Lk 14:25–33 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."
I suspect that many do not take this passage to heart.
From my observations, people like the idea of easy Christianity. We go to a church, meet friendly people, sing songs along with them, eat at their banquets, and get a sense of belonging. They tells us "how to be saved," and eventually walk forward and claim Christ. The people line up to congratulate us on our salvation. (They never mentioned Luke 14, though.)
In some churches, after we are trained in doctrines, and we are considered eligible for Baptism. Others just schedule a day to be dunked.
Then the trouble starts.
We go through the "Mr. Do Bee & Mr. Don't Bee" lessons.
Depending on the denomination, we learn to live by the Ten Commandments (some of them, anyway) and to give our 10%.
We may or may not give up our beer and wine, our cigarettes, our pool hall, etc., etc. We learn to "speak in tongues," or criticize those who do. We memorize bible verses (which tend to support the doctrines we have been taught).
Then we get praised for being such good Christians. After all, we gave up all the things we were told that Christians don't do.
Ever really wonder why Yeshua told us to count the cost? None of those things we gave up equals the items in the list Luke gives us. Consider how difficult those things in Yeshua's list actually are. The Apostles did suffer much - it really cost them to be His disciples - even unto death.
If we have experienced none of those costs, perhaps we should examine ourselves. Was it only for those twelve?
I suspect that many do not take this passage to heart.
From my observations, people like the idea of easy Christianity. We go to a church, meet friendly people, sing songs along with them, eat at their banquets, and get a sense of belonging. They tells us "how to be saved," and eventually walk forward and claim Christ. The people line up to congratulate us on our salvation. (They never mentioned Luke 14, though.)
In some churches, after we are trained in doctrines, and we are considered eligible for Baptism. Others just schedule a day to be dunked.
Then the trouble starts.
We go through the "Mr. Do Bee & Mr. Don't Bee" lessons.
Depending on the denomination, we learn to live by the Ten Commandments (some of them, anyway) and to give our 10%.
We may or may not give up our beer and wine, our cigarettes, our pool hall, etc., etc. We learn to "speak in tongues," or criticize those who do. We memorize bible verses (which tend to support the doctrines we have been taught).
Then we get praised for being such good Christians. After all, we gave up all the things we were told that Christians don't do.
Ever really wonder why Yeshua told us to count the cost? None of those things we gave up equals the items in the list Luke gives us. Consider how difficult those things in Yeshua's list actually are. The Apostles did suffer much - it really cost them to be His disciples - even unto death.
If we have experienced none of those costs, perhaps we should examine ourselves. Was it only for those twelve?
