Feeling Spiritually Drained? You’re Not Alone
Believers or Disciples? Have you ever felt like you were running on empty spiritually, as if your faith has weakened or even died out? Perhaps you’re going through the motions—attending church, reading your Bible occasionally—but it feels as if something is missing. Your spiritual life seems shallow, lacking the depth and strength you once hoped for. Do you know the difference between being a believer and being a disciple of Christ? If you feel this way, you’re not alone. Many Christians struggle with a sense of spiritual exhaustion, a feeling of being “out of gas.”
Let me illustrate this with a simple story.
Building on a Strong Foundation: A Critical Lesson for True Disciples
Imagine a man who sets out to build a house. He carefully picks out the finest materials: beautiful windows, sturdy walls, and a high-quality roof. He takes pride in the work and is excited to see his vision come to life. But there’s a critical flaw—he didn’t ensure the foundation was strong. He rushed through this essential step, eager to see the visible parts of the house completed. When bad weather eventually came, the walls began to shake, the windows cracked, and the roof started leaking. One fierce storm later, the entire house crumbled. All of the work, effort, and beautiful materials were lost because the foundation wasn’t secure.
The Crumbling House: What Happens Without a Strong Foundation
This is what it looks like when we believe in Christ but don’t build on that belief through discipleship. We may look like Christians on the outside, but without a strong spiritual foundation, we risk crumbling when life’s storms come.
Belief is Just the Beginning: The Call to Make Disciples
In many churches today, we focus heavily on making believers, but not as much on making disciples. We celebrate when people come to faith—and rightly so—but too often, we stop there. We forget that Jesus’ call to His followers was not just to believe but to follow Him, to grow in His Word, and to make other disciples.
Jesus made this clear in Matthew 28:19-20, where He commands us, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Believers vs. Disciples: The Difference That Matters
The Great Commission isn’t just about making converts; it’s about making fully devoted followers of Christ—disciples who live out His teachings every day. Chuck Swindoll, reflecting on John 8:31-32, wisely said, “Christ assured them that belief was not the end of something as though they have arrived; belief was a beginning, birth after which growth must follow.”
Tony Evans adds, “Notice you can believe in Jesus but not continue in His word, thus, not function as a true disciple.” The difference between merely believing in Jesus and truly following Him is vast. It’s the difference between that house that crumbles under pressure and a life built on a solid, unshakeable foundation.
The Mission of Disciple Blueprint: Helping Believers Become Disciples
This is why I created Disciple Blueprint—to help believers take that next step from simply believing to truly growing as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Belief is the starting point, but it’s not the destination. Just as a newborn baby isn’t expected to remain a baby, believers are called to grow into mature, fully developed disciples. Discipleship is a journey that involves deepening our knowledge of God, applying His truths to our daily lives, and helping others grow in their faith as well.
Here at Disciple Blueprint, we are laying out the path for this journey. We believe that growth is essential—not optional—for every Christian who wants to live the abundant life Jesus promised.
The Power of True Discipleship: Knowing the Truth and Living It
As we grow in discipleship, Jesus promises a profound result: understanding the truth. In John 8:32, Jesus says, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We live in a society where truth has become increasingly relative. People often say, “What’s true for you may not be true for me.” But as followers of Christ, we understand that God’s truth is absolute. It’s not subject to personal feelings, cultural trends, or societal changes.
In a World of Relativism, God’s Truth Remains Unchanging
Tony Evans defines truth beautifully when he says, “Truth is the absolute standard by which reality is measured. We live in a relativistic society that denies absolute truth, claiming, ‘What’s true for you may not be true for me.’ But truth is not based on feelings, experience, or desires. Truth is God’s viewpoint on every matter, and it is not subject to redefinition.”
This absolute truth is what guides us as disciples. It’s not always popular, and it’s often counter-cultural, but it’s the foundation we must build our lives upon. As we continue in Jesus’ word, we grow in our understanding of this truth, and it sets us free from the confusion, deception, and lies of the world.
Join the Journey: Moving from Believer to Disciple
The journey from believer to disciple is one of the most important steps in the Christian life. It’s where we move from spiritual infancy to maturity, from a shallow faith to a deep relationship with Christ.
At Disciple Blueprint, our mission is to help you take this journey step by step. Together, we will build strong spiritual foundations, rooted in God’s unchanging truth. If you’ve felt spiritually drained or as if your faith is stagnant, know that this is not the end—it’s only the beginning.
Let’s take the next step together, as we lay out a blueprint to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Will you join me?
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