Yesterday I taught a two-hour session on discipleship in Student Venture's Bible Boot Camp. It's a three-week summer school for high school students taught by local pastors and teachers. What struck me yesterday as I was teaching was just how radical the seven discipleship sayings of Jesus are (I could see it on the faces of the students). Anybody who says Christianity is for sissies doesn't know Jesus. Check out these passages:
And then look at Acts 11:26.
Which passage is most challenging to you? Why?
We (well-meaning Christians/the church, etc.)have spent a lot of time and resources sanitizing, softening the edges of, and making safe the Gospel. We sort of spring the whole disciple deal on people once we've "closed the deal" and feel like someone is good and "saved" and maybe has had an answered prayer or two. Classic bait and switch, don't you think? In other countries where I've shared the Gospel (Africa/Romania), people truly stop to count the cost before choosing to follow Christ and become disciples. I've had Muslims shake their heads with regret, because to choose Christ would be to choose outrage, ridicule, torture, death for their family members & themselves and they weren't ready to go there. I'm just beginning to really understand what being a disciple truly means. It's all those verses and even more. I plan to use those verses as discipleship lessons while on mission (Burundi next). Thank you for blogging. I've enjoyed all your posts.