What is the cost of discipleship at work?

• Jesus was quite explicit about the cost of following Him. Discipleship requires a totally committed life: “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple”(Luke 14:33).
• Not all of Jesus’ followers were able to make such a commitment. There were many who left Jesus after a while. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him”(John 6:66).

The cost of discipleship involves a denial of all my self-interests and desires: Jesus’ followers were called “disciples” long before they were ever called “the Christians.” Their discipleship began with Jesus’ call and required them to exercise their will to follow Him (Matthew 9:9).

• 1 John 3:2 — 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
• John 12:26 — 26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
• John 14:3 — 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
• Romans 8:29 — 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
• 1 Corinthians 15:49 — 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
• 2 Peter 1:4 — 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Jesus demanded disciples become slaves of the Master (aka Owner). This is not optional even though it sounds repugnant. I am a slave of Jesus. I am totally devoted to Him.

• Matthew 16:24 — Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
• Matthew 10:38 — “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
• Luke 14:27 — “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

As a disciple, am I learning from Jesus at work? The Greek term for “disciple” in the New Testament is mathetes, which means more than just “student” or “learner.” A disciple is a “follower,” someone who adheres completely to the teachings of another, making them his rule of life and conduct. The Pharisees prided themselves in being disciples of Moses (John 9:28).

Are we ready to leave everything to follow Jesus? Can we challenge our colleagues to do the same?

• Matthew 4:19 — 19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
• Matthew 8:18–22 — 18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. 19 Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to Him, “Master, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
• Matthew 9:9 — 9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

Happiness results in obedient discipleship

Jesus asks very penetrating questions of me. Jesus is patient. Jesus is waiting for my answer. What will I say?

Why do you call me, ‘Master, Master,’ and do not do what I say?

~Jesus | Luke 6:46

Jesus continues on. “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

In some circles, the end game is to be saved. Now that is important, but it is not the end game. Jesus outlines three steps:

1. Come to Him (be saved)
2. Hear his words (listen)
3. Put them into practice (act and do)

Jesus is waiting on my answer! What will I answer? I must say, I hear you Master and I will do what you ask! Obedience is critical.

That is the real deal.

There is more! Our culture places a great value on happiness. We are just mistaken on how to get it. Happiness comes from obeying Jesus. That is it.

Do I believe that? Will I do it?

• Luke 11:28 — But Jesus said, “On the contrary, happy are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
• Proverbs 8:32 — “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For happy are they who keep my ways.
• Matthew 7:24–25 — “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
• John 13:17 —  “If you know these things, you are happy if you do them.“
• John 14:21 — “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
• James 1:25 — But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be happy in what he does.