The Cost of DiscipleshipWe are told to count the cost. So by the standards of Jesus, what exactly is the cost? Luke 9: 23 He said to all, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it.
25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self? 26 For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:
57 As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, "I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord."
58 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another, "Follow me!" But he said, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father."
60 But Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce the Kingdom of God." 61 Another also said, "I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to bid farewell to those who are at my house."
62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow,
and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." Luke 14:
25 Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them,
26 "If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.
27 Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost,
to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build, and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace.
33 So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple
The Cost of DiscipleshipWe are told to count the cost. So by the standards of Jesus, what exactly is the cost? Luke 9: 23 He said to all, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it.
25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self? 26 For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:
57 As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, "I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord."
58 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another, "Follow me!" But he said, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father."
60 But Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce the Kingdom of God." 61 Another also said, "I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to bid farewell to those who are at my house."
62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow,
and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." Luke 14:
25 Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them,
26 "If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.
27 Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost,
to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build, and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace.
33 So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple. CommentsThis is harsh and stark by even the most conservative standards of today! Self-Denial
Everybody has their own particular desires and goals and expectations in life. For some it is family, for others career, or financial security, or social status, or any numerous other things and any combination of the such. But a true disciple of Christ gives up ALL and EVERY last one these and replaces them with Jesus' desires and Jesus' goals and Jesus' expectations. This is no easy task and anyone that suggests that differently is plain and simply a liar. In fact, it can only be done through the help and strength of the Holy Spirit. This incorporates all aspects of your life. In order to claim to be a follower of Jesus, you will have to deny all of your own desires, goals and expectations when it comes to your: vocation, location, pleasures, family, friends, culture, time, attitudes, society, activities, lifestyle - what we say, think, feel and do, just as Jesus said, "Not my will but Yours be done for the glory of the Father". This is what is meant by -- “self denial“. Taking up our Cross
Jesus took up the cross in submission to God's will. When we follow the Lord Jesus and live in submission to God’s will there are many burdens to bear. The cross represents suffering, pain, humiliation, persecution and most of all death. We are not ever called to an easy life but always called to a godly life - a life in which God is the center at any cost to ourselves or our family. You see, we are called to get on the cross with Jesus daily nailing our own fleshy desires to that same cross. Unless you nail yourself to the cross in submission to the will of God for the Glory of God, your cross remains laying on the ground waiting for you to pick it up. Pick it up! -- regardless of the pain, humiliation, persecution, suffering, rejection, and death that is sure to follow. Pick it up! -- in submission to the will of God for the Glory of the Father! This is what is meant by -- “taking up your cross“. Repent! & Pick it up! Follow Jesus
The Christian life is not just a matter of being "good" and not sinning, but it also incorporates submitting oneself to the Lordship of Christ as Master of every aspect of your life. A believer submits to Christ as Lord and Master, but the Christian life even goes beyond this. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. The idea behind following Jesus incorporates and goes beyond the idea of just submitting and obeying Him. A slave submits to his master, but a son follows his father's example. Yes, a son is expected to obey, but as he matures, the father expects him to follow his example. So also in the Christian life. If you live a Christen life your life will look like and resemble the life of Jesus. You MUST be able to site specific examples, at the drop of a hat, of how your daily, weekly, and monthly life and Jesus’ life mimic each others. If you can’t do this, then you absolutely CANNOT claim to be living a Christian life!!! If you life does not mimic the life of the Biblical New Testament Jesus Christ of Nazareth, then you are NOT a follower of Jesus. This is what meant by -- “following Jesus”. Losing our life
Any one who wishes to be a Christian must completely let go of their worldly ambitions and totally waste their lives on Jesus, His commission and the Glory of His Father. There is nothing that the world can offer which can compare with the rewards of a life of service to the Lord Jesus Christ. When ever single aspect and every single day of your life is completely wasted on the heart of Jesus, then you will understand what is meant by -- “losing your life”. Shamelessness
Though Christians should be wise and gracious in presenting the teachings of Jesus and his apostles to others, we certainly should not be ashamed of or feel embarrassed by the “anti-world view” or “anti-humanism’ of what has been written. The world will subject Christians to humiliation. That's just a part of the Christian life. But Paul writes: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." Rom 1:16 Boldness and confidence are the very characteristics of true conviction. No one is burned alive, stones, tortured or beheaded for an all inclusive all loving, all mercy and all peace message. But, men have been and are currently today being burned alive, stones, imprisoned, tortured or beheaded for shamelessly standing bold against the powers of darkness that consume the popular cultural, societal and world view of our time. This is what is meant by -- “shamelessness“. Will you answer the call and stand shamelessly and confident against the humanism of capitalistic western Christianity and the American dream? "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." Heb 10:35 "Going" vs. "Being"
In following Christ there are, as previously observed, crosses to bear, painful humiliation to face, and difficult sacrifices to make. There are still many who will make half-way, or 65%, or 75%, or 98% commitments to follow Jesus. These people are those who limit their commitment to simply "going" from one place to another, but never completely “being“. They limit discipleship to things like going to an institutional church, going to seminary, or going to a mission field. Following Jesus is not only about "going" and "arriving". Following Jesus must also be about "becoming" and "being". These locations don't need simply another body. They need “Christ-like” living epistles of the complete and full Biblical Jesus of Nazareth written about in the New Testament . For Jesus spoke of the hypocrites among the Pharisees saying, "You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." Mat 23:15 Therefore let's be less concerned about going to this place or that place, and let's be more concerned about being like and following the true and Biblical Jesus of Nazareth. This is what is meant by “going” vs. “being”. Let the dead bury their dead
It is most likely that the man's father had not yet died, but that this man in Luke 9:59 was asking to wait until his father died and then he would follow Jesus. At issue here are cultural responsibilities within one's family. Without Jesus, the fulfilling of our earthly responsibilities is like dead people burying dead people. This is not to say that one should not fulfill their earthly responsibilities, but life comes first. Which is more important, burying someone who is dead, or bringing the dead to life? If he first followed Jesus, he could bring life back to his family. Otherwise without Jesus, this life is vain. It is one of death, waiting to be buried. Many times I've heard people say that will follow Jesus or live the Christian life but only after they've fulfilled some other responsibilities. They just don't get it. If you aren't following Jesus you are dead. And only in vain does the dead bury their dead. Putting one's hand to the plow and looking back
To look back has the sobering reality and remembrance of role and fate of Lot's wife. These are “Lot’s wife” or at best halfway Christians, not committed to constantly progressing forward in their Christian life, but continually looking back on what they “had to” give up instead of looking forward to the glory of the Father their lives could yield in submission to the will of God. That is a big sentence and should be read again slowly and deliberately. These are “Lot’s wife” or at best halfway Christians, not committed to constantly progressing forward in their Christian life, but continually looking back on what they “had to” give up instead of looking forward to the glory of the Father their lives could yield in submission to the will of God. These people and most American Christians today are the very ones Peter refers to in 2Pet 2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud." But Paul writes: "This one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Php 3:13 If we're not committed to going all the way to the promise land, then we are unfit for it! We will die in the desert and spend eternity burning in the fiery pits of hell! In Luke 9:62 the Greek says "fit for the kingdom of God” not only are such people not fit for service in the kingdom, they are also not suitable for entrance into the kingdom. Hating your family
What did Jesus mean by hating one's family? Most would agree that Jesus was speaking about your attitude relative to Christ in contrast to your attitude about your husband, wife, children, mother or father. Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Our devotion to Jesus should be so much greater than our devotion to our family that it is like contrasting love and hatred. The happiness of ones children or what is best or good for the family has come first in the lives of many Christians today. The will of God and Jesus must always be logically and reasonably the same as that which is for the good and best of ones own family fist and foremost. Jesus tells us if this is the case then you are not worthy to be His disciple and will spend eternity in hell. The perfect example of this is when I tell people that our family is opening a child care center for the fatherless, poor, oppressed, impoverished children and babies of the low income areas of our city. “But your you own children will suffer for the sake of others!“ “But your own children will have to go to inner-city schools and live as beaten, persecuted and suffering “salt and light” to their lost and dieing peers!” This reminds me of a quote by K. P. Yohannan “No man or woman is too old or no boy or girl is too young to learn and suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ and the glory of His Father and Kingdom.” If the comfort and the “happiness” of the life of your family is anything except hatred in comparison to your devotion to the glory of the Kingdom of God, you CANNOT be a disciple of Jesus. Christ! This is what is meant by “hating your family“. John 12:25 "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." What if we were to replace "life" with "family". This would say "The man who loves his family will lose it, while the man who hates his family in this world will keep it for eternal life." Many lead their families straight into hell by "loving" them more than they love Jesus. Again this is too important to say only once. Read this again carefully and slow. It is too important to skim past. "Many lead their families straight into hell by "loving" them more than they love Jesus. The best thing we can do for our families and for ourselves is to follow Jesus. So let us follow and obey Jesus for the Glory of His Father, regardless of what our families say or the consequences (persecution, death, suffering, humiliation, imprisonment, torture) they may face. This is what is meant by “hating your family“. This is the Cost of Discipleship!
These are the standards by which Jesus Christ Himself has set forth for us too follow! NOTHING LESS! |
Once
Monthly
