Young People's Group

COUNTING THE COST

by Pastor Mitch
March 26, 2006

Do You Have A “Multitude” Mindset?

The multitudes followed Jesus wherever He went. They listened to His messages. They saw the great miracles that He did. However, they were merely tagging along with Him.

“Now great multitudes went with Him.”
Luke 14:25

There was no commitment on their part to really follow the Lord Jesus with regards to His teachings and life. Their focus was solely on what they could benefit from Him. Their mindset was “non-committal”. Young people, do you also have a “multitude” mindset?

Following Jesus Includes Cross Bearing

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:26-27

We must understand that if we truly want to follow the Lord, it may comprise suffering. He was teaching that the path of discipleship would at times entail being persecuted by family members. Hating one’s family member does not mean that we literally hate them but rather we would love the Lord Jesus more than our family members. The Lord Jesus warned that opposition could come from loved ones. We must be ready to stand up for our faith if we have too. This is the cross that we must bear.

Considering The Great Commitment Needed

If our desire is to be true disciples of the Lord Jesus, then we must count the cost. Jesus gave two illustrations to help his disciples consider the commitment needed to follow Him faithfully. Firstly, if a person wants to build a tower, he has to calculate the cost carefully. If not, he would not be able to complete it. Secondly, if a person wants to go to war, he must determine whether he is able to defeat his enemy. If not, he could face the prospect of being sorely defeated. Similarly, we must count the cost that is required to follow the Lord Jesus fully.

Learning To Forsake Much To Succeed As A Disciple

“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:33

Sacrifice is an important truth for us to learn and practise. We must be willing to forsake things in order to succeed as a disciple. For some young Christians, we may find it hard to forsake things for the Lord’s sake. This Saturday at 4 pm, we are going to have a post camp special on following Jesus. Dinner is provided. Pastor is going to teach us further on how we can follow our Lord fully no matter what. Please come and learn how not to be afraid in paying the price to be successful disciples of Jesus.

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