Counting the Cost

AW Tozer wrote, “A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to ‘accept Christ’ without forsaking the world.” Can it be? Hmm …

In today's Christian world it seems that the operative word is grace. In the Biblical context it refers to undeserved favor. As in, our sins merited the wrath of God but because of Jesus’ free gift of salvation, we do not have to bear the punishment due us. Instead we get a free ride into the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s Biblical. It’s true. It's absolutely wonderful. But it’s not the whole enchilada.

When my great-aunt's co-laborer in Christ entered the state of matrimony, she found it necessary to resign her post. Though her marriage could be described as one "made in heaven," it was not without its bumps in the road.

Turns out that her musician husband, a new convert, made his living mainly by playing in bars. Aside from the great divide in the Christian world concerning drinking (a division that gets smaller and smaller as more believers slide into the belief that there is nothing wrong with drinking), even a generation ago believers did not hold to a Christian frequenting a bar. It was generally accepted that such environments did not glorify Jesus.

A new believer, the young man began to pray about the way in which he made a living. Somehow, the club environment didn’t spell “glorify Jesus “ to him. For those of you to whom this is mind boggling, let me ask: what, pray tell, are the stand-out characteristics of a bar? Overindulgence, foul language, raucous behavior … do those characteristics shout “Jesus“ to you? Not to mention the dim lighting now popular in churches, a pet peeve of mine. Doesn't John 3:19 says, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men liked darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil"? Of COURSE we should copy the dark club atmospheres (not!!!!)!

Anyway, back to the newlyweds. Living in the rural suburbs of a not-too-big city did not afford him an abundance of options. The only viable job he could come up with was taxi driving. Although it made a lot less than playing in “iffy” environments, he had peace that this was the answer to his spiritual dilemma. With his wife in complete agreement, he chose a path in which his decision to follow Jesus meant a career that, while less lucrative, showed his willingness to follow where Jesus led. Kind of like Matthew the tax collector.

Knowing Jesus is wonderful. It is joy in the midst of a darkening world. It is hope in the face of devastating problems. It is peace in the midst of a roiling storm. It is having something worth living for. But it doesn’t mean perpetual tiptoeing through the tulips with utter abandon.

Somewhere along the line when I was young, I picked up the notion that being a Christian meant repeating the sinner’s prayer and voilá—instant perfect Christian. Well … yes, and no. Yes, it is Uber easy to come to Jesus. All it takes is a yearning for Him, a belief in His deity and His sacrifice for us and resurrection, and then a reaching out to Him. Easy-peasy. But there’s more to the story.

When Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission, He didn’t say, ”Go to all the world and have people repeat the sinners’ prayer.” Nope. He said,”Go ye therefore and TEACH all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING them TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS, whatsoever I have commanded you“ (Matthew 28:19-20). Yikes! Being a believer is more than just saying "I love Jesus"—it’s following in His footsteps! Any sincere confession of faith should be followed by a corresponding change of life choices.

My very first Christian friend told me of a teaching she had heard that blew her away. It was about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. “Does an apple have to strain and stress to grow?" she asked me, her body fairly vibrating with excitement at the wonder of the concept she was about to share. "No! It just grows!”

I was amazed and awed by this observation—and then flummoxed when I didn’t “just grow “ the fruits of the Spirit. What was wrong with me? It was many years before I realized how incomplete that teaching was.

When we moved into our new Tennessee home, Dennis started planting fruit trees and bushes like a house-afire. But guess what. Two years down the road we are still waiting for the fruit. The trees have to mature before they start producing hand over fist. Meanwhile, Dennis fertilizes, waters, prunes, sprays for bugs. Yes, once the fruit "comes in," it will grow seemingly effortlessly—but only after years of investing into the plant or tree itself. A beautiful Christian doesn’t just “happen.“ He/she is the product of faithful Christian discipline, following the words of Jesus year in, year out, until that time when the plant matures. Then, and only then, will the believer grow fruit "effortlessly."

Is this legalistic? No, it’s Jesus’ own words. If our life choices are left at will, with no regard to what would please our new Master, we end up with a hodge lodge of lifestyles that, sadly, look just like the world. Clothes that do not glorify Jesus, frequenting places that glorify sin, unbiblical lifestyle choices that are contrary to God’s Word. Addressing this with a loved one, I was looked at scornfully and told with a dismissive tone, “That’s so not cool.” I was dumbfounded but given a reality check. It seems that the world deems following Jesus's precepts as being dorky. So I guess the question of lifestyle boils down to this: are you willing to be dorky for Jesus?

I laud that young man who chose financial loss in order to follow Jesus. I laud those in China who refuse to deny their Savior even though it means a loss of rights. I laud those in North Korea who face deprivation, jail time, and even death in their pursuit of Jesus. May each of us, like them, hear Jesus say in the not so distant future, ”Well done, thou good and faithful servant… Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:23).

"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall ... Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present" (2 Peter 1:10, 12).