When I choose to obey Jesus’s call to follow and be a disciple, what will it cost me?

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Cost, Discipleship, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Teaching

I want to follow Jesus’s call and be a disciple. What will it cost me? Am I prepared?

There is only one answer and it is simple but direct. I must give up everything!

 

Does that mean?

• Give up my family.
• Give up my money.
• Give up my house.
• Give up my hate.
• Give up my lust.
• Give up my pride.
• Give up my contempt.

It means exactly that and the list goes on and on. Give it all Jesus demands.

The call is simple. Follow me!

Jesus is walking along. Jesus turns to me and is direct. Jesus asks me if I will give up everything. Jesus is serious. Jesus is waiting for an answer.

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Source: Matthew 14:25-35

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“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” ~Jesus

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Discipleship, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Life, Matthew 7

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Source: Matthew 7:12-14 (ESV)

This Jesus saying is a part of what I call the Jesus Manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7) aka the Sermon on the Mount. It eats at the religious life myth of leading a good life. Jesus warns us that it won’t be easy. Jesus is pulling no punches here. It will be hard. For example, it may be easy to not commit adultery. It will be hard not to lust. Few are actually going to find God. Most Christians won’t. I didn’t know how tough it would be. May I be one of the few. May you be one of the few.

Why wouldn’t I enter the “wide gate”? I have many choices. I can enter the wide gate. That would be the easiest. While it is crowded, many choose to go that way. It is the popular one. The opinion poles are very favorable. It is comforting to be with so many like minded travelers. WARNING: It leads to destruction.

So what about this “narrow gate” option? It is a hard life. It will always be a hard life. It isn’t easy to find as the “wide gate”. It is the only option that leads to life but it will be lonely, as very few find it. But ah, the benefit of life.

Is the “narrow gate” worth it? Yes, that is the only way to life! Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life”. May I choose Jesus and the narrow way today. This is God’s goal for me.

 

For Church Leaders: Relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is

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Connected Disciple, Digital Ministry, Discipleship, Jesus

Why are you so skeptical? ~~Jesus (Mark 2:8-12 The Message)

There are a lot of skeptical religious leaders when it comes to embracing the digital aspects of our ministries and churches.

For the connected disciple (church member), the journey is evolving (albeit very, very fast). That shouldn’t surprise you but it is good news. Your ministry hasn’t been left behind completely. Disciples (your church members) have changed though.

Their experience of you and your ministry may not be what any of us would want it to be. In this case, relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is in a world where we can be connected anywhere, anytime. Passion for the ministry is a part of amazing experiences which includes digital aspects that are core to the ministry and not “add ons”.

How you personally decide to react or lead is up to you. It, of course, is not about technology. What is the journey of getting closer to disciples and staying relevant really about? Here are some ideas:

• Creating a culture built around the discipleship experience of Jesus and His followers being the focus of all you do. It will include digital experiences as the norm.
• Empowering ministry staff to do what it takes to create amazing experiences for the connected disciple.
• Opening up the floodgates of innovation for God including all aspects of digital experiences.

Just saying we want to get closer to the disciple won’t get your senior team on board. While a connected discipleship revolution is at your door, someone (meaning you) needs to convince the senior Pastor that change is imperative. Without that we will fail.

You know that most Ministers don’t use social networks personally. While they have smartphones, their primary utilization is for email, reading the Bible and looking at the calendar to know where to go to next. Trying to make a case that this is about technology will be a losing battle.

What is the future of your ministry built on? It isn’t about how Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, tablets or real time-time geolocation check-ins evolve. The future of your ministry does depend on the power of God to help you create relevance and the ability to at least understand technology to be able to make decisions about new opportunities. It does require the ability to strategically adapt to the new opportunities to create a compelling advantage for Jesus. Have you conducted a weekday morning video worship service on Google+ Hangouts or GoToMeeting?

But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. ~~Jesus (John 4:23 The Message)

Hmm. “Where you worship will not matter.”

So much of this is about change. There is a technology revolution occurring. Other ministries are beginning to understand this. But it is also about a whole series of real-time revolutions that are seizing how our connected disciples (church members) live which impacts their experience with us and with God. Expectations are moving fast. We can’t afford to get left behind.

The kind of change we are talking about involves three things:

• Listening
• Learning
• Adapting

 

“If you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.” ~Jesus

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Discipleship, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 14, Plans

Jesus has a way of being clear. He leaves no doubt. In God’s world, God comes first. That is all there is to it. I can’t negotiate with Him. God is God. I need to get clear on that.

So, I can kiss everything else goodbye if I want to follow Jesus. Is something near and dear to me? Am I ready to give it up? Will I kiss it goodbye? That is what Jesus is challenging me to do. Will I do it?

Yes, I heard it right. Jesus said it and Jesus meant it.

Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.”  Luke 14

 

May I have the courage to kiss all my plans goodbye.

May He come first always.

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser.” ~Jesus

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Discipleship, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 13, Treasure

Am I ecstatic about what I have found in God’s new plan? Am I prepared / willing to sell everything I own to follow Jesus? What is so precious in my life that I won’t give it up for Jesus?

Questions that Jesus asks that demand an answer.

God’s world is a treasure. I will give up everything for it. I must remember that the treasure isn’t mine. I just found it when I was trespassing one day.

God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 13:44)

"Our Lord never requires the same conditions for discipleship that he requires for salvation." ~~Oswald Chambers

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Discipleship, Oswald Chambers, Salvation

Discipleship

God brings salvation to us as an unconditional act. A disciple is a student who is learning. That is a continuous act of our life with Jesus.

Jesus challenges to be disciples and learn from him.

Our Lord never requires the same conditions for discipleship that he requires for salvation. ~~Oswald Chambers

"Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them." ~Oswald Chambers

Tags

Discipleship, Oswald Chambers, Salvation

God has a mission for us to disciple.

We are to create a learning environment where people learn to do what Jesus challenges us to do. It is not about salvation.

It is about discipleship.

Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them. ~Oswald Chambers

“The Bible is a dangerous book of religious dogma used for centuries to oppress people” ~27% of Millennials agree

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Baptism, Barna Group, Bible, Dangerous, Discipleship, Instruct, Matthew 28, Millennials, Scripture

Do we hang out with Christians too much?

Is our “religious language” irrelevant to most others?

Do we use jargon that is confusing?

Are we willing to commit to Jesus and risk ourselves totally to reach a new generation of disciples for Jesus?

Jesus commands us to go out and train everyone we meet in what it means to follow Jesus. Our message is one of liberation not oppression. We have good news to share.

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16 – 20

Now would be the time to change.

Non-Christian Millennials, unlike their Christian counterparts, are much more likely to believe the Bible is just another book of teachings written by men that contains stories and advice 45%. Only a combined 27% of non-Christians say the Bible is the inspired or actual word of God. A significant disparity between Christian and non-Christian beliefs about the Bible is to be expected, of course; however, non-Christian views of the Bible often tip from benign indifference toward strong skepticism.

While a plurality of non-Christian Millennials relegate the Bible to merely a “useful book of moral teachings” 30%, nearly half agree with more negative characterizations: About one in five say the Bible is “an outdated book with no relevance for today” 19% and more than one-quarter go so far as to say the Bible is “a dangerous book of religious dogma used for centuries to oppress people” 27%.

via Millennials and the Bible: 3 Surprising Insights – Barna Group.

Millennial Non-Christian Negative Views