Lifeblood

What happens to the life of a body once discipleship is compromised, or dilluted.  Discipleship is the lifeblood of the Body!  If you do not have discipleship, you do not have a Body church.  You may have a great community of people, but it isn't the Body of Christ.   The Body of Christ is, before anything else, the redeemed of the Lord.  The redeemed of the Lord are, before anything else, those who have been made disciples of Christ by accepting His call on their life.  You can have people gather together in the name of Christ without being a part of the body of Christ.  Christ said that many people would honor Him with their lips, but not give Him their hearts.[i]  Being a disciple is not about promulgating His teachings or claiming to belong to Him.  It is much, much more.

If you have compromised discipleship, there is a body, but what you have is a decaying body!  The problem is, in a decaying body, members don't know that the body is decaying.  The members in a decaying body mistake activity for vitality.  It would be like walking into a morgue and seeing a cadaver suddenly twitch one of its limbs, or release what sounds like a long breath.  It happens quite often due to various biological processes having ceased.  To confuse the activity for life however, would prove to be a monumental mistake.

"So what!  If people are loving each other in Jesus' name, what more is there?  Isn't discipleship beyond the simple gospel merely an attempt at salvation by works?" 
            
At the most basic level, Christ says, "Repent and follow Me," and we say, "Yes Lord."  He calls and we obey.  This is the transaction of grace and faith, which we call salvation.  Immediately we are disciples.  The difficulty is that His words, "Follow me," are a lot more potent than simply inferring that we act joyful, polite and caring in the absence of trials and tribulations, or even conflict. 

Notice, He does not say merely, "Follow Me." 

Maybe "Repenting and following" has less to do with acting Christian and more to do with responding appropriately to Christ's Words.  You are part of the Church.  How are you doing?

"Lord, I know you oppose the proud, even if they are right. 
I know you also desire unity and peace in the Body through the Spirit.  But I know You demand right teaching along with unity and peace.  Please lead us into all three.  Protect the hearts and minds of those who hunger and thirst.  Lead us into a life that pleases You.  All for Your glory.  In Christ's name.  Amen."


[i] Mathew 15:8-9  These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.


Please check out Chapter four of 12:2 here
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48254001/12-2


With you for His glory