Understanding the Cost of Discipleship by Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 

                                                      WONDERING GURU

Jer 20: 7-9: Rom 12: 1-2; Mat 16: 21-27

 Introduction: Everybody wants to go to Heaven but not many are willing to pay the price to get there. Just “desiring” or “wanting” to be like Jesus and to be with Jesus aren’t enough. There is a price of discipleship that must be paid if we are to experience God’s heaven. The cost of discipleship can be summed up in three commands when Jesus said Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.

The life of a disciple is the life of surrender to a cause greater than our own. The life of a disciple is a life of discipline to force our will to conform to the will of God and not to be conformed into the image of this world. Disciples of Christ live according to a completely different mindset than what the world has. Jesus never picks His disciples according to the standards of the world. Jesus picks us according to the standards of His desires and according to the person that we can become if we will only surrender to His will and answer His Call.  Jesus can see in you and I what no one else can see. He sees the end result of what we will become and not the unlearned and ignorant person that we are. Just being chosen isn’t enough though. If we are to really be a disciple of Christ there is a path of life that we must walk that is far different from anyone around us who doesn’t serve God.

The Cost of Discipleship involves DENYING OURSELVES. That means that we must put God’s work and the call of God upon our lives ahead of everything else in life.  The Cost of Discipleship involves FOLLOWING JESUS! Following Jesus entails getting to know Him in a very personal and intimate way. That kind of relationship only comes by spending time in the Word of God and in a constant attitude of prayer, talking to Jesus. It’s learning the heart of God and learning to love Him and other people the way that God loves them. Following Jesus means to learn to be like Him in every way. Learning to trust Him, learning to believe in Him, learning to hear and know His voice, learning to know His will for your life, and learning His Word.

The Cost of Discipleship involves LIVING HOLY LIFE-To be holy is to be Christ-like; to be holy in thought, word and deed is to be Christ-like in thought, word and deed. To have a holy heart is to have a heart like Jesus. To be holy in our attitudes, ambitions and activities, is to be Christ-like in our attitudes, ambitions and activities. In short, to be Christ-like necessitates having the mind of Christ! (Phil. 2:5-8)

There is a DECISION one must make. The decision to become a true disciple of Christ is characterized by three attributes: the RECOGNITION of Jesus’ identity, the RECEPTION of Jesus’ invitation and the REQUIREMENT of commitment. It is a commitment to persevere. Jesus is not saying "Try following Me for a while to see if you like it." Jesus is clearly stipulating that His requirements for discipleship involves a call to full-time commitment! His call to follow involves a commitment to keep on following no matter where He leads, no matter who else is willing to follow, and no matter what happens to you as you follow. A personal relationship with Jesus is based upon COMMITMENT, not experience. Commitment is a choice, not a feeling! It is a choice of your heart, mind and will. Commitment is the glue that holds a relationship together.

Conclusion: Dear brothers and sisters, Your personal relationship with Jesus will be uniquely DIFFERENT from that of any other believer. A personal relationship with Jesus must grow through NURTURE or will be destroyed through neglect. Placing before you a Martyr’s Measure of Commitment: "I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still…I won’t give up, shut up or let up until I have prayed up and paid up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till he stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear!" (A note found in the office of a young Pastor in Zimbabwe, Africa, following his martyrdom for his faith in Jesus Christ. Found in ’the signature of Jesus’ by Brennan Manning)

“A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing”. - M. Luther.

👉22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 3^rd September 2023