Across the river on the far bank and inland a way, a rich man started building a castle on par with the great European castles or estates. Unfortunately, he ran out of money before he could complete his construction. The remains of what could have been is now a reminder of what happens when you fail to count the costs of completing a project.
This story is actually used to teach the costs of military operations to West Point cadets.
There is a cost of being a Christian too — a cost that isn’t spoken of very often; a cost that if taught would build stronger disciples of Jesus; a cost that would separate Christians from the rest of the world; a cost that would make a difference.
In Luke 24:25-35, Jesus spoke of such a cost. Anyone who does not love Jesus and is not committed to him over all others, even family and job, isn’t worthy of being called a disciple of Jesus.
In fact, Jesus says that such a person cannot be his disciple. He expects us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him without any hesitation or equivocation. The meaning of the word translated as “deny,” as in deny ourselves, means to “break fellowship with.” To be a disciple of Jesus, we must break fellowship with our self; we must stop doing what gives us our pleasure when it conflicts with God’s time and Godly living; we must not even fellowship with our self, care for our own desires and even needs when they conflict with the call of discipleship to Jesus.
Many sermons can be preached from this scripture and many articles written, but today I want to tell you some of what being a disciple of Jesus has cost me.
From a child throughout my life, being a Christian has meant that I was different than those who were not Christians. Likewise, it meant that if a fellow Christian wasn’t being a faithful disciple, I had to be one; I was expected not to be like anyone else but to answer the call to true discipleship.
At the local store, I bought less candy than my cousins and friends because 10 percent of my money went to tithing. My father and I hunted every Saturday of deer season and every other possible day that we could. But, we could not hunt on Sunday like our friends because we were disciples of Jesus and must be in church, worshipping God.
I could not watch TV as I wanted because some of the subject matter was contrary to the Christian life. I was an adult before I saw The Wizard of Oz because during my childhood it came on TV on Sunday nights, and we had church that night.
As a teenager I was not invited to school parties because my friends and others knew that I was a Christian and would not approve of the behavior that they would do. In fact, they thought I might even preach a sermon on personal holiness!
I was called names because I was a Christian. The one name that stuck was “Bible Billy,” but it was more of a badge of honor for me than a put-down. Still, I was discriminated against during my youth simply for being a Christian.
As an adult, I often faltered in being a true disciple of Jesus. Yet, in my efforts to live as a Christian disciple instead of just a church going Christian, I have suffered financially; and I mean in ways other than giving a tithe of my gross income and some offerings. My family has suffered; we were called names; my children were treated badly at school in California.
There have been other ways that I have personally suffered, as a family, for the cause of discipleship. In my education efforts, I was blatantly discriminated against because I dared to take a stand for Christian discipleship and it cost me an advanced degree. Some people have gone about saying things about me that are not true.
I chalk this up to trying to be a true disciple of Jesus as opposed to a Sunday Christian. While my worldly reputation has suffered, I believe my Christian reputation before the Lord has been blessed and right now, I am the happiest I’ve been as an adult!
Lies are still being told, but it doesn’t seem to stop the work of the Lord. After all, you are reading this article, aren’t you?
As a pastor, actually as a Christian, I feel an obligation to talk about being a disciple before leading a person to salvation in Christ. The scripture tells us that a disciple must pay a cost.
I ask a prospective new convert if s/he is prepared to live a disciplined life. We discuss what this may mean as well as the expectations of Jesus for his disciples. At times when unsaved people have been in church, I’ll ask for an invitation to come to Jesus before preaching because I want them to make a real, disciplined decision and not an emotional one.
In fact, our church asks five things of our members. We ask each member to commit to supporting the local church in prayer, their presence in church/worship, gifts (tithes) and talents, their service to the activities of the church, and their witness of Jesus and of our church.
Are you a Disciple of Jesus?
—William H. Thrasher, Ph.D.
Pastor. Ebenezer UMC, Odenville
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