A Costly Faith

How much is too much?

Evangelism is a biblical command. And lots of churches are working on it. They have strategies and plans like "Set a goal for the number of professions of faith, conversions, or baptisms." Use more entertaining music, better videos, more inviting language. Build bigger churches with more room and comfort and programs. Because that's what works.

One of the worst evangelical strategists was in the Bible. When the jailer asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" (which, you must agree, is a soft pitch to any evangelist), he quickly offered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31) Good, Paul! But when someone asked Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?", His answer wasn't as ... comfotable. His final answer? "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Luke 18:22) Oh, man, Jesus, not a good evangelical strategy. You don't tell them things like that. They won't come. (And, oh, by the way, he didn't.) You need to tell them nice things. "Jesus loves you" and "He can solve your problems" and "God wants you to be happy" and stuff like that. Not what Jesus said to people who came to Him for the purpose of following Him.

As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God." Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)

Not a good evangelical strategy. When the disciples confessed that He was the Christ, He told them to keep quiet about it. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23) Jesus offered this heartwarming promise to crowds of would-be followers.

"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 carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:26-28)

Not exactly an inviting invitation, was it? But that was Jesus's evangelism strategy. Tell them it will cost them. "Count the cost," He told them, and it would be expensive.

As it turns out, this cost is a running theme in Scripture.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Rom 12:1)

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil 2:12-13)

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12)

We expend great efforts to convince potential disciples that Jesus wants to give you your best life now, that God can solve all your problems, that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, but Scripture in general and Jesus in particular wanted potential disciples to count the cost. He warned against earthly treasures and urged us to "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:20-21)

So, it seems patently obvious that being a disciple is expensive. Our love for family ought to look like hate compared to our love for Christ. Nothing on earth must be as important to us as He is. We need to view everything as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Him (Phil 3:8). We ought to expect sacrifice, work, fear, persecution ... lots of unpleasant things.

Is that the Christianity you bought into? Is that a feasible strategy for evangelism in your mind? Tell them the cost. Or are you going with the 21st century "American, therapeutic, comfortable Christianity" that most of us have bought into? If the latter, you might want to rethink. It doesn't appear to be Jesus's version nor the biblical version. And where your treasure is, you know, is where your heart is. Where is your treasure? Comfort or Christ?