✝️ The Cost of Following Jesus

Good morning, my brothers! What a relief that we don't have to “earn” our salvation! Jesus transforms us through His death and resurrection, as evidenced by our changed lives. However, following Jesus has a cost. It’s not a popular topic, but it's the truth, per Jesus Himself. We're going to count that cost this morning. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (5-min read):

🔭 PERSPECTIVE Jesus advised those who listened to His sermons to thoughtfully consider His invitation, and the consequences of accepting, before taking the first step. Today, we consider the consequences.
📰  NEWS We bring you some practical advice to help you back and your heart as well as introduce you to a useful, Kingdom-aligned investing resource.
🎁 OFFER This week’s sponsor, RunDot, offers runners in the MTM fraternity to try two months of free AI-powered training support. See advertisement below for details.

PERSPECTIVE
The Cost of Following Jesus

A few weeks back, about 75 More The Man guys fasted and prayed for a day, seeking the Lord’s wisdom regarding discipleship. That night, 12 of us gathered on Zoom to read Scripture and close in prayer. Some prayed for mentors to guide them in following Christ. Others sought direction on who they might teach about following Jesus. We all asked for wisdom about how our More The Man fraternity could help each other grow in intimacy with Jesus and impact our country for God’s glory.

I’ve been deeply convicted these past weeks – a direct result of our day of prayer and fasting. Convicted about the lack of discipleship in the American church, specifically for men, and our watered-down notion of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Many see the Christian faith as simply saying a prayer, having sins forgiven, and living eternally in heaven. We gain everything, yet it costs nothing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (see MTM #16.5), in his seminal work The Cost of Discipleship, calls this “cheap grace” – forgiveness without repentance, sacrifice, self-denial, or obedience.

Consumers vs disciples

I sense you and I want more. We’re tired of living as mere consumers of the Christian life, gaining but not giving. I don’t believe we would subscribe to More The Man if we didn’t earnestly seek more in our walk with Jesus.

As I’ve prayed through this, one passage keeps returning to me – among the first verses I memorized when I became a Christian. Though I knew them in my head, I’m not sure I truly understood them or lived their truth: following Christ is costly. It demands something of us while offering rewards both here and for eternity beyond comprehension. Here's how Jesus defines discipleship:

Are you willing to live a life of faith that is costly and rewarding?  If so, let’s dig a little deeper together by looking intently at this passage in Luke.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple ...”

First, let’s define the word disciple, which appears 261 times in the New Testament. A disciple is simply a devoted follower, a student, or an apprentice of another. In our case, the One we are following, our Teacher, is Jesus.

Do you and I really want to be His disciples? Do we want to answer His call of “Come, follow Me?” Not in the “cheap grace that costs us nothing” version that many churches promote but in the “costly grace” of the true disciple. Are we willing to go “all in” knowing upfront it will cost us something, which could involve any combination of loss of prestige and so-called friendships; it could be a call to immediate obedience that is uncomfortable and often hard; It could be an inconvenient divine appointment God has that will take time out of your busy schedule; and it could involve getting up early before dawn to spend time alone with Jesus in Bible study and prayer.

Regardless of what the cost is for you, are you willing to pay it, knowing that eternal reward is promised? My prayer for you is that the answer is “yes.” If so, let’s keep going.

“... must deny themselves ...”

Self-denial is not something that is taught much in our culture. It’s definitely not popular, nor is it appealing on its face. It requires you and me to sacrifice our wants, our desires, our will and replace them with His wants and desires for our life and His will be done instead of our own. It’s true confession and repentance of all sin. It’s the way of Jesus as He prayed the night He was handed over for death in Gethsemane:

This isn’t easy and it might involve pain. Think of the anguish Jesus went through in Gethsemane…and on the cross. True self-denial. But it does involve embracing His will, ways, and timing, not our own. But again, we must keep our eyes focused on the eternal prize we gain by bearing our cross. Are you still wanting to be a true disciple of Jesus and willing to deny self? If so, let’s keep going.

“... and take up their cross daily ...”

In early Biblical times, when a person was sentenced to the gruesome death of crucifixion, they were often required to carry their cross through the streets as a public display of complete submission to Roman authority. It was a sign of complete submission.

And so it is with you and me. Jesus instructs us to take up our cross daily and tells us that being a disciple means being under His authority. We are no longer in charge of our lives; He is. Again, we are to submit to His leading, regardless of how uncomfortable it might be or whether or not we fully understand it.

For us as disciples, as we submit, we do so knowing these exciting and powerful truths:

• God loves us completely

• He always has our eternal best in mind

• He is always with us

• He never gives us more than we can handle in His strength

• We live in His victory

• Our inner man is blessed with the fruit of the Spirit

“... and follow me.”

Bible teacher John Mark Comer compares discipleship to apprenticeship, involving three essential tasks:

1. Spending time with the teacher

2. Learning to work as the teacher works

3. Being released to do what the teacher does

As Christ's apprentices, we commit to:

• Daily time with Jesus in Bible study and prayer

• Learning His ways and becoming like Him

• Going out to do what He did – loving and serving others in gospel truth

The “apprentice” life of a follower of Jesus is costly but also rewarding beyond measure. Let’s finish by discussing the blessings we experience as followers of Christ.

“... but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

This reveals the outcome of embracing costly grace: salvation from sin's consequences, which include eternal separation from God. And in my inner man here on earth, the fruit of the Spirit will reign supremely, regardless of circumstances

I worry for those embracing “cheap grace.” Jesus warned:

Yet I rejoice for those truly seeking to be More The Man God calls us to be. Jesus promised:

Brothers, my prayer is that we desire to live as true disciples of Jesus. Together, through His power, we can change the world.

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THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• Among the various ills our bodies suffer this side of Christ’s return, lower back pain is one of the most common and, like most ills, its intensity increases with age … unless we take intelligent action. The source of much of the lower back pain we suffer is the result of tight, weak lower back and abdominal muscles. Regularly stretch and strengthen and the pain goes away. Here is a helpful ten-minute YouTube video that demonstrates three simple, mild stretches you can do daily. Revisit MTM #1 for another regime you can try once you’ve made this sequence a habit.

Supplementation
“… the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

• You don’t need to be Cajun or a criminal to enjoy the benefits of cayenne pepper’s active ingredient, capsaicin. Capsaicin dilates blood vessels which improves circulation and improves cardiovascular health. One study found that people who eat spicier fare are 13% less likely to have heart attacks and strokes. Before you run to the cupboard, choke down a bottle and trigger a gastrointestinal nuclear event, get the dosage and timing right. Start with a quarter-teaspoon in the morning mixed with coffee or warm water and a squeeze of lemon juice. Maximum recommended daily dose if half-a-teaspoon daily. Courtesy Cleveland Clinic

Finance
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” Luke 16:10

• You have likely heard about ESG, the worse-than-useless assessment that evaluates the investing attractiveness of a company based on a set of environmental, social and governance factors (that have nothing to do with financial performance.) But what is BRI? BRI means “biblically responsible investing” intended to help Christians make thoughtful investments. BRI was developed by the North Carolina-based Biblically Responsible Investing Institute and their website features an ETF and mutual fund screen tools that provides detailed, on-demand reports.