Three Tests of Discipleship

Test #1: The Assembly: The first sign that things may be wrong spiritually  is avoiding other Christians. The saints may make us uncomfortable because there is a certain accountability in those relationships. The Bible tells us not to neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:24-25), and tells us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we can be healed (James 5:16).

So, how do you score on test #1? Are you regularly coming to the assembly? Are you involved in home groups? Are you in open communication with other Christians during the week? If you find yourself avoiding other believers, it may be a sign of loss of discipleship.

Test #2: The Word: The second sign that someone may be losing ground spiritually is are neglect of  the Word of God. The Bible can bring us wisdom if we seek it daily (Proverbs ), and it can make us wiser than our teachers if we are committed to it (Psalm 119:99-100). But it can also bring conviction and rebuke (2 Timothy 3:16) and can cut us apart (Hebrews 4:12).

So, how about test #2? Do you run to the Word or away from it? Or, perhaps, some of the images you know that you will read make you uncomfortable, so you simply neglect to pursue time in the Bible. When you read, are you concentrating, taking notes, digging out truth? If you find that you are reading less Bible now than you were a year ago or a month ago, it may be a sign of losing rather than gaining ground.

Further tests for discipleship could be prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:18), or your words and conversations (Matthew 12:36), or your thought life, or your love for other Christians (John 13:35), or whether you are suffering persecution for Christ (2 Timothy 3:12). But let me suggest just one more test of discipleship.

Test #3: Dreams: This may seem odd, but Solomon had a dream recorded in 1 Kings 3. In that dream, God appeared to him and offered him anything he wished for. Now, if it had been your dream, what would you say? Solomon was so aware of his need for wisdom that even in his dream, he asked the Lord to make him wise.

You might be thinking, "Wait a minute! Surely we are not accountable for what we think in our unconscious dreams, are we?" Remember, the Lord answered and rewarded Solomon according to his response in that dream of his. He also guided Jacob, Joseph, Abraham, Joseph (Mary’s husband), Peter and many others through dreams.

Dreams can tell us a lot about ourselves. You might say that dreams are spiritual movies. They speak in symbols about where our mind dwells, deep-down. In dreams, those inner thoughts come to the surface. Sometimes, the Lord can even speak to us through a dream. Remember Paul’s dream about Macedonia in Acts 19? Paul was seeking the Lord’s will and doing the Lord’s work with such all-consuming concentration that he even considered a dream about a man saying, "Come over and help us" to be an indication of God’s leading.

So here is a tough question: How is your dream life? When you dream, are your words and actions godly? Are you faithful to your spouse, even in your most secret thoughts? Do your unconscious dreams reveal selfish ambition or envy, or greed, or hatred, or bitterness? Or, on the other hand, do you dream of sharing the Gospel with someone, or of serving others? What was the last dream you woke up remembering?

Summary: These may be some ways for us to measure our discipleship: the assembly, the Word, our dreams. So, how’s your discipleship? "I pray that your love for each other will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns. May you always be filed with the fruit of our salvation—those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God." (Philippians 1:9-11, New Living Bible).