Thursday: The Cost of Discipleship
Socrates had Plato. Gamaliel had Saul. Leaders of various religions had their devout followers. The difference between discipleship in such cases and the discipleship of Jesus is that the former is based on the content of human philosophy, whereas the latter is rooted in the person and accomplishment of Jesus Himself. Thus, Christian discipleship rests not just on Christ’s teachings but also on what He did for human salvation.
Image © David Sorensen from GoodSalt.com
Hence, Jesus bids all His followers to fully identify themselves with Him, to take up their cross, and to follow His leadings. Without people walking in the footprints of Calvary, there is no Christian discipleship.
Read Luke 9:23-25, Matthew 16:24-28, Mark 8:34-36. What is the crucial message here for anyone who claims to be a Christian?
Christian discipleship is an operative link between the saved and the Savior; as the saved, we are to follow the Savior. Thus Paul could say, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me
(Gal. 2:20, NIV).
The cost of discipleship is defined in Luke 9:23: If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me
(Luke 9:23, NKJV). Note these operative words: deny,
take up,
and follow.
When we read that Peter denied Jesus, we could not have a better definition of deny.
Peter was saying, I do not know Jesus.
So, when the call to discipleship demands that I deny myself, I must be able to say I do not know me; self is dead. In its stead, Christ must live (Gal. 2:20). Second, to take up the cross daily is a call to experience self-crucifixion on a continual basis. Third, to follow demands that the focus and direction of life is Christ and Him alone.
Jesus expands the cost of discipleship even further, as revealed in Luke 9:57-62: nothing takes precedence over Jesus. He, and He alone, stands supreme in friendship and fellowship, work and worship. In Christian discipleship, death to self is not an option; it is a necessity. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. . . . It is the same death every time-death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call. . . . Only the man who is dead to his own will can follow Christ.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1965), p. 99.
What has following Christ cost you? Think hard about your answer and the implications of it.
(30)
We all know what being a disciple cost the first century Christians (Jn 15:20). Often they were imprisoned, beaten, and often killed for their testimony. Theologians have also seen in the New Testament a paradox in that while the church in general was being persecuted and forced out of Jerusalem the main pillars of the church remained in Jerusalem and apparently had relatively little resistance except for the occasional problem of persecution. In fact according to Acts 21:20 by the time Paul was toward the end of his ministry the church in Jerusalem was flourishing and were "all zealous for the law" (Acts 21:20 NKJV) meaning that except for their acceptance of Christ as the Messiah they had blended in with nominal Judaism in every other way. They were considered a sect of the Jews just like the Pharisees and Sadducees were and didn't seem to bother the Jewish leadership a whole lot.
Stephen, on the other hand and those like him were ruthlessly persecuted and hunted down by the likes of Saul of Tarsus. It is thought that they were the fanatics of the movement, the ones who wouldn't keep silent, who constantly stirred up the pot and aggravated the situation.
I sometimes agonize over this in my own life, am I to be like Stephen or like the others who were a silent witness who quietly went about their lives without being the proverbial sore thumb. Where is the balance between the two? When Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16 NKJV) what did He mean? He certainly didn't say to make our light shine and yet in the two previous verses He said, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house (Matt. 5:14-15 NKJV). We don't hide our light but are to put it on a pedestal so that the light radiates in all directions. How do we do that and remain true to our calling as disciples?
Speaking of "balance", here is an interesting quote from Great Controversy, p. 606
"In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin, both in the world and in the church. But the people desire smooth things spoken to them, and the pure, unvarnished truth is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible-- doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning."
Ray, that quote is indeed very interesting, thank you for sharing it. Maybe also the message to the church in Ephesus has some bearing on this as well.
People know they are sinners . They don't need it pointed out to them. Look how jesus talked to the prostitute and her accusers. He could have publicly exposed every sin but did not .Look how the father in the story of the Prodical son treated his sons. Jesus was interested in restoring and healing people not condemnation and pointing out all their sins. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Christs method alone . He mingled. He met needs. He healed. He bid them follow me. We could practice living in God's presence revealing His character of love and mercy.
But she also has this to say:
The Lord wants His people to follow other methods than that of condemning wrong, even though the condemnation be just. He wants us to do something more than to hurl at our adversaries charges that only drive them further from the truth. The work which Christ came to do in our world was not to erect barriers and constantly thrust upon the people the fact that they were wrong. – {6T 121.3}
He who expects to enlighten a deceived people must come near to them and labor for them in love. He must become a center of holy influence. – {6T 122.1}
God uses us in different ways depending on circumstances and needs in order to meet people where they are ...
Interest questions - public or personal ministry - point out errors or show them the love of Jesus?
What did Jesus do?
In his public ministry he concentrated on telling people about the character of those in the kingdom of heaven in parables.
Then to those that asked him - what does that mean - he shared with them the deeper spiritual meaning.
In his personal interaction with the troubled people he showed them mercy and forgiveness.
Jesus said: If I be lifted up I will draw all men to me. That is our mission to lift up the loving and merciful LORD who knows that a life lived in communion with him and in harmony with his will is what will make us happy.
once you realize how kind loving and merciful our Savior is that he forgives all sins you can't help but to fall in love with him and follow him. Living your life to please him
Amen to that!When I experienced God's loving mercy to me and His forgiveness,since then,I didn't stop loving and praising Him.God is an amazing God and He's always there to help and support us.Just surrender our selves to His will and He can make marvelous miracle to our lives!To God be the glory!
The call of Jesus is a real command and it requires that we take a real and tangible step in response..
Grace offered freely to us by God, but it cost Jesus his life. It is free because of the cross.
Grace that calls/inspires us to give up everything to obtain it. (Matt 13:44-46).
Can someone please explain more on the meaning of taking up the " Cross daily" in Luke 9 v 23
Chali I will try. It means that to follow Christ sometimes causes us situations that are stressful to us and we are not inclined to accept them because we are more concerned about our well being. To deny is to separate or ignore, our personal preferences and concerns, that we encounter on a daily basis. Jesus also gave us a promise that should help with our daily crosses. Matt 11:28-30. It is not like a radicle display that used be shown where I lived. There was an individual that wanted to give literal meaning by dressing in a white gown and walking up and down the downtown sidewalk carrying a wooden cross. We may have physical or financial or any number of crosses to bear. Jesus sent a comforter to aid in all our crosses. May god bless us all that have a desire to follow Him.
I believe that taking up your cross daily means that discipleship is a lifestyle, it is not something you do on the sabbath or something you say to people, but it is a conscious decision and action you take daily to deny self and let Christ live in you as you serve God by ministering to men.
I have now known very well the extent of my life as a disciple Of God. I am going to help my friends and family through this studies to benefits from the call of Christ as disciples. I have to follow Christ with all my mind,soul and body without thinking of what will happing because he is with me the end. Thank you for this wonderful studies. God bless you.
Let God decide what your discipleship will be. Just be willing to be a disciple for Him.
Let us all follow Jesus and never look back.let us not be like peter and deny Jesus when we are with our friends but let us tell them how awesome God is.
It means to b like him at whatever cost. Meekness ,kindness,forgiveness this made Christ to b unique.
One interesting quote is denying, taking up and following "on a daily basis". Most of us are disciples only when its comfortable or on sabbath. Outside our comfort zones, we bid discipleship gdbye. It means denying yoself every single second of everyday (gossip, anger, unhealthy food, funy movies, worldly pleasures, the latest fashions, hair styles, slang) its more challenging than we think. At times we forget when busy or in a hard situation( we instead ask where God is as we suffer). In matthew 16:26 Jesus summerised the words of the Psalmist in psalms 49:7-9. Instead of storing our riches to enjoy in eternity in heaven we accumulate them on earth & make sure we enjoy them before we die mathew 6:19-21. The cost of discipleship is truly a challenge for it involves checking if yo decisions, actions, words and thoughts, with each passing second (daily), have added to yo golden dimes either in heaven or earth! Lets put self aside & share the good news atleast with a soul each day.
I do not know myself, to take up the cross and answer to the call of Jesus is to deny oneself in order to become His disciple at all times.
As long as "carrying ones cross and denying oneself" doesn't become a burden and we do it grudgingly and sullenly.....
A sullen submission to the will of the Father will develop the character of a rebel. Service is looked upon by such a one in the light of drudgery. It is not rendered cheerfully and in the love of God. It is a mere mechanical performance. If he dared, such a one would disobey. His rebellion is smothered, ready to break out at any time in bitter murmurings and complaints. Such service brings no peace or quietude to the soul. – {12MR 236.1}