Spiritual Growth Lessons
from Christian Ambassadors
Lesson 18, May, 2002
Counting The
Cost - Part II
by Sharon K. Griffee
Luke 14:27 (NIV) - And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my
disciple.
Jesus spoke the essential quality of discipleship in
this one verse. Anyone who does not, cannot become. In Counting The Cost - Part
I, we learned the difference between a real disciple of Jesus Christ and a
distant follower. Distant followers sit back and expect God to do everything
for them. Real disciples want to do their part to help. They will bear up under
the weight of the cross (Luke 14:27 KJV). When trouble comes
along, a true disciple continues to carry the cross, not considering it a
hardship, but a joyful opportunity to fulfill the desires of Christ. Jesus
told his disciples in John 16:33, “...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world.” (NIV)
Jesus, the one who overcame the world, is calling us
to step out with him, that we, too, will overcome the world. Are we ready for
the task? To help answer that question, consider once again the vision I shared
with you in the previous lesson.
A few years ago I awoke earlier than usual, so I
might talk with the Lord about a concern. I wanted to know why Christians were
having as many difficulties dealing with the problems of life, as the people
in the world who did not know Jesus.
My answer came in the form of a vision. The vision only lasted a few seconds,
but I saw enough to understand the spiritual significance of the choices we
make.
That morning, as I sat on the edge of my bed, the
room suddenly faded into the background. I saw a vision of Jesus portrayed as a
majestic, royal figure. He was dressed in a gleaming white robe with a long
flowing train, similar to the train that trails behind a bridal gown. Jesus
was walking down the road at a steady pace, looking straight ahead, as if his
course were predetermined. I was in awe of the magnitude of his stature, of
his holiness, as he gracefully passed by.
I quickly glanced over the entire length of the long
train he was dragging, and I was surprised to see a group of small children
sitting cross-legged on the tail end of his train. They were talking and
laughing amongst themselves, oblivious to their surroundings, as Jesus
dragged them along. It was as if they were in their own little world. It dawned
on me that these small children, were not children at all, but were representative
of “immature Christians” who had found shelter on Christ’s robe from the storms
of life. It became painfully clear to me; although Jesus had rescued them
from the darkness of the world; they had not gone on to spiritual maturity, to
seek Jesus with all of their heart. In fact, they had no personal relationship
with the one who had saved them from their plight. They were content to fellowship
with one another on the back of His robe, while Jesus dragged them along.
In thinking about my vision I wanted to know what
type of fellowship these distant followers were having with one another. What
were they so caught up in? The Lord revealed that the children sitting on his
train are like many Christians who are busily engaged in their religious
studies. They are so absorbed in their studies that they fail to see the living
Christ in front of them. Study about Jesus becomes an end in itself, rather
than the means to developing a personal relationship with Him. While they are
busy studying, they are ignoring the real Jesus. They make a religion out of
studying the Bible.
“Wait a minute,” you say, “I’m confused! Aren’t we
supposed to spend lots of time studying our Bibles? Didn’t Jesus say we are to
continue in his word?”
John 8:31-32 (KJV) - Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free.
Without considering the spiritual significance of
that scripture, we could read it with our intellect, believing that all we have
to do to prove we are true disciples is to continue studying the word. I
sometimes hear new Christians say, “I’ve got to study the Bible to show myself
approved!” My question is, who are you seeking approval from, for what
purpose? If you are seeking approval from God, does God approve of you simply
because you are spending a lot of time in your Bible? Is God keeping score of
how many times a week you study your Bible? Does He put guilt trips on
Christians when they go a few days without picking up their Bibles? No, He is
not! If you are seeking approval from fellow Christians, however, you can
expect some guilt trips over your Bible studies. One inmate told me of being
stopped in the hall and criticized by other professing Christians because he
only attended two or three of the four Bible studies held during the past
week.
There is significant spiritual insight into what
Jesus meant when he said, continue in my
word. He was referring to much more than religious study of the written
word. It’s not how many Bible studies you attend each week that makes you a
disciple. The real question is, “Have you allowed your Bible studies to bring
you into an intimate relationship with Jesus?”
The Amplified Bible translates John 8:31 this way, “So Jesus said...If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in
accordance with them], you are truly my disciples.”
Studying the written word is crucial, but our
studies must take us beyond the Bible, into a personal encounter with Jesus
Christ. The Bible should never be a substitute for that encounter, no matter
how much we study. The purpose of the Bible is not to give life, but to point
to Jesus, the one who can give life. Not until we are living in accordance
with the teachings of Jesus are we truly His disciples. For disciples to continue in His word, they must do their best to live in such a way
that they do not bring shame upon Jesus by their conduct. The apostle Paul told
Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) - “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman
who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
God’s approval comes when we study our Bibles for
the right reason. Bible study is not to gain intellectual knowledge, so we can
impress other Christians with how well versed we are in the scriptures. There
is only one good reason for disciples to study their Bibles; to find out what
God desires for them to do! Disciples learn so they might do what the Master
says. God’s approval comes when what we study in the Bible shows up in our
good conduct. Jesus does not want the truth he brought to be kept in a classroom.
It is intended for action! Jesus would rather we know the truth in one book of
the Bible and act on that truth, then to know the entire Bible and not act on
any of it. In fact, Jesus would be highly honored if we knew the truth of just
one verse in the Bible, John 3:16, and acted on it! Why? That one verse,
believed and acted upon, is enough to get us connected up with Jesus!
When we are connected up with Jesus, we are connected up with the truth. In
the person of Jesus, truth will set us free!
In considering my vision, the recurring question
that keeps coming to mind is, “What fellowship does Jesus have with distant
followers who religiously study about him, but who do not continue with Him?” I don’t know about you, but I’m not
content to just study what the Bible says about Jesus, while riding on the back
of His robe. That doesn’t satisfy my longing. I want a better view of Jesus
than the back of His head. I love Him and
I want to see His face.
Psalm 27:8 (NIV) - My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.
I want to be a workman who does not need to
be ashamed of my conduct as I carry the cross of Christ. I want to be like Him
in this world, living completely free of sin and Satan’s power. As Paul
proclaimed, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection!” Philippians
3:10 (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, Jesus wants more from us than
to be students of the Bible. He is calling us to stand up with the written
word, move over to the edge of his robe, and with faith in Jesus, the living word, step back out into the
world. But why do we need to go back out into the same world we’ve been rescued
from? Because, it is in the world where disciples ultimately learn to carry
the cross, not in the comfort zone of his robe. It is in the world where
disciples walk with Jesus Christ in the full power of his resurrection. If you
are an inmate, your world may be just outside your prison cell. Nevertheless,
it is in the world where lost souls are won for Christ. Will you continue with Jesus, the living word,
by taking up the cross and following Him?
Questions for personal or
group study:
1.
What
is the one good reason a true disciple studies his/her Bible?
2.
How
does this reason (the answer to number 1) strengthen our brothers and sisters
in the church?
3.
Can
you righteously judge another person’s study (time, quantity, intensity,
devotion, motive)?
4.
What is the most important lesson you have received from your own
studies of the scriptures?