WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE CHURCH TODAY? (Part 3/4)

The Cost of Discipleship: “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple’” (Luke 14:25–33).

There is a distinct difference between a self-proclaimed Christian vs. a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Being a Christian in today’s culture simply means believing Jesus is the Messiah, but we have no way of discerning what someone actually believes is true because the enemy has convinced the church we can have faith in Jesus and not completely believe God’s Word entirely.

It makes no logical sense to believe what the Bible details about Jesus yet contradict or disbelieve what it says in other areas. However, countless self-proclaimed Christians have failed to reconcile in their hearts and minds that Jesus and the Bible are interconnected.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

In many ways, the struggle many people have with the Bible being “absolute truth” comes down to pride, because Scripture convicts the soul and will condemn a man to hell if he fails to acknowledge his actions are indeed sinful nor repents of his sin to reconcile his heart to God.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12–13).

Therefore, it is imperative we help people understand the differences between self-proclaimed Christianity and Biblical discipleship, which requires a man forsake all others, even his own life, for the Lord Jesus Christ.

FULL DEVOTION:

Luke 14:25-33 is entitled, “The Cost of Discipleship,” and for good reason because Jesus took faith and commitment to another level. He requires complete devotion from us, which means we cannot elevate ourselves or our immediate family above Him. Rather, we must prioritize our relationship with Him first and foremost, 24/7/365.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37–39).

Jesus demands our heart’s full devotion as His only requirement for paying our eternal debt. Not 50%, 75%, or even 99.99%, but 100% of our heart, which is difficult for us to relinquish because it means we must reprioritize our lives to align with Scripture’s teachings, and we struggle with surrender and submission because we want to be in ultimate control of our lives.

So whether it be our loved ones, our finances, our time, our security, or our comfortability, we must guard against serving any false idol if we profess ourselves as devout followers of Jesus Christ and not merely self-proclaimed Christians.

“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

What’s unfortunate is that many churches and pastors deserve blame for watering down the Gospel and giving unbelievers false hope that they can proclaim themselves Christians and not believe the Bible entirely. Granted, no church would likely admit that, but simply look at what many churches do NOT preach, and we’ll likely find widespread confusion regarding what “saved” Christians believe is right or wrong.

The challenge today is that pastors are tempted to tell people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear, because inclusion and comfortability reign supreme in our culture. Therefore, to keep numbers growing in the local body, circumventing God’s wrath in favor of His love (exclusively) is virtually commonplace to the detriment of Biblical discipleship.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

Think about it. What purpose is there to develop deep roots of discipleship in the absolute truth of Holy Scripture if all we need is the love and grace of God? However, if that is all we need, what makes it of any value in and of itself? Is not the reason God’s love and grace is so amazing because His wrath against sinners is so furious and all-consuming?

In other words, God must be true to BOTH aspects of His divine character, His wrath AND His love, and the cross of Calvary is the bridge which connects the two through the blood of Jesus, as outlined in the Old and New Testaments of Holy Scripture.

COUNTING THE COST:

In addition to our heart’s full devotion, Jesus recommends we stop and count the cost before accepting His free gift of salvation. Why? Wouldn’t He want us to respond to His Gospel message immediately? The answer is yes, but not without full consideration first.

Jesus gives two examples in Luke 14:25-33 from both a construction and military standpoint on the importance of evaluating all the facts to make a wise decision after careful thought, consideration, and discernment. From a spiritual perspective, this helps ensure our salvation decisions are well-informed, authentic, and built upon the proper theological foundation.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24–27).

Keep in mind, Jesus is not concerned with us making split-second, salvation decisions propagated by emotionalism, yet that is precisely what many churches do when they create a worship experience more similar to a rock concert to stir the emotions and alter calls to “close the deal,” per say, regarding salvation.

In other words, we wouldn’t buy a house or a car, change jobs, get married, or relocate our family without carefully considering the decisions we’re about to make, so why would we make a split-second decision on eternal salvation, the most important decision of our lives?

No, Jesus would rather us carefully weigh our decision to follow Him rather than feel pressured to pray a canned prayer speech without taking time to read the fine print of the contract (i.e. God’s Word), so we understand what our salvation decision entails and what is expected by God from our thoughts and actions moving forward.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:19–20).

For when we decide to follow Christ from a genuine heart compulsion and clear understanding that God’s Word is 100%, absolute truth, we are less likely to abandon our decision to take up our cross and follow Him when trials of life tempt us to be self-reliant rather than dependent on His divine sovereignty.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23).

Moreover, Jesus is simply not interested in us “belonging” to the local church devoid of personal faith and repentance. Rather, He expects us to recognize our failures, own our mistakes, repent of our sins, and seek reconciliation with Him and others to prove our posture before Him is humble, genuine, and reverent in submission to His authority. Only then can we be assured of salvation and “belong” to the family of God.

OBEDIENCE:

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15), therefore we must take time to learn what His commandments are and how we can apply them to our lives. The absolute truth of Scripture is the lifeblood of Jesus’ disciples. Therefore, we must feed upon God’s Word daily for knowledge and understanding which produces wisdom when we apply it.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

“I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:48).

The challenge is helping people understand that abiding in Christ means we are to accept the words of Holy Scripture as absolute truth, which will require we make difficult judgment calls regarding cultural norms and speak up on issues the Bible clearly defines as sin in defense of God’s righteous standard.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:4–7).

Make no mistake, the mark of a disciple is not devoid of trials and persecution, which is why Jesus warns us to count the cost before blindly deciding to follow Him. For if we decide to follow Him and not align our hearts and minds with His Word, we do more harm than good for the kingdom of heaven because it paints a distorted picture of Christianity that does not honor God.

“And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:16–17).

Keep in mind, spiritual discipline is a process of training the heart and mind to submit to God’s holy standard of righteousness. And the best way to build discipline is through accountability, which means we gather in community to study God’s Word, pray together, and help one another apply what we’re reading so that we grow in knowledge, discernment, and wisdom.

Therefore, churches must invest in teaching people Biblical doctrine—what it means, and how we can apply it. However, we cannot expect Christ-followers will automatically prioritize reading God’s Word of their own volition. Disciples need shepherding, first and foremost, to help deepen their understanding of Scripture, encourage their faith walk, and sharpen their character.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12).

BOTTOM-LINE:

When it comes to discipleship, it’s easy to point the finger and blame the local church or pastoral leadership for not equipping the saints properly. However, we must take personal responsibility and own our role in the body of Christ to be a faithful disciple unto God’s sovereign authority and help make disciples by shepherding other believers to do the same.

The church today is in desperate need of devout followers of Christ who take their faith seriously enough to discipline themselves in the knowledge, understanding, application, and defense of God’s Word. We have far too many self-proclaimed Christians in the world today who think they know what it means to follow Christ, but unfortunately, they have no idea because they’ve never disciplined themselves spiritually by surrendering their heart, mind, and soul to the authority of God’s Word and obeying its commands.

Therefore, spiritual revival is required now more than ever, and that begins with the local church refocusing their efforts and investing substantial time, energy, and resources training shepherds and equipping believers with the tools necessary to know what God’s Word says.

Every disciple of Jesus must be able to confidently articulate and defend (apologetics) the reason for the eternal hope they have, and discipleship is how we train of the body of Christ for battle in a lost world devoid of hope and salvation.

“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:13–16).

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE CHURCH TODAY?

Part 1 of 4 (Church Focus) - CLICK HERE

Part 2 of 4 (Shepherding) - CLICK HERE

Part 3 of 4 (Discipleship) - CLICK HERE

Part 4 of 4 (Lost People) - CLICK HERE