It has been a tumultuous few weeks for my wife and I. We have encountered hardships and trials that were unexpected and unforeseen. Some have been due to simple unfortunate events and others have been due to the actions of those around us, both from within and without our family. Some of the issues from within our family have been as a direct result of our walk with God, and can rightly be viewed as persecution for standing up for our Faith and dedication to Christ.

The latest chapter in our saga occurred last night when we ended up in the hospital emergency room after my wife took a painful tumble down the stairs. During our 6-½ hour stay at the hospital, we joked about being “sifted like wheat.” We have surely had a rough go of it lately, but our faith remains strong.

While we were waiting at the hospital, I read back through the passage that we were talking about where Jesus warns Peter “Satan has requested to sift you as wheat”. Although scripture doesn’t record it, I would imagine after Jesus informs Peter that “before the cock crows you will deny Me three times”, that Peter might have got a little nervous and quite possibly did some prayer and pleading to avoid the whole sifting process. I know I would have. Regardless, Peter got sifted anyway, and although He “wept bitterly” during his ordeal, his faith did remain strong and he later did go back to strengthen his brothers.

Later on in the Gospel of John, after Jesus’ resurrection we see where Jesus tells Peter of the further hardships and violent death that he will suffer later for the Gospel of the Kingdom of God(John 21:18-19). Knowing that he would undoubtedly suffer more sifting and be eventually crucified for his devotion to Christ, Peter’s commitment to the Kingdom never wavered.as he preached the Gospel for the next thirty six years.

I look around me and see many Christians that seem to view entry into the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed as a “free ride” and they think that there is no cost involved. Still others that are within the clutches of the “Prosperity Gospel” that seems to spreading like a cancer tend to believe that it is not only a free ride, but it comes along with big houses, fat bonuses, fast cars and perfect teeth. The bible that I read paints a much different picture. Although God’s grace and forgiveness comes absolutely free, and in fact there is absolutely nothing that we could ever do to repay for what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross, entry into the Kingdom of God comes with a hefty price tag.

I think that most everybody, even nonbelievers, are familiar with the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to “sell everything you have and distribute it to the poor, and then you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22). As we know, the ruler walked away disappointed. The price tag was more than he was willing to pay. Most Christians will at least give lip service to the idea of being willing to give up their worldly possessions as a requirement for following Jesus, although when put to the task, many will fall away as evidenced in the parable of the sower and the seed sown among the thorns. “…But the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

In Luke 14:25-34 Jesus further spells out the costs of following Him. He says; “ If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters- yes, and even his own life- He cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.” (Holman CSB) He then follows up this statement with three parables about counting the costs of discipleship.

Some prefer the “lite” version of these words of Jesus found in Matthew 10:35-38, but I kind of prefer the version found in Luke. The point is this: following Jesus has to be the number one priority in our life, put above even our own spouse and children. Jesus isn’t telling anyone that they are to abandon or “hate” their family, but rather that our love and devotion to Him has to be our top priority and we cannot allow our love for even our family to come before our love for Him.

Some might say, “Well I don’t want to be a disciple, I just want to be a Christian. All of that stuff that they had to go through was because they were Jesus’ disciples and doesn’t really apply to me like it did to them.”

Being a Christian means nothing less than being a disciple of Christ. The terms are synonymous and you can’t be one without being the other. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to “go make Christians of all nations”, but rather “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

So what is the cost of the Kingdom?

Everything!

Unless we are literally willing to forsake everything to follow Christ, He tells us that we are not worthy to of Him. As I expounded on in my post “On Faith”, the “believe” found in John 3:16 is not a passive, “Oh, I believe in Jesus, and so now I’m saved” sort of thing but more an active, conscious pursuit of following Jesus and seeking after Him.

Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going to endure all sorts of hardship, poverty, and persecution all of our lives simply because we are following Him. We simply have to be willing to if He asks it of us. Many followers of Christ are richly blessed in this life, but there is a catch. Jesus plainly tells us over and over, “of whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)

The point that I’m trying to make is that Jesus never promised us a free ride. The Bible is full of God’s promises to those who strive to “love Him with all of their heart, all of their mind and all of their understanding”, but many of those are spiritual promises, and almost all of those promises come with conditions. Free grace is just that. It is absolutely free. But it is not cheap.

I was telling a friend of mine yesterday, “if being a Christian was easy, everyone in the world would be a Christian by now.” It is definitely not easy, but it is absolutely worth the cost. As Jesus tells His disciples in Mark 8:34-37:

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Jesus doesn’t paint us a gloomy picture of what following Him promises, but He doesn’t necessarily paint one that’s all Rolls Royce’s and perfect health and a jillion friends either. What He gives us is a realistic picture. Many people try and enter the Christian faith with an unrealistic idea of what following Jesus is all about and end up discouraged and find themselves like the rich young ruler, walking away from their eternal rewards because they find the price of the Kingdom is higher than what they anticipated.

I certainly hope that the tough times that my wife and I are currently experiencing are short-lived, but they in no ways have affected my love for Jesus nor my desire to continue following Him. I earnestly try to “count it all joy” when I experience various trials, knowing that the testing of my faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3) All the same, I’m ready for a little breather. I’m a little tired and could use a break, and I’m sure my wife feels the same way.