Paying the Price
Luke 14:25-35
To follow Jesus we must establish our priorities, we must cost the cost and we must be willing to pay the price. In no uncertain terms Jesus told the crowd, "Any of you who is not willing to give up everything cannot be my disciple. "
Abraham was willing to give up his son.
Moses gave up Pharaoh's court
Peter gave up his family
Matthew gave up the lucrative profession of a tax collector
Paul gave up his prestigious position as a Pharisee.
Now, unless you are called into full time Christian ministry you will not be asked to do as these men have done. But, none of us, clergy and laity alike, can escape the need to establish our priorities, count the cost, and pay the price.
I have often wondered what would have come of the church if Jesus' Disciples had not made those ultimate sacrifices. If they had not paid the price of discipleship with their very lives where would the church be? Geographically Christianity is the most widely diffused of all faiths and a third of the earths 6 billion people claim Christ as their Lord. What kind of church would we be if the 12 had put down their crosses?
Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the church. Everything had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece.
But then someone said, "Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted? "The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then her gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship.
"Each time you are here" the nobleman said, "the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, the place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."
That's a poignant story, isn't it? And it makes a very significant point about the importance of our commitment and loyalty to the church. The poet Edward Everett Hale pit it like this:
I am only one,
but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something.
And because I cannot
do everything
I will not refuse to do something I can do.
Let me ask you: What if every member of our church supported the church just as you do? What kind of church would we have? What if every single member served the church, attended the church, loved the church, shared the church, and gave to the church exactly as you do? What kind of church would we be?
Questions to Ponder
Are you willing to pay the price?
Are you holding up your cross?
Are you helping to keep the church lighted?
Are you willing to do what you can?
In His Service,
Terry Phillips
