But,
   → Muffins don't have a long shelf life.   
   → Muffins don't typically provide the vitamins and protein our body needs.   
   → Muffins don't sustain us for heavy labor.   
   → Muffins can be fattening.   

We know what a disciple is: a believer who follows our Lord in Word and deed.   

A muffin in that vein is a believer who never moves into discipleship.   

A disciple has the strength of commitment and depth of relationship.   

A muffin has the smell and taste of a believer, but not the power of the disciple.   

A specific type of muffin that packs a lot of smell and flavor in it is a cupcake.   

We all know that in the world of competition, the cupcake always gets walked over by the serious competitor.   

It is likely there are 10000 muffins for each disciple in the Body Of Christ.   

And that explains the weakness in the church.   

How does a believer move out of the muffin state into the disciple state?   

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mat 16:24 Your Cross and mine is personal rejection by unbelievers for our testimony of Christ Jesus.      Until we are willing to be rejected by men for Christ's testimony we bear no cross.      It is a dangerous thing to be unwilling to suffer persecution for our testimony.     It is the next thing to outright denial of Him as Saviour and Lord.      We deny ourselves by giving all praise glory and honour to Christ Jesus at the risk of being persecuted.      So, we take up the cross of persecution - being mistreated because of our stance for Christ.      We follow Jesus is His Word and Holy Spirit, speaking as He spoke and doing what He did.      Peter's Double Minded nature Mat 16:23 was not unique to him so Jesus addressed all the disciples so that they understood the level of commitment that Jesus required.     We must deny ourselves.      Peter had tried to intervene in the direction of Jesus' Physical Life.     So, Jesus addresses how to experience Abundant Life in our Physical Life in His comments to all the disciples.     We find Abundant Life by giving up our Self Will controlled life in obedience to the Holy Spirit and Word.      Persecution for our testimony is our cross.     Those who do not testify of Jesus Christ receive no persecution and so never bear their cross.      Jesus testified of the Father and suffered rejection and death for it.     Jesus is a stumblingblock to the rebellious unbeliever and so are we in our testimony of Him.