Given April 12, 2010
Working in technology education, I often have the opportunity to evaluate software and, working with educators, I’m usually interested in finding something good that’s free. Everyone knows however there’s a difference between the free version and the pro version; more features, better output, more options, but…there’s a cost; it’s not free. So you must decide; do you want just the basics for free or do you want to pay the price to get more?
Being a Christian, I often have the opportunity, (at the prompting of the Holy Spirit), to evaluate my walk with Jesus, the Master. When we get saved, all we have to do is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31), and it is free, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8). When we get saved, we are believers; we believe in Jesus and accept His sacrifice for us and get into Heaven on the Basic Package, and it’s free. But there’s more and if you want it, it’s going to cost you.
Becoming a disciple is like the student/teacher relationship; we are the students and Jesus the Master teacher. We’re striving to be like the Master¸”A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher”. (Luke 6:40). We CAN be like Jesus but there’s a cost for this “Pro Version” of Christianity. “If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26). That’s a cost! We have to be willing to follow Jesus, give up the world, learn from Him, and do the things He teaches us. Remember the rich, young ruler in Luke 18, he wasn’t willing to do it.
Yes, the Basic Version, a Believer, which is free, will get you into Heaven but the Master wants more out of His students. Too many Christians are satisfied with just getting inside the Pearly Gates but there are going to be different rewards when we get there, (Note Jesus’ parable in Luke 19:11-26). There is work to be done. He’s looking a few good men and women who WANT to be His disciples. It’ll cost you something but the rewards are “outta this world”! Are you willing to get out of kindergarten and move on up?
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I appreciate the message of this post, however, I wonder about the idea that all we have to do is believe in Jesus and we’re in (the Basic Version you refer to above), but if we want to be disciples we need to work on it. Aren’t works/the fruit our lives produce an essential part of salvation as well? Hence faith without works is dead? In several areas of the Bible it says that we need to endure in faith until the very end in order to get life, to not wander from the Christian faith, to turn from sin and God will recognize who are “his” by the fruit that our lives produce and that’s how we get life. Isn’t that the case? That we need to pick up our cross no matter what in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and not only for Discipleship? The Basic version you mention seems easy…it shouldn’t be.
I like the way you broke it down: Salvation = No cost/// Discipleship = Cost.