The most common analysis of this that I have heard is that a disciple is a sort of "super Christian" much like being a Nazarite was to the Israelites. Most people that are associated as being disciples are our preachers, ministers, elders, deacons, and other leaders in the church. These are the people that we expect to have their lives together and have an awesome relationship with God.
Another distinction that people make is that you don't have to be a disciple in order to be a Christian, and thusly that you don't have to be a disciple in order to be saved.
Let's see what the Bible has to say about it:
"Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
-Acts 11:25-26 (NIV)
According to Biblegateway.com, the word "Christian" only appears three times in the entire Bible. Once here, once in Acts 26:28, and once in 1 Peter 4:12. Of the three scriptures, this is the only one where there is a comparison between Christians and disciples. According to this scripture, Christians and disciples are one in the same and can be used synonymously with each other.
What does that mean for us? If being a Christian and being a disciple are the same thing, what does that mean about our salvation? If your life does not match up with what Jesus says when he talks about being a disciple (read the Gospels), I urge you to do some serious soul searching. If your life does not reflect the life of Jesus, if you have always assumed that going to church once a week and reading your Bible a couple times a week is what Christianity is, if your life after your conversion looks eerily identical to your life previous to your conversion, then I plead with you to work out your salvation. Below are a list of scriptures to help point you in the right direction as to what the Bible says about being a disciple.
What does it take?
Luke 9:23-27
Luke 14:25-33
How do I get there?
John 3:3-5
Acts 2:36-41
Romans 6:1-7
1 Peter 3:18-22
Seek God with all your heart, and you will find him. Pray that God will lead you to the truth and he will not disappoint you. Most of all, do not let predispositions and what you've always understood as being true inhibit your ability to interpret the Bible in an unbiased manner. God bless
