On Counting the Cost Recently, there has been a great deal written about discipleship. Within this tremendous body of literature one may find a great many ideas about discipleship and theories related to the importance of discipleship. I, for one, feel the importance of discipleship but am often confused by what I read and what I see. As we look to the New Testament for some clear light on the subject, we see that the word “disciple” is used 269 times. This is interesting, especially in light of the fact that the name we have used for ourselves, “Christians,” is found only three times, and even then referred to disciples. The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ. The point is not merely one of semantics. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special kind of person. All of the assurances and benefits offered to mankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe model of the Christian, especially equipped as one writer said, for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. The disciple of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is not a super Christian. He is a Christian. It is my hope that we might go from this place with the firm conviction that being a disciple, being involved in discipleship, should be at the very heart of our lives, our families, our churches. We are trying to give you an opportunity to do that. Why do we emphasize Bible study and Discipleship? They and the other programs, music, missions, etc., give you serious help in discipleship. We have long been slack in our discipleship emphasis. Our churches have become big, but not strong. You must want it, though. Charles Swindoll tells of a young man deeply concerned about his spiritual life. Dear Chuck, I was deeply moved by your talk on Martin Luther. In fact, I tried to sing with you at the end, but I cried instead. I feel so small. Our heroes look so big, so deep, so much better than me. I’m so comfortable. And so mediocre. I want to know something. When you were 27, were you like you are now? Had you already read all the right books? Did you know all the hymns? More importantly, were you as deep as you are now? Was Christ so real in your life that your words pierced people’s hearts? I ask that because I want to know if there is any hope for me. I am not broad, nor very deep. I wasn’t raised in the church. I don’t know the hymns. I still have to read them in the hymnal. I wasn’t raised to be a big reader, either. I want to read the right books, but I get very frustrated when I go to the Christian bookstore. Who needs books like “Pray Your Way to Big Bucks,” “If You’re Sick – You’re a Lousy Christian,” “Positive Thinking – Never Say ‘Sin’” or a book full of goofy rhymes to replace talking with God? I’ve also heard you say that one becomes like those with whom he spends his time. I’m surrounded by mediocre people. The more I mature in the Lord, the fewer people I find worth imitating. I’m not so mature, though, that God is the only model…you are a model for me…I want to know – are you like my other “models”? Do you rip your wife apart in front of other married people?...Do you talk big but turn wimpy when it’s time for action? Are you worth imitating? How can I be excellent? I don’t care about impressing anyone. I just don’t want to be mediocre. Do you know what that young man wants? He wants a model. He wants to be sure, however, that the model is authentic. I appreciate his questions. He’s looking for ways to move from mediocrity to maturity, but he is not anxious to jump on any bandwagon. He’s struggling with some basic choices. He doesn’t’ need a preacher like me screaming at him to shape up or ship out. He needs room to work through some choices so that his life reflects genuine godlikeness. The major factor is this: He must choose for himself. No one else can make him godly. Jesus had some soul-searching words about discipleship in the Parable of Counting the Cost in Luke 14:25-33. When Jesus said this He was on His way to Jerusalem. He knew that He was on His way to the Cross. The crowds who were with Him thought that He was on His way to an empire. That is why He spoke to them like this. In the most vivid way possible He told them that the man who would follow Him was not on the way to worldly power and glory, but must be ready for a loyalty which would sacrifice the dearest things in life, and for a suffering which would be like the agony of a man upon a cross. We must not take the words of Jesus with a cold and unimaginative literalness. Eastern language is always as vivid as the human mind can make it. When Jesus tells us to hate our nearest and dearest, he does not mean that literally. He means that no love in life can compare with the love we must bear to him. There are two main truths in this passage. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST WITHOUT BEING A DISCIPLE. It is possible to be a camp-follower without being a soldier of the king; to be a hanger-on in some great work without pulling one’s weight. Once someone was talking to a great scholar about a younger man. He said, “So and so tells me that he was one of your students.” The teacher answered devastatingly, “He may have 2 attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students.” There is a world of difference between attending lectures and being a student. It is one of the supreme handicaps of the Church that in the Church there are so many distant followers of Jesus and so few real disciples. Someone once said, “Christianity of our day is like a great football game in which there are 22 men on the field desperately in need of rest, watched by 40,000 in the stands desperately in need of exercise.” Followers are supposed to be disciples. Not only must we admit that WE HAVE AND ARE SUBVERTING GOD’S INTENTION CONCERNING DISCIPLESHIP, we must next realize that in so doing we pay a great price. Not being a disciple costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, hopefulness that stands firm, power to do what is right. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life that Jesus said he had come to bring (John 10:10). It costs dearly. Failure to be a disciple produces a hopelessness which pervades all that we are and do. It produces a worthlessness, a sense that I could never stand in my world as a salty, light-giving example, showing people the Way. By making discipleship optional and seldom chosen, the best message we can give to this area is, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say.” While Jesus made such an impact that his own family or friends thought he had lost his mind (Mark 3:20-21), …”Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”…We have become completely comfortable with the status quo. Yes, we have paid a great price by subverting God’s intention concerning discipleship. SEE THAT IT IS A CHRISTIAN’S DUTY TO FIRST COUNT THE COST, THEN TO FOLLOW. Look again at verse 28. The tower which the man was going to build was probably a vineyard tower. Vineyards were often equipped with towers from which watch was kept against thieves who might steal the harvest. An unfinished building is always a humiliating thing. In every sphere in life a man is called upon to count the cost. In the introduction to many marriage ceremonies the minister states what marriage is, and then says, “It is, therefore, not to be entered upon lightly or unadvisedly, but thoughtfully, reverently, and in the fear of God.” First a man and woman must count the cost. No man need become a student unless he will count the cost of learning. 3 The Christian way is no different. We are to understand the consequences and blessing. If we did, we wouldn’t be in such need of excuses. Here are some statements you’ll not likely hear: 1. Sunday is the only day we have to rest, so we are not going water skiing this afternoon. 2. No, it is raining a little bit, we’ll not be able to go to the ball game. 3. The movies? Not tonight. You see, we just don’t get out at night much anymore. 4. Yeah, that’s right boss. I’ll not be coming in for a few days.