The Cost Of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-35 It is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple? Well I think the obvious answer is yes... So then, what is a disciple? Well during the time Jesus was ministering in Israel there were many teachers or rabbis. One of the keys to understanding this relationship between Jesus and you and I as His disciples is to understand the way discipleship worked back then. You see back then all Jewish boys were taught from the Scriptures at a young age and looked forward to one day becoming a disciple of a rabbi. If they were good enough in school and found favor in the eyes of a rabbi they were called to a discipleship program. The "internship" if you will, consisted of living with the rabbi 24/7 and learning all you could from him. The goal was to become just like the rabbi. When we see Jesus choosing His disciples from lessor stations of life (fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and the like) we realize it's not so much our ability but our availibility that is attractive to God (my own opinion here but you get the idea). But if the key to discipleship is a 24/7 committment to being like the Rabbi Jesus Christ then discipleship would be a bit different then our current idea. Which is why the cost of discipleship is one to be considered first before we apply... If this concept of discipleship interests you then check out the audio message "The Cost Of Discipleship" on the recent sermons section.