The concept of following Christ is found through out the New Testament. Understanding the cost of discipleship involves recognizing the sacrifices and commitments required to follow Christ. The expectations set by Jesus are often rejected by many, and the implications for believers are often misunderstood.

Christian Discipleship requires removing personal desires and ambitions to embrace the call of God. Matthew records these words of Jesus,”  Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.” 16:24-25

Hearing and receiving God’s call to discipleship is clearly not understood nor accepted by everyone. When Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26-27 HCSB. The idea of hatred does not mean to disown family, but rather is a rebuttal of their emotions in reference to His call to do what He demands from us. And not everyone understands.

Jesus continues with this instruction in verse 28, “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 

The cost of discipleship and the understanding of it must be accepted when God calls. The moment His call is received one may not understand completely, but engaging faith must be done. At that moment the thought of not living by sight becomes a reality. Discipleship suddenly is found to be a life of self-denial and an unwavering allegiance to Christ. 

The Apostle Paul writes, “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” Philippians 3:7-10 HCSB.

Jesus is Lord.