In today’s blog we are going to discuss the Costs of Discipleship.
What is Discipleship? Discipleship can be defined as one who shows to follow the teachings, life, and aim of another until the person becomes like the master. In the Christian sense it’s the process of making someone like CHRIST. This is not just a turn on and off situation this is a total life surrender to CHRIST; meaning your ways become CHRIST like in everything that you do. This comes with costs to pay. Some don’t believe that there are modern day disciples. JESUS teaches us how to become disciples and how we should walk as disciples. Some of us will walk quicker than others, and others it may take longer to understand their abilities in CHRIST. Our relationship with JESUS is like that of a child and his parents. As a child begins to develop and grow so does his/her relationship with their parents. The child begins to trust and understand his parents because they have spent time with them. The parents are constantly interacting with the infant, teaching the infant how to communicate; what to eat; what to be aware of … The child begins to learn ways of expressing himself to the parents. There an interdependence is established. The child depends on the parents for all their primary needs and learns what the parents’ expectations are. Through caring for the child, the parents establish routines, intimacy, and responsibility for the infant’s wellbeing. As the infant grows, he/she develops into a toddler. Prior to the toddler stage, the child is always carried around with the parents because they don’t know how to walk. However, somewhere between 8 months to a year, a time comes when the parents put the infant on the floor or ground and their child begins to learn how to walk. Notice when the mother or father places the child on the floor and urges him/her to take a step towards them, the baby looks in a way as to say,” hey, what are you doing?”.
There is a hesitation, but the child tries to follow the instructions of the parent and takes his/her first step. Some will walk sooner than others. Some infants may take several months before they realize that they have the capability to walk. The process to become a disciple begins with salvation. As this process begins, the new disciple usually makes several mistakes because they are new to this process. However, they are covered by the GRACE AND MERCY OF GOD. I call this stage the Constructive Stage. During this stage of Discipleship, the disciple in training is placed under an “OPEN HEAVEN.” After the Disciple in training REPENTS HIS SINS and accepts the LORD, JESUS CHRIST, as their personal savior. GOD desires to hear from them and HE’S going to respond back quickly because HE wants them to become familiar with HIS VOICE. Some move through this stage rather quickly, while others tend to take longer. It depends on how much time they spend in HIS HOLY PRESENCE. Like regular, person to person, relationships the more time you spend with a person the sooner you get to know them and become familiar with their ways. The LORD, has promised us throughout HIS HOLY SCRIPTURES in Joel 2:42, Acts 2:21, and Romans 10:13, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” The LORD does not lie and does exactly what HE promises, and in doing so HE is glorified.
GOD wants us to call out to HIM and HE will tell us great and mighty hidden things that we do not have knowledge of and understand. The HOLY SCRIPTURES teach us that GOD hears and answers our prayers. As we call out to HIM in faith and sincere intent, our hearts will confirm that HE heard our prayers and HE will place a reassurance in us which will give us a peace that surpasses our understanding, like the toddler who stumbles and is caught by his/her parent. Some have taken the scripture found in:
This scripture does not mean that GOD will give you everything that you want. No, no, no but HE will give you everything you need. HE gives what is good. God’s grace shines a light on the sins in the disciple’s life; so, he can repent of the sin and grace can abound where the revealed sin was in the disciple’s life. Then GOD reveals and shows the disciple how to walk uprightly before HIM. It is imperative for the disciple to develop an intimate relationship with THE FATHER THROUGH THE SON. As the Disciple matures, he moves into what I call the Comprehensive Stage. In this stage the disciple hears from GOD but not so quickly, now prayers are presented to be answered less frequently. Now, he may not get an affirmation for a couple weeks or months. Their personal convictions begin to develop the understanding of the cost of becoming a disciple. As the disciple matures and his relationship become more intimate with GOD, in the process of developing an ear to hear the voice and call of GOD. His maturity level advances, and he begins to understand the demands and qualifications of becoming a more effective disciple through his actions. Therefore, people begin to see more JESUS, in his life. Things he used to do he does not do them anymore. This by no means implies that the disciple will never make any further mistakes or fall short of the glory of God. But he begins to resemble a good Ambassador and representative of GOD. Now, the prerequisites that JESUS shared in Luke 14 become a little easier to follow. Now, for a person not sold out to JESUS. Meaning minimal to no relationship with HIM; no loyalty to HIM; no understanding of HIS WORD found in the HOLY BIBLE; no knowledge of HIS WORD or Purpose for their life. Luke 14 would be hard to obey and/or follow. It is hard enough for those that are called by HIS NAME to follow:
Let me explain this to you that the word hate is referring to an emotional mindset established to pull on the emotions of the disciple. Here the word hate refers to an emotional attachment. JESUS is admonishing HIS disciples to become willing to follow HIM not worry about their loved ones. JESUS is saying that to become HIS DISCIPLES one must be willing to cut all family ties pick up his cross and come follow HIM. Now, the more mature the disciple is the easier this becomes. This requires:
Father, we come to tell you thank you for this word that you sent for your disciples, please help us to understand the cost of becoming your disciples. Make us aware of distractions and cares of this life that may take our affection off YOU. Lord, we want to know YOUR WILL and the cost to acquire and walk in YOUR WILL; allow YOUR LIGHT to shine through me so that dying men and women might be able to see that there is a reality in serving the true and living GOD. Lord, we thank you in advance for this is YOUR friend’s prayer. It is so, it is done, and it is well in JESUS name. Amen.
