The world needs true disciples of Christ. Christianity is not just for you. It is for others. What the world needs most is for true disciples to tell them the gospel and to live in light of the gospel. But, that presupposes the presence of their being true disciples.
What do I mean by "true disciples"? In one sense, it is true that every Christian is a true disciple. In another sense, it is also true that not everyone who professes Christianity is a true disciple. Everyone who is born again is a true disciple but not everyone who says that they are a Christian is born again. How does one tell the difference? John 8:31-32 says, "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
What does it mean to abide in Jesus' word? It means to receive and rest upon the truth of God's Word. It means to believe it in its entirety. It means to study His Word in order to live in light of it. But, that can only happen when one hears the Word. For "faith comes from hearing, and hearing the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). It is the Word that sanctifies us (Jn. 17:17). This means that the Word of God has primacy in the Christian life.
Acts 2:42 describes that the ministry of the Word is first and foremost in a healthy church. It is first the public proclamation of God's Word, then the teaching of God's Word in smaller groups, and then the private devotions. All three of these are necessary for our growth in grace but there is an order of priority. The New Testament (echoing the Old Testament) only presents a true disciple as one who is regularly attending church and devoted to the means of grace. It is first corporate before it is private.
Why is this? It is because this is the way God has chosen to work. The public means of grace are His Plan A--and He doesn't have a Plan B. It is God's chosen way because it is how He proclaims to us the gospel of grace and helps us repent of relating to Him by our own works. Faithful preaching proclaims that we relate to God through the works of Christ rather than by our works. And as we learn to live in light of the gospel that preaching will show us how to grow in gospel obedience. But, all this starts with hearing the Word.
Therefore, to be a true disciple is to be one who is "devoted" (Acts 2:42) to the Word of God. It means to study it, obey it, put it into practice, trust it, and rely upon its promises. Ultimately, it is for the purpose of knowing God and delighting in Him.
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