Cost of Discipleship (8-30-2020)

The Cost of Discipleship 8-30-20 Beginning Scripture: Matthew 25:35 NIV "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in" When I read chapter 13 of Hebrews, the chapter for our Sunday School lesson today, I was struck by the repeated reminders of the difficulties of being a Christian. It is not a cheap journey, it is a costly one. It can be a tough and weighty voyage. Many many years ago a friend of mine told me pretty much the same thing and I remember at the time I was taken aback and thought: "Well if that is true nobody is going to want to be a Christian. It is not an attractive faith." Well I was a teenager at the time and I understand why I thought that, because I was eager to spread my adolescent wings and didn't want anything in my way. I was ready for adventure as long as it wasn't too hard. As I continued to study Hebrews I read about many of the costs - throughout history - of being a Christian. These are some of them mentioned in Hebrews 13 1. Christians have lost all their material possessions 2. They are thrown in jail for their beliefs. 3. The writer encourages his readers to be hospitable to strangers, 4. Visit prisoners, 5. Share what you have with others 6. Do not covet money or focus on what you do NOT have. 7. and today we know that Christians might even be killed for their beliefs. In other words if we want to follow Jesus it might be real inconvenient to us. It might interrupt our day and our agenda. But then there are some encouragements: 1. In Hebrews 13: 5 God says: "I will never fail you nor forsake you." No matter what happens, God is with us. I like to visualize it this way: During tough times Jesus is by my side with his arm around my shoulders. Also there is this from Matthew 11:28-30: KJV 2. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. There are of course, many encouragements of this sort throughout the Bible. The Cost of Discipleship And yet there are many costs to being a follower of Jesus and they should not be soft-peddled. Fairly recently I finished reading a book by the Christian writer and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The book is about the Cost of Discipleship. Here are some of the things he has to say - with a few of my comments following the quotes: 1. "To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ... It is not the sort of suffering which is inseparable from this mortal life, but the suffering which is an essential part of the specifically Christian life." --------------- What this says to me is that life has its crosses and suffering - Jesus certainly showed us that - and some of that suffering is because of our connection to and fidelity to Jesus. 2. "The only man who has the right to say he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ. Such a man knows that the call to discipleship is a gift of grace, and that the call is inseparable from the grace." --------------- In other words, if we are called to discipleship it is because of grace, the undeserved mercy of God. And without that mercy our discipleship will be empty and fruitless. To me, this says that I should never glory in the things I do as a disciple or in the suffering I endure for my ability to do them are by God's mercy. 3. And this Bonhoeffer quote is one of my favorites: "Christ's followers always have his image before their eyes, and in its light all other images are screened from their sight. It penetrates into the depths of their being, fills them, and makes them more and more like their master." ------------- When I read this, I felt humbled, for I know I have not reached the point where Christ's image is always before my eyes, but it is a challenge to me and something I should strive for. However I do think about Brother Bob Harless, and to me he was a person who was most likely to fit this ideal of which Bonhoeffer speaks. To me, the light of Christ penetrated to the depth of Bob's being. 4. Finally, harkening back to the verse from Matthew I read earlier, there is this from Bonhoeffer: "Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon him, finds his burden easy and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way." --------------- If we are determined and unflinchingly follow the command of Jesus then we will feel the gentle pressure of his yoke but it will give us the power to persevere. Questions and Challenges * How do you feel when you hear about all the costs Christians have had to pay as they followed Jesus? * Who do you know, including yourself, who is a dedicated disciple of Jesus? What costs do you see them pay as a result of their dedication? * How do you experience the lightness and ease of the burdens you must bear as a follower of Jesus? Prayer Jesus, help us to identify and to be honest about the costs of following you. Help us to always have your image before us and may the light of your image penetrate deep into our being so that we might have the courage to follow you and pay the costs of discipleship without hesitation. We ask these things in your name, Jesus Christ our precious savior. Amen