What Did it Cost You?

Who can say with a clear clear conscience that they have attained to this , "letting go?" I will share my experience, at least as far as I have got, with the caveat that the standard is never, never any man's experience. Our standard must always be Jesus, and him alone. Consider this when you think of discipleship. It is unto Jesus alone. Having said that, I'll share this.

I think it is never the same. God molds people according to what we perceive as circumstance. I consider this scripture in Hebrews 12:

4.You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
5.and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
"MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD,
NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
6FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

7. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8. But if you are without discipline of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

10. For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

11. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

12. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

13. and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

15. See to it that no one (comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

16. that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

I had a rebellion in me, a lust and pride, that was out of control. I seemed to have given up, living in a fleshly world , half in, half out of the kingdom, and I did not feel conviction of my sin. I thought everything was OK, and God's lack of involvement with me, was somehow an endorsement of me, in my awful sin and corrupt selfishness.

One night God came to me, AFTER I was a Christian 17 years, while I was in my backslidden state. It was a though I was grabbed by a single hair upon my head, and dangled over a very, very real Hell. I heard the wails and cries of the dead, along with the confusion in thundering sound, and I smelled the urine and sulphur odor of Hades, and the demon's voices of torment. I KNEW that I was going there; that I was being damned.

Only one scripture came to me, "No man shall pluck you out of my hand!", and I spoke it over and over again as I prayed, that I would be saved. I cried; "Save me, Lord Jesus!"

I was in this state for about 12 hours. I rose up with a terror of the lord that has not left me or waned. I am terrified of Jesus to this hour, and His wrath, and I love him. Now I think it is impossible not to have the fear of the Lord, commensurate with your love of Him. He also reconfirmed his love for me, in very clear ways.

I endure now, that I might be saved, and knowing the terror of the Lord, I persuade men.

At some point thereafter, I lost everything. I was rejected by all of my friends, eventually, some 25 year disciple friends. I was rejected by every member of my family, including my wife and my only son; My mother too, and my father. I lost my health, my business, my home, and became homeless, and that over the age of 50; wandering around with a bag of clothes 1000 miles away from anyone I knew. I was not in sin. In one two day period, I led everyone I met to the Lord.

I have still been rejected relentlessly, especially by the religious, and the religious system. I am regularly in warfare that is painful, and always have the feeling that I do not have a life; it is gone. I am yet alone as much as anyone I know. I do not, though, count this cost as a high one. It is necessary, and it is mine. It's my cross, and no one can have it.

I say this partly with humor, but my point is, we all have to pay our part...to buy the Pearl of great price, and the cost is always the same for everybody who would gain Him;

EVERYTHING.

by jimp on 2009/10/29 0:14:55

"hi, to answer this question one has to leave the one that bore the cost and put attention on myself. Jesus said" if I be lifted up I will draw all men..." whenever we lift up man we are making a mistake." jimp

Philippians 3:7-9 (New International Version)

Your testimony does not necessarily mean that you are lifting yourself up, or, "putting attention upon yourself." It is true that Jesus bore the cost of every soul ever created, but the bible is implicit that there is also a
COST for the believer. Consider the parables of the "TREASURE IN THE FIELD", and, THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, and the admonition of our Lord himself;Luke 14:25-27 (New International Version)

The Cost of Being a Disciple
25. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple!"

Yes, it does mean that we must pay a price to gain Him, and yes, you are right in that what we think we may have paid, may well be but bragging, or the machinations of our own spiritual pride and self righteousness, but, as the apostle Paul testifies, it may not.

7. "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8.What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9. and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

I appreciate your ideas of self depreciation, which is surely necessary, but sometimes though who HAVE paid the cost, such as Paul, are very encouraging to us that are faced with doing so. It can be a hard thing, to Pay the costs, of following Jesus.

I think of John Bunyan, languishing in jail, while his wife and children suffered, and his beloved blind daughter, the light of his earthly life, died so young, partly because of his imprisonment and deprivation imposed on her. It broke his heart, but he went on in victory.

He stood for the fullness of the gospel, and his duty to freely preach the gospel, away from the confines of Religious control. [Anglican ] He was offered release, by his word alone, that he would no longer preach freely. Bunyan stood; He refused to trade temporary freedom for eternal freedom; HE PAID THE PRICE!, and opened a door for multitudes that followed to obey Jesus by the spirit and Liberty!

I could go on; David Brainard, who paid with his health and life, to preach to the American Indians, C. T. Studd, who forsook wealth and Privilege's to suffer deprivation around the world, for Jesus's sake and the lost, Hudson Taylor, the same, and Whitefield, who just wore out around 50, and died......on and on and on....and I am encouraged.

These are they who have overcome, against all odds, except the fact that Jesus is Lord, and he proved it to these men, and their testimony proves it to me, as do my contemporary brothers do, and have, on this thread. Hallelujah!

Hebrews 11

24. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,

25.choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

26considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

{..Moses' cost was not only the the throne of the most powerful nation on Earth, but his "ill treatment" by choosing God's people over the pinnacle of the world...embracing "THE REPROACH OF CHRIST."

27. By faith he (left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

29. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

{ The cost of all of the Israelites who left with moses was The Wilderness, having left home and hearth to wander without provision or guarantee.}

30. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

31. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

{ Rahab too, forsook all to pay the cost to believe.} A grandmother of David and thereby Jesus.

32. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

{....Paid the cost of persecution, slander, being hated and hunted, yet endured.}

33. who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

34.quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

35. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;

{...tortured, not accepting release....that's would qualify as paying a cost to follow Jesus.]

36. and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

37.They were stoned, they were sawn in two,they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

38.(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

{ This is and was the remnant bride. Even today...[ it's hard to believe ] there are christian joyfully paying this cost of following the Lamb; the cost of being hunted and treated like criminals, imprisoned, and yes, even executed.}

39. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

40.because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

We, too are given the privilege to suffer, and endure in Christ, against the wrath of the world, our own evil natures, and the powers of Satan and his evil.

A gospel that sees only the blessing and benefits of Jesus,....{the Prosperity gospel ] and endorses them as the true gospel, is a lying gospel, and a false one. All of those who live GODLY in Christ Jesus,
[b]SHALL[/b] suffer persecution, and we shall reign with HIM, IF we suffer with him.

Amen Sonya. Isn't it all really related to Lordship? Who is the lord of your life, and why.

I think of the intense religious, that sacrificed greatly for their beliefs, or sense of duty. In their minds, it was "the cost", of course; living a "sacrificial" life, "laying down everything" to gain Jesus. I think of mother Teresa of Calcutta, who was never born again, but toiled ceaselessly, night and day, doing good social work for the desperate poor. {and leading none to Christ, for she never knew Him...] I think of the multitude of catholic Nuns, and the women who were taught that celibacy was the was the way to pay the cost, and counted their lives so, as a payment to God to gain Him.

Jesus commanded us to "Count the cost."

27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it...

There is a convoluted gospel that counts our suffering and disciplines as a trade off to God, to satisfy His warped sense of satisfaction based upon how much we actually give to him; by means of suffering, duty, and works that are supposed to please him. Only he holds the scales, so who knows how much is enough; after all, he is God and rather big, so his appetite for duty in these terms must be rather large.

So what IS the cost? I submit that the cost, is heart obedience unto all of His convictions; a life of absolute surrender to Love him with all, no matter the cost,and to obey him, without compromise, to gain all. It is Your way is my way, no matter what. It is, "YOU ARE LORD!", NOT ME!....and a resolve to pay that inward vow of devotion, no matter what. My future husband, my children, my parents, my future!...{ think of the Moravian primitive missionaries }, all of my hopes, dreams, wealth , health, happiness and ME!...belong to You, because you alone are God, and worthy of it.

I am not worthy of stewarding my life. If so, I guarantee a useless life; possibly a religious one, but useless just the same.

Paying the cost , i think, is living a daily life of denying ME!, and being willing to love, and to worship Jesus, just because He is worthy, with no strings.

Job, who I believe we will see sitting on one of the 24 Thrones in Heaven said, "Even though he slay me, YET will I worship Him!" This was after losing his children, possessions, and wealth, and after he suffered the rejection of a cruel and angry wife. I will worship him no matter what!

He did not attempt to justify the holiness of his life, though he was bewildered; yet, he did not sin with his lips, cursing or blaming God. Job knew that the Lord gives, and takes.

This is the spirit of the martyrs. The cost to them, was everything, but the finality of it just happened, as they walked daily just loving, and obeying Jesus. "Even though He slay me..."..and the guarantee with God is that it will happen, one way or another.

The cost is death to ourselves.

19. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

"and I no longer live....."