COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS (Luke 12 vs. 51)
‘’Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth?”
With the problem facing the church today, we could hardly differentiate between Christ-followers, churchgoers, and pretenders. The church has become a hybrid of fake and original. Sometimes, it is difficult to separate them from those that truly know God. When people call themselves Christians, it is now essential to ask which kind of Christian they are; a good or bad Christian? We have evil-doers that hide under the canopy of Christianity and dent the image of Christ. The church now faces the persecutions as we have evil and chronic anti-Christ agents whose mission is to mislead new converts and fall the genuine Christians who have their feet shaking in Christ.
The selected part of the scripture today has a deeper meaning than just a question. If we should continue to ruminate on this, we will see clearly that rather than just a question, the scriptural reading indicates something about the cost of followership. There are costs attached, and Christ-followers should be ready to pay it off. The message is clear, Jesus says, my kingdom is not of this world, I do not come to give you peace on this earth. To follow Christ, you must be ready to pay the price of followership yourself. No controversial or ceremonial Christian can step feet into the kingdom of God. We are required to be certified and genuine Christian. Christians must be ready for persecution and tribulations from the world, ‘claimed’ Christians, and the spiritual forces.
Real and genuine Christians should know that there are prices to pay in this world. These are little out of many costs we owe to pay off:
Shedding off sins: (John 3 vs. 3 & Gal 5 vs. 19) Remember, God hates sins. A Christian that enjoys sins does not pay any price. Our God is holy, and we can only serve Him in holiness. God has called us out of the old life (sins and immorality) to be a holy nation and peculiar people. If you want to identify with Christ, you have to pay the price of holiness.
Get ready for rejection and more enemies: (1st Cor. 1 vs. 18) the world will surely reject and abuse you for following Christ. That is part of the cost. If you read James 4:4 from the other way round, it will read thus: “know ye not that enmity with the world, is the friendship with God?” God expects you to pay certain prices. Irrespective of the decayed world, faithful Christians have to stand out and not mix with this world. Persecution may come from even fake pastors, fake Christians, parents, possessed friends, etc., as Christians, the price to be paid is to take your ground and stand out of the crowd.
It will cost you your possession and time: God expects us to devote little out of the time and riches He has given us on this Earth to serve Him. Unfortunately, many Christians, through our lifestyles and busy schedules, we tell God, “I can’t share this little time with you.” As a true Christian, God expects that we spend time to read the scripture, pray, and preach His gospel. These are the cost of discipleship that we all must pay.
I challenge you today to give more to God and pay your cost before the owner of the soul demands it. A little contribution to the work of evangelism could go a long way. Little time to visit the orphanage homes, hospitals, and specials schools will make an excellent record. Stop giving excuses. Pay your tithe and help the needy. Support the true evangelism work of God. These are the cost of followership. Thanks for reading, & God bless you!

As long as you remain a part of the world-church, you cannot be of or belong to God.