Thousands who do not attend church would gladly receive the benefits of salvation if only they could keep control of their lives. Somehow they seem to realize what many in the church have missed. You pay a price to serve God. They are honest with God; they don't want to pay it. On the other hand there are those who are deceived. They attend church, call Jesus "Lord", and declare their submission to His lordship while in reality they have not submitted. ~ Excerpt from John Bevere's 'A Heart Ablaze'
Luke 14:25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “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. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
I have heard some state that when told to "count the cost" before coming to Jesus they didn't come because of that specifically. And some even feel that when we tell people to do so that we are keeping them from salvation. Perhaps thinking along the lines of "just get them in the door." The truth is that Jesus didn't do that. He waited till crowds were around Him and then gave them the hard teachings. He made clear what it costs to follow Him! He did not try to manipulate the situation to get them "in the door." He went straight to the heart of the matter which is the heart is the matter!
To do this to people is to do more harm than good. We are presenting them with a false gospel. Telling them all of the good things about following Jesus and leaving out the not so attractive things. Some even believe the false gospel they teach in that God will give you only material blessings and riches and good days, that grace is merely there to cover up our sinfulness and we can't help but live sinful lives, that once we accept Jesus we cannot lose our position -- our salvation. These things are simply not true. And anyone who takes it to the Lord with an honest and sincere heart in searching the scriptures will find the truth of it all.
A partial truth, while withholding in order to manipulate, is nothing short of deception. And by doing this we set people up for failure. We make promises in BOLD PRINT and yet fail to even mention the fine print. Jesus makes it all BOLD PRINT! And we should do the same. We are not called to fill seats in the church or "just get them saved". We are told to make disciples.
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The truth is that while salvation is a free gift from God. One that cannot be earned by us. It will cost you everything to have this gift. You must give up your life to have it, you must submit to the LORDSHIP of JESUS CHRIST. And not just in word but in deed also. And we, disciples (Christians), do not get the option of obeying only if His word doesn't contradict the desires of our heart at the time. We are called to DIE to ourselves and our CARNAL desires. Even if these desires may not necessarily be what we would call "bad" and in fact can even be "good" does not negate the fact that it doesn't mean it is "GOD". We must be willing to trade our desires for His. We must be willing to allow His desires to become our desires and follow Him at ALL COSTS! Without choosing this path I assure you we will find something else stealing our affections and we will walk away from God.
Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
John 12:23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Don't let anyone deceive you. Only those who TRULY follow Christ from the inside out will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven in the end. And those who choose to pay the price will suffer many things in this world yet will reap eternal rewards both here and when He returns. Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing Him. Many may give some but who is willing to give ALL? Have you counted the cost and are you willing to pay it?
Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Romans 2:13
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
James 1:19My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid ofall moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
