The Cost of Discipleship
Disciples

Therefore, when we observe these conditions deteriorating nearly every single day, what is it we, as the people whom God has chosen, are required to do? It is my conviction that the very first action we are called to take is to count the cost of our discipleship. Both Jews and Christians will become the targets of virtually anyone who disagrees with what the Bible teaches; we will be regarded as failing to conform to the ways of the world, and for that reason, we will be persecuted.Consequently, it is necessary for us to calculate the cost that discipleship demands.Whoever wishes to become a true follower of Jesus Christ must first of all take time to sit down and carefully calculate the cost, and that cost may prove to be exceedingly high because Jesus clearly and explicitly explained what it genuinely means to be one of His disciples, placing before them the terms and conditions that accompany discipleship. During the time when Jesus walked upon this earth, there were vast multitudes of people who followed after Him wherever He journeyed. Each one of those individuals took great delight in the miracles that He performed, the healings that He provided, and the food that He distributed freely at no charge. Jesus had become a popular figure, the person whom everyone in town was discussing, and the latest trend that everybody was eager to take part in. Nevertheless, Jesus knew exactly what was taking place within their hearts.He understood that what they were truly seeking was the good things that He could give them, rather than a genuine understanding of who He actually was. What they valued most highly were the gifts that He provided, not the kind of life to which He was calling them. Accordingly, He went on to explain in straightforward terms what a person must do in order to become one of His followers, and this remains extremely relevant for us today. Jesus sets forth His terms and conditions with great clarity in Luk 14:26-33.