Whose Disciple Are You?

Image courtesy Grant McDonald on Flickr.

John 9:28 Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples.

The Lord Jesus just healed a man born blind. The man did not know who healed him but he knew that someone had changed his life, someone has met the deepest needs of his soul. In his
questioning by the Pharisees, he was insulted for his support of the Lord Jesus who opened his eyes and helped him see. The Pharisees, maliciously prejudiced against the Lord Jesus, took
sides and said, “thou art his (the Lord Jesus’) disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.” Does the world take sides against you for your faith? Do they separate from you because you are a
Christian, or do they love to hang out with you? The Lord Jesus taught,

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:19

It must never be the goal of the believer to antagonize this world unnecessarily, but when we choose to live for Christ, the world will find our lifestyles offensive. We do not run with them to the pubs, we do not sing worldly songs with them, nor do we find our company in questionable places. Our love for our Lord and our desire to be true to Him motivate us to follow what He says. Understand three truths from this simple verse if we are to be Christ’s disciples:

Genuine salvation will lead to identification with Christ
This man does not know who healed him but he had a gratitude that made others identify him with Christ. “Thou art his disciple”. The Lord Jesus met him later and asked him,

Dost thou believe on the Son of God?…And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
John 9:35, 38.

The identification with Christ was instantaneous. Because God already drew him by His grace, he responded by faith for the man said

Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
John 9:36

When the Lord’s grace is on a person’s life, there will be an identification with Christ, not only verbally but by a change of mind and life. This can be seen in the man boldly standing up against the world, the religious leaders, even with the fear of his parents.

A true disciple will be cast out
And they cast him out. The parents of this man dared not stand in this man’s stead to testify for him because of fear
…
These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
John 9:34; 22

The world hates believers not only because the believers’ lifestyles go contrary to theirs but they convict them of their sin. Therefore, a true disciple will be rejected by this world. The world will be willing to accommodate the believer and reason with the believer as long as there is no need to decide to take sides. However, when the man asked “…will ye also be his disciples?”, there began the separation and when the truth was taught, they cast him out.

A true disciple will persist in following Christ even when the world rejects him
In being cast out, this man lost his membership at the Jewish synagogue, and although not stated, he may have faced problems within his household because of the fear of the parents for the Jews. Yet, when confronted with Christ, the Bible records

Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
John 9:38

His allegiance is to the Lord Jesus. Worship in the Bible includes service and loyalty to the true God.

Does this world make a separation between you and them? Is your lifestyle, fashion, dressing, music, and even language patterned after the world? In the name of personal taste, do we yield to the pattern this world gives us, or do we say, “Lord I will be true to you and therefore, I will not learn the way of the heathen?” A thought for us from our Bible-believing forefathers: the name “Christian” was given by our enemies (Acts 11:26), because they were followers of Christ. The word “Christian” was used as a term of contempt. The name “Baptist” was given to our Bible-believing forefathers by enemies, also as a term of contempt, because they refused to compromise the truth of God. May we never forget this.

Evangelist-Pastor Johnny Tan
Ambassador Baptist Church