Called to Discipleship

My calling as a Christian is to be a disciple. I am called to learn from and imitate the Lord Jesus Christ. As a pastor, my calling is to make disciples. It seems no matter how many times I am tempted to forget my calling, God readily reminds me. Discipleship isn't some super-spiritual quest. It is the call of every person who places their trust in Christ. He has blazed the trail we are to follow, and he calls us to take it seriously.

In fact, Jesus was very candid about it. He said, "If any one comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow men cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27, NIV). Yikes! That is harsh.

Many abandoned him for saying things like this. He seemed to be asking for too much. And from a human perspective, he may have been. But from the divine perspective, he was only asking for what was his due. We look at the world and things around us and we assume that these things matter. There is some truth in that they matter, but they don't matter to the extent that we imagine.

Family is important. It is foundational to a healthy society. However, family isn't ultimate. Human beings need social interaction, even the most introverted person on the planet desires companionship. But our relationship to God is more important. Without other people, we would be lonely. Without God, we are eternally condemned.

When Jesus calls the crowd to "hate" their families he is deliberately trying to chase people off. For those without "ears to hear," the words seem harsh. However, Jesus isn't commanding us to hate others. He told us elsewhere that the law was summed up in the commands to love God and love our neighbors. What Jesus was trying to get across is that our relationship to him should override our other relationships. If Jesus u wants us to go to Africa, but our spouse says, "I won't go!" What do we do?

Jesus says we are to take up our cross and follow him. If everyone rejects us for loving Jesus, then there is little we can do about it. The cost of disobedience is to great. We must obey the Lord.

Discipleship is not an additional category within Christianity. You are either a disciple, that is a believer who is following Jesus, or you're not a believer at all. Jesus warns us not to lose sight of this. We are called to endure to the end no matter how difficult it gets. We need to seek peace with him while he may be found. We must embrace Christ even if it costs us everything. Let those with ears to hear, hear it.