“Michael Wilkins, professor of New Testament and dean of the faculty at Talbot Seminary, regularly asks two questions when he speaks to groups about discipleship…The first question is, ‘How many of you can say, in the humble confidence of your heart, that you are true disciples of Jesus? Please raise your hand.’ Wilkins says that people are genuinely confused as to what they should do. Most do not raise their hand. Some put it up hesitantly and then quickly pull it down. Then Wilkins proceeds to a second question: ‘How many of you can say, in the humble confidence of your heart, that you are convinced that you are a true Christian? Please raise your hand.’ Immediately most hands go up without hesitation.”
From Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden
Most interesting. I thought the two terms actually referred to the same thing. Have we so segmented things that you can be a christian, but not a disciple? Isn’t it supposed to be that if you are a christian, you are a disciple?