The Cost of Discipleship: Part Three

This is the third and final portion of a three part series on the Cost of Discipleship. .I fyou are just now joining us, I suggest you start by reading Part One and Part Two first.

#3 Disciples must Crucify their Sinful Desires to be Like Christ
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24 & 25

When you crucify something, you kill it. It’s dead. It isn’t coming back. The only thing/person to ever come back after being crucified was/is Christ. He conquered death so that we can conquer sin through Him. To crucify sin you must consciously say no to temptation and turn your back on the behaviors that you know aren’t Christ like. You should flee, run away from temptation. Don’t let it have a place in your life. Instead fill those places with Christ.

That’s the cost of Discipleship!

The Cost of Discipleship: Part Two

If you are just now joinging us, this is the second part of a series on the Cost of Discipleship. I suggest you start by reading Part One.

#2 Disciples must be Willing to Suffer for Christ
Speaking of Saul/Paul, Acts 9:14-16 says, “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.’”

“For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake…” Philippians 1:29

I will be the first person to tell you that American Christians don’t know a thing about suffering for Christ. We assume that if someone makes fun of us or makes us feel inferior for our beliefs that we are enduring the worst kind of suffering for our faith. Yes, those things are a form of suffering, but it just doesn’t hold a candle to the suffering of our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who can literally lose their lives for following Christ or claiming to be a Christian. If you want to read about real Christian suffering read the Jesus Freaks books. They will give you a small taste of what it’s like in other parts of the world.

“The heart of discipleship, beloved, is a commitment to Jesus Christ. That means that you're willing to publicly identified with Him no matter what that cost.” – John MacArthur

Tune in next time for the Cost of Discipleship Part Three!



The Jesus Freak Books:
   

The Cost of Discipleship: Part 1

Last week, in Discipleship 101, we covered the very basics of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. As Christians we are Christ’s disciples. We should daily be striving to be more like Christ—more like our Master. Jesus taught His disciples that if they truly wanted to follow Him and be like Him there would be sacrifices they needed to make. It was going to cost them—not necessarily money—but it would cost none the less. So today we are going to talk about the cost of discipleship.

#1 Disciples must Put Christ First
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24 NASB

John MacArthur once said, “Discipleship... more than just being a learner, being an intimate follower, having an intimate relationship, following to the point where you would go as far as death out of love.” This is what it means to put Christ first. This is what it means to take up your cross. It means that no matter what trials or suffering or pain or ridicule you face as a Christian you will continue to seek God and His will for your life and make decisions for your life based on the Word of God and its truth rather than turning to your desires or whatever seems easiest or right at the moment.

Tune in next week, for the Cost of Discipleship: Part Two!