There were only two options - disciple or not!

I have been wondering lately if, in the desire to bring people to faith in Jesus, the church has formed a condition where people fall short of becoming actual disciples of Jesus. Has a dichotomy been created that was never intended by Jesus or by the practices of the church?

It is not uncommon for followers of Jesus, when trying to determine whether someone else is also a follower or not, to ask questions to ask people questions such as:
“Are you a Christian?”
“Have you prayed to invite Jesus into your life?”
“Have you given your life to Jesus?”

The way someone responds to these questions is then an indicator of where they are at ‘spiritually.’ Does the response really indicate anything or not?

It is not uncommon to hear people say: “He’s a Christian but …” “I’m a Christian but …” The “but …” is followed by qualifiers as to some aspect of the life of the person being described.

Is it possible that people have been led to believe that they can be a ‘Christian’ and not be a disciple of Jesus? Is it possible that people in our society believe that the two ideas can be separated? Do people in our society and in the church believe that a person can be a ‘Christian’ and choose not to be a disciple? Is there now the view that being a disciple is an option that a ‘Christian’ can choose if they want to, but it is not necessary?

Jesus told the Apostles and first followers: “Go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20) It was never the case that people could be a ‘Christian’ and not a disciple. People were either disciples or they weren’t. There were only two options - disciple or not! Multiple choices did not exist among the early church.

The only question to be asked is: Are you a disciple of Jesus? How about it?