The Cost of The Call
Jesus is making a call to his people everywhere, to become his disciples!!! To move from being just a believer to a fully devoted follower of Jesus. It’s one thing to be saved and on your way to heaven, but it is an entirely different story to be a disciplined follower of Jesus everyday. Just as God has called us to salvation, he is also calling us to discipleship! Discipleship is answering the “CALL” to follow Jesus in every area of your life.
Let me make this clear in differentiating the call to salvation and the call of discipleship, The Call to SALVATION costs us nothing, but the call to discipleship costs us everything!
'For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' ' Luke 14:28-30 'As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." ' Luke 9:57-62
Discipleship will cost My Comforts
A guy comes to Jesus and says, “I will follow you wherever you go!” Jesus said, it will cost you! If you are going to follow Jesus, trust me, you will have to sacrifice your comfort zone time and time again! I’m not saying having comfort is wrong, I’m saying, You can have any comfort of this world and if you don't have Jesus, what does it matter!? What does it matter if you have comfort if you don't have the comforter!
That’s why Our call to follow Jesus shouldn't be based on our comforts, it should be based on wherever the Master is Calling! *That’s not how it is in our consumer Christianity though. If the church isn't catering to my every need, I go find a new one. If the preacher is tickling my ears, I find a new one. *We have too many Christians that live life solely surrendered to their feelings instead of solely surrendered to Christ. A disciple of Jesus defies his feelings and trusts that if his master is calling him to some momentary discomfort it is for a far greater purpose that is coming.
Discipleship will cost Money and Temporary Things
Jesus is putting more emphasis on eternal things rather than temporary things! Oh, if American Christianity needs to answer an urgent call from Jesus, its this one! You will understand this saying more by knowing that in Bible days when a person buried their loved one, that is when they would receive their inheritance. So when Jesus said, “let the dead bury the dead and you preach the gospel,” he is saying following me and doing my work is more important than anything, including money- are you willing to pay that cost?
Unfortunately in the Body of Christ today we have many people who have forsaken the call of God to pursue money and temporary things!
Discipleship will cost People and family
How many of us have had good intentions to do something and then didn’t do it? Jesus knew if this guy went back, he would have stayed because of his family! That’s why following Jesus is answering His call today, not waiting for tomorrow!
What Jesus is teaching here is that sometimes following God will be combated by someone closest to you! And you will have to choose, are you willing to pay the price of forsaking the person for your Lord!
'Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. ' Mark 10:28-30
Let’s Talk About This
What has been the hardest “cost” you’ve given up for following Jesus?
Why do think it is so hard for for others to pay the “cost”?