U Luku 14:28, Isus je rekao da se računa trošak kada je pričao sa gomilom o čovjeku, who was building a tower and a king who was going to war. But what did Jesus mean by counting the cost? Why do you have to count the cost according to the Bible?
Why did Jesus say to count the cost?
Jesus said to count the cost to the large crowds traveling with Him. Jesus had thousands of followers, ali na kraju, samo 120 followers were left. Ovo pokazuje, that many people wanted to follow Jesus, but only a few were able to really follow Jesus.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sit not down first, and count the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Govoriti,
This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, on ne može biti Moj učenik (Luke 14:28-33)
The reason why so few people were left is that those thousands of people did not count the cost before they decided to follow Jesus. Samo 120 were prepared to give up their own lives and follow Jesus.
Jesus knew that many were called, but only a few were willing and able to pay the price. The price, to give up their own lives, sopstvenoj volji, Požude, i želje, and to live according to His will.
That’s why Jesus said to count the cost before you decide to follow Jesus Christ and become His disciple.
Many people love their own lives and this world more than they love Jesus. Therefore they are not able to lay down their lives and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
“Whosoever does not carry his cross, i dođi za Mnom, can’t be My disciples”
If you really want to follow Jesus, it means that you have to pick up your cross dnevno. It means to give up your own life.
Isus je rekao, that if a person comes to Him and doesn’t hate his father, his mother, i supruga, i djecu, and brothers, i sestre, yes even his own lives, he can’t be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus not only said to count the cost, but Jesus even made it harder, by saying to the crowds: “Whosoever does not carry his cross, i dođi za Mnom, cannot be My disciples.” Wow, those were hard words, koje je Isus govorio!
The large crowd that followed Jesus had to give up everything to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Who was willing and prepared to give up everything for Jesus?
What does it mean to hate your father, majka, supruga, djeca, braćo, sisters, and your own life?
Jesus meant by hating your father, majka, supruga, djeca, braćo, sisters, and your own life that no one and nothing might become an obstacle in your life to follow Jesus and to do the will of the Father and represent, propovedati, and bring the Kingdom of God on earth.
You can’t follow Jesus and serve Jesus and be His disciple, if you are not willing and prepared, to lay down your current life. If you don’t hate your život kao grešnik, you can’t give up that life (style). Therefore you have to count the cost first before you decide to follow Jesus.
Jesus laid down His life for you, will you lay down your life for Jesus?
Only when you believe and become born again in Christ and become a son of God (Ovo se odnosi i na muškarce i na žene) and walk as a son of God, you are delivered from the power of the devil, Greh, i smrt, and are saved from the judgment of God and eternal death. If you want to become born again in Christ and walk after the Spirit then you have to lay down your flesh and kill the works of your flesh.
No relationship, no desire, not even your own will, Želje, and your own life may become hindrances to fulfilling the will of God in your life.
As long as you stay carnal, you can’t follow Jesus. Ako ne odložiš starca, you can’t fulfill His will for your life.
That’s why Jesus required a total surrender to Him. He required true repentance of someone’s life and a full immersion in Him. So that the new creation could arise and be His witness and fulfill His will upon this earth. (Pročitajte također: Bog ima plan za tvoj život).
How Jesus laid down His life to fulfill His Father’s will
Jesus laid down His life and left everything behind to fulfill His Father’s will on earth. He had given up everything: His life in heaven with God and His life as a carpenter with his earthly family.
Jesus preached and brought the Kingdom of God unto the house of Israel and called the people to repentance; to turn away from sin. KrozHis redemptive work at the cross, Isus je pomirio čoveka nazad Bogu. That was the mission of Jesus Christ and nothing stood in His way to fulfill His mission.
Were there no hindrances? Naravno, there were many hindrances. But Jesus was single-minded and focused on the Kingdom and doing the will of His Father. The devil not only tempted Jesus directly but also through people. But because Jesus didn’t live after the flesh but after the Spirit, Jesus saw their evil intentions and didn’t give in.
Jesus had laid down His life through krštenje (symbolically) and in the wilderness (praksa). His flesh didn’t reign in His life anymore but was subjected to the Spirit.
Wasn’t Jesus able to sin? Naravno, Jesus was able to sin, jer Jesus was fully human.
Jesus could have obeyed the voice of the devil and the will and lust of the flesh and fed His flesh. But Jesus didn’t.
Čak ni ne, when fear tried to tempt Jesus in the Getsemanski vrt.
The fear, that Jesus would be delivered into the hands of sinners and become a Partaker of sin and be separated from His Father, and the devil becoming His master, bilo tako intenzivno, that Jesus sweat drops of blood. But even this fear couldn’t stop Jesus from fulfilling the mission of His Father.
Jesus loved His Father above all. The love for His Father was bigger than any temptation in the flesh.
Is the message of the cost of following Christ preached?
There are not many preachers, who speak the same words as Jesus and preach the same message as Jesus preached. Many preachers don’t preach the message of the cost of following Jesus. They don’t inform the people about the cost of discipleship; da se odrekneš sopstvenog života, dying to ‘self’, and to count the cost before deciding to follow Jesus and become His disciple.
They’d rather preach about lažan ljubav and hyper-grace and tell you that you may live the way you want to live. They tell you that you don’t have to change and can do the works of the flesh, because you can’t help it. They say that God understands your decisions and approves of it. But that’s of course a big lie from the pit of hell.
Why do so many preachers rather tell lies than the truth of God? Why do they preach carnal sermons about carnal prosperity, bogatstvo, bogatstvo, uspjeh, blessings, itd? Odgovor je, that these ‘feel good’ and motivational sermons attract many people. Who doesn’t want to receive a ‘magic word’ to pay the bills to get out of debt or get what you want and become prosperous, uspješan, and wealthy in the world? (Pročitajte također: Mnogi pastiri vode ovce u ponor‘)
Carnal messages please the flesh
The carnal messages focus on the flesh and the world instead of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God. Stoga, u mnogim crkvama, the flesh of man is fed instead of the spirit of man.
Since the flesh is fed, the flesh remains alive and the senses, Emocije, and feelings rule and the church has to please and zabaviti the senses, Osećanja, and emotions of the people.
They preach feel-good and motivational sermons, that sound pleasant in the ears of carnal believers.
They’ve replaced the ordinary white lights by ambiance neon lights in all kinds of colors to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for the people, who are sense-ruled.
Not only do these lights get the people in a certain mood but also the loud music. By playing loud music and by repeating the words of the chorus over and over again, people enter some kind of trance. They think they have a spiritual encounter with the Holy Spirit. Ali istina je, that their own feelings mislead them.
When people enter the spiritual realm out of their souls, the devil will enter and work through them. The devil will give them exactly what they want: carnal manifestations, prijatna osećanja, itd. and so they are deceived by the devil.
Zbog činjenice, that most people remain carnal and live after the flesh, the feelings and emotions of people are stirred up during church service, and many people, who are led by their feelings, make a thoughtless choice for Jesus Christ.
On what basis does someone decide to follow Jesus?
Because on what basis, does a person make a personal choice to believe and accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and follow Him?
- Based on prosperity?
- A promise of physical or mental healing?
- A promise that God will pay all your bills?
- Based on prosperity in love and that God will give you a partner?
- A social aspect, because in the church you are not a loner anymore, but you are surrounded by people and fellowship with them.
- On the basis of fear of hell?
On what basis, have you made a choice to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord and follow and serve Him?
Many preachers provide too little or the wrong information
The choices are often made on the basis of too little or wrong information. Many people choose Jesus, without being well-informed about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and before they count the cost. Zbog ovoga, many choices are made out of a wrong conception, or a wrong idea of what the gospel is truly about. Therefore many choices are made out of the flesh; out of a feeling or an emotion.
It often happens, that people only walk partially with Jesus. They are not willing to put away their sins and lay down their own will, Požude, i želje. Ono što se dešava je, that after a while they quit, leave the faith, and pick up their old lives as a sinner.
Maybe they keep going to church, but during the week they live like the world. (Pročitajte također: ‘Zašto vjera mnogih patnje brodoloma?‘)
Their conviction and their love for Jesus were not strong enough to follow Jesus and to live after His will.
They had not counted the cost before they started building. Therefore they were not able to finish the work. Zbog toga, they mocked the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They showed people, that the power of the world is stronger than the power of God. And that the temporary deceptive pleasures of the world are more satisfying than Jesus Christ and the life in Him and the spiritual blessings of the Kingdom of God.
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
U Mateju 5:13, Isus je rekao, you are the salt of the earth, ali ako je sol izgubila svoj ukus, čime će se soliti? It is neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out.
Nažalost, mnogi ljudi će biti izgubljeni, Zbog lažnih doktrina. Because how can people count the cost, if they don’t get the right information? (Pročitajte također: ‘Lažne doktrine koje su uvreda Bogu‘ i ‘Doctrines of devil are killing the church‘)
As long as the message of the cross, Christ’s redemptive work, umiranje sebi, putting away the sins from your life, regeneracija, posvećenje, Nova kreacija, Progon(s) u životu, how to resist evil and temptation, itd. is not preached, people don’t get a clear view of what true discipleship really means.
People don’t get a clear view of what you must give up, to become a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ and what the new life, as a son or daughter of God, will be like.
Drugim riječima, the messages that Jesus and the apostles preached, have to be preached again. The message of Jesus, Križ, Njegova krv, Njegovo uskrsnuće, posvećenje, exposing and destroying the works of darkness, must be preached in the churches again.
What is the essence of true Christianity?
The essence of true Christianity and the Word is not preached the way God intended the gospel to be. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been changed into a man-made gospel. It is being torn out of its context. The Christians don’t build upon the Rock, but on doctrines and experiences of man. Therefore they are ‘blown away,’ by the first little breeze. (Pročitajte također: Isuse, a precious corner Stone or a Stone of stumbling?, i Hearers vs doers)
Let us return to the Word. Let us follow Jesus Christ with our whole hearts and let us remove every obstacle in our lives, that can become a hindrance to following Jesus.
Izračunajte troškove, before you decide to follow Jesus Christ. Only then will you be able to submit yourself to Jesus and devote your life completely to Jesus. When you submit and devote your life to Him, you will be able to build His Kingdom upon this earth.
“Biti sol zemlje”
