A mentor once told me, "Today, the world is in abundance of Christians but lacks disciples of Christ." What he said challenged me to really check myself and see whether I was just a person playing "Christian" or if I was truly following Christ.
One time, I was reading through Luke chapter 14 and then I stumbled upon the story of how Jesus sifted through a large crowd to figure out which of them were just following Him around and which of them were willing to follow Him all the way.
Luke 14:25-28 tells us:
"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.'"
"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?"
The word "disciple" comes from the Latin word "discere," which means to learn. In the culture and context of Jesus's time, a disciple is someone who would follow a teacher's way of life in every area -- his philosophy, his behaviour, his relations and at times even his mannerisms. Jesus was calling for no less, and inviting people to follow Him all the way. What does that look like for us?
Carry the cross. When Jesus told people that they had to carry their cross, we have to remember that He was talking to a group of people who did not know that about His crucifixion that would save the world. The cross was an abhorrent symbol, and Jesus was asking that they would endure even something as shameful as the cross to love God and love their neighbor.
Follow. When Jesus invites to follow us, it's nothing like the "following" we do on social media today where you can cherry pick what parts of a person's profile you want to check out. Jesus invites us to follow Him in every area of life. That doesn't necessarily mean that we become perfect right away, but it does mean that we surrender every aspect to the transforming and renewing power of God and allow Him to work through us.
Count the cost. Salvation is free to all who believe, but following Jesus will cost us everything. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us, "for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Yes, following Christ will cost us our relationships, our own desires, our careers and our plans, but as we surrender these to God, He will give us something better.
