accepted Christianity upon their life and adjusted their lifestyle to its tenants
- The mature journey of a disciple toward Christianity
"If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"
What a metric. Take your life and lay it beside this standard. By doing so, you may find the answer to whether you are a convert or a disciple.
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