Sunday, April 16, 2017

DISCIPLESHIP 101 (Part 4 - Count the Cost)

WBS.207
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

DISCIPLESHIP 101

Part 4 – Count the Cost

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Elohim in Messiah Yahushua.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, Elohim shall reveal even this unto you.

The Master did not expect the masses to become disciples; but he certainly expected those who became his disciples to search through the masses and find those whose hearts were “good ground,” and not devote all their time on those whose hearts were unwilling to be separated from the world.

Last week I introduced a message I call, “The Cannot Be’s.”  Quite opposite from contemporary Christian preachers and teachers who try to sell the gospel using the wisdom of man’s words to convince people that it is in their best interests to “pray the magic prayer” and accept “Jesus” into their hearts (e.g., “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” “You will go to Heaven when you die.” “God wants you to prosper in this life.” “You will have an abundant life.” “All the problems in your life will go away.”); the Messiah himself, the Master we presume to serve, did seemingly everything in his ability to give people both a reason and an opportunity to turn and walk away from him.  With great multitudes following him, he turned and said to them:

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his stake, and come after me, cannot be my disciple

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Does that remotely sound like, “Just ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins, and you will be saved?”  Has the Master’s message changed so dramatically; or has man changed the Master’s message? Messiah is not looking for people merely to believe he is who he says he is.  The Scriptures say that “the demons believe and tremble.”  Belief is simply the first step toward discipleship; and it is disciples that he has commanded to be made of all the nations.

On an earlier occasion, the Scripture records this event:

John 6:1 After these things Yahushua went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased…
10 And Yahushua said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

The next morning, the multitude awoke and could not find Yahushua.  They knew that the twelve had taken a boat to Capernaum; but Yahushua had not gone with them.  They took up small boats and crossed over to see if they could find the Master.  When they found him, this is what he said to them.

John 6:53 Then Yahushua said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

Aside from the obvious repulsiveness of this word that seemed to call for cannibalizing the Master, it was a blatant violation of the Torah.  It was an unthinkable expectation.  How did they respond?

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

After whittling away at their numbers, as if that were not enough, Yahushua turned to the twelve and said:

67 Then said Yahushua unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

On another occasion, three men approached the Master expressing their readiness to be his disciple.

Luke 9:57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
58 And Yahushua said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Master, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Yahushua said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of Elohim.

61 And another also said, Master, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Yahushua said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of Elohim.

To each person, the Master responded with a hard word.  He always wanted to insure that those who would be his disciples counted the cost of following him.  Their lives would cease to be their own.  Their lives would very likely become quite uncomfortable.  They would no longer be able to devote their attention even to the needs of their own families. Either following him became first and last to them, or they could not follow him at all.

This concept of putting one’s hand to the plough and looking back is another way of saying to count the cost.  This is demonstrated in an event recorded for us in the book of Acts.

Acts 15:36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of Elohim.

Paul split with his long-time friend, Barnabas, over the quality of discipleship demonstrated in the life of Barnabas’ cousin, Mark.  Mark began Paul’s and Banabas’ first missionary journey with them; but did not remain with them.  He turned back.  He had put his hand to the plough and looked back.  Paul did not want such a character going with them again. To Paul, Mark misrepresented the nature of the gospel and dishonored the Master. He was not a true disciple.

Nowhere in the Gospels do we see Messiah expressing appreciation for the pronouncement of peoples’ devotion to him.  He was unimpressed by the masses who deemed themselves to be his disciples.  He was constantly provoking them with messages to challenge their willingness to keep following him.

When the rich young ruler came to him and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life; Yahushua cited five of the ten commandments.  When the ruler said he had kept all of them from his youth, the Master replied:

Luke 18:22  Now when Yahushua heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Yahushua saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of Elohim!

The twelve were astonished at this and asked who then could be saved; and Yahushua answered, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with Elohim.”

Today, Christianity looks to make “believers” of people, then tuck them away in a building for meetings every week, making use of their dollars (tithes and offerings) to finance the business of the church. All the while the people outside of the church building in the neighborhoods nearby are still walking in darkness because they can see no light.  They are sick and dying because no one is bringing the healing power of the gospel to them.  They are still in bondage to sins which Messiah has already forgiven and has already provided for their freedom; and the church allows them to live their lives out in guilt and bondage.

Would we withstand the requirements of Yahushua to be his disciple; or would we be such as
cannot be his disciple because we have not forsaken all to follow him? Do we still moderate our obedience to him by the responsibility we feel to take care of our own family?  Are we waiting to retire from work before we commit to doing his will?  What is holding us back from being his disciple?  Is being his disciple not an important enough objective to us; or is it that we have bought the contemporary gospel of the “magic prayer?”  If we believe that simply praying a prayer secures our eternity; then why would any of us ever suffer loss to our own pleasures and desires to follow him; and yet, the Master says to us:

Come and follow me.”


Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.




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