What Cost Christ? Part 3

This is our third look at the same question.  First we saw what the cost was to Christ for us to be saved.  Second we saw the cost of conviction of our sin and the need of Christ. He is not a mere ornament that we add to our life.  He is the greatest need of our life.  Now we want to look at another view of the question – “What Cost Christ?”

Jesus said that there was a cost to follow Him.  What happened to free you might be saying.  Salvation is free.  We enter the Kingdom of God all debts against us being fully paid by Christ at the cross.  So how can there be a cost to follow Him?  It is the cost of testifying to a change in brand loyalty.  If all our friends were Coke drinkers, if indeed it was a requirement to be in the group of friends to be a Coke drinker, and we changed to Pepsi, what then? 

Jesus warned that those who followed Him would find they were in disagreement with their families.  Paul noted that those who followed Christ would be in disagreement with their pagan religions and the practices of their pagan religions.  Here pagan is defined quite simply as anything outside the parameters of biblical teaching.  There is no God but God and we can only know Him through His Son Jesus Christ.  What we saw in Christ by the grace of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit was our peril of eternal damnation and our need of a real Savior.  Led by the Holy Spirit we received Christ by faith and in effect changed brands from whatever we had been. 

Not everyone who didn’t change brands will be happy with our change.  People may lose their friends, their families, their jobs and in many countries in the world even their lives.  Jesus asked the question, the question that began this whole thought process, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”  I am a writer.  Some of my books are not popular with the lost community.  It has been suggested that I hide those books and only present my “acceptable” books in order to sell more books.  I need to sell more books. Therefore I am tempted to make my other books less noticeable.  But what have I gained if I deny the truth in my less popular books?  That is the original thought behind, “What Cost Christ?”  I was at the door of a major publicity opportunity when there was a sudden need to stand up for truth or bail on truth.  Standing up can cost me a lot.  Bailing can cost me even more.  “What Cost Christ?”

This song is from India where following Christ can cost a person everything.

I have decided to follow Jesus.  I have decided to follow Jesus.  I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.

The cross before me, the world behind me; the cross before me, the world behind me; the cross before me, the world behind me; no turning back, no turning back. 

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