I am interested to know how others are trying to apply, have been applying or how they think they should apply this scripture in their lives.
Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
I think it would be edifying to also list people from the Bible who lived this out.
God Bless
I read this verse as being about making a choice. It's not necessarily about having nothing, but about holding nothing dearer than knowing Christ, and obedience to Him.
Luke 18:28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
I know of a young preacher by the name, David Platt who went to India and have seen how other brothers and sisters in the Lord are living in total poverty and want.
He was preaching in Luke and was convicted with the radical demands that Jesus places on His followers to forsake all and follow Him.
He felt he would be a hypocrite if he lived in a big home while other believers could not make it from day to day. so he decided to live in a much smaller home and only have the minimum necessities of life and give the rest away.
He also mentions John Wesley who did the same all his life.
Edit- he has a sermon series 'Radical' of 8 tapes. It is quite good to listen to.
Hi learnermike,
This passage is a passage about salvation. Reading in context we see that Jesus is teaching that one must " hate," mother and father, wife and children, brothers and sisters to be His disciple. This word is better translated " prefer," although that is not a strong enough English word but you get the idea. If we do not love Jesus more than all of our family, we cannot be His disciple. If we try and follow Jesus without this sold out love to Jesus we would be like a man who began to build a house but ran out of money and the half finished house would stand as a reminder to all that this man did not have what it took to finish the house, he would be a laughing stock to the world.
Likewise, if you are a king and another king comes against you and has twice the troops, you are like the man who does not have the resources to finish the house, you will be defeated and humiliated if you go up against him. The half hearted man will suffer such humiliations. The rich young rulers who hold back will suffer such humiliations.
He will have all of your life or none of it. When a man is saved, it is because He has given his whole life to Jesus. He has lost his old life but gained eternal life. Now, when the Lord looks into the heart of a man and sees that the man is surrendering his whole life in repentence and death, then He justifies that man, and after justification comes sanctification. God will take what has freely been given. He will not take it all at once, there is a process, but the process can never begin in the man who has not laid down his whole life. And so, the possesions in the context of the passage has nothing to do with material possesions, but the possesions of the heart, which for some may be material, but that is only a small part of it..........brother Frank
I appreciate each post. I am interested in hearing that sermon series by David Platt. Where could I find it? I have heard of other missionaries and even Christians in the States that purposfully live way below their means so that they can give more to kingdom work. I am reminded of the same scripture "alive to God" quoted
Luke 18:28
And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothersb or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
and
Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mike: I have found this to be a principle or perhaps in a way THE principle to walking with God and growing in Him. We often have a surface view of forsaking all, of denying self and taking up our cross. But I find as I walk with Him, He is continually opening areas of my heart and my life and exposing them to His light and asking that I too forsake myself in this or that area. I tell you it is like dying a death, but the death of me is the ushering in of His life.
Bro Mike,
I haven't read the other replies but I believe "forsaking all" is done in stages. I was converted 32 years ago... and you cannot take my old head and put on a young person's body. If you get my meaning. The things I've learned, I've learned from years of walking with the Lord and I understand why the Lord wants "ME" to forsake certain things. But for me to tell a young person in the Lord that they must live like I live, they might not understand at all!! That'd be like telling a five year old they must forsake all their toys, if they are not mature enough to understand, then it's all for not!
WE have a frontal lobe in our brain that doesn't mature until (on the average), we are in our 20's; some mature and understand earlier than their 20's and some do not. I believe it's the same in our Christian walk with the Lord.
Yes, we are to forsake all... that is Bible and I believe it but it's also as grow by the power of the Holy Spirit!
God bless you,
Lisa
When we talk about the conditions of the kingdom we have to abide by Jesus’ words and methods.
How did Jesus invite people into His kingdom and what did He say?
Did Jesus do like the “Credit Card Companies” do. Does He promise unlimited line of credit with 0% interest until you get a taste of having money at your fingertips, then He reveals the rest of the truth that your interest rate from this point on will be 20%. Did He reason with Himself: ” If I tell them the whole truth upfront, they may not want to come at all.” Or did He give the conditions in BOLD LETTERS .
Is salvation progressive in the sense that we come with half heart, then that increases with time to 60% of the heart, then 70%, and so on. Is it okay to hold unto just one cherished possession? Do people always grow better in their sanctification or can they grow worse. One look in the Scripture can reveal that sometimes we are at our best when we first believed. The author of Hebrew is exhorting the believers to go back and call to remembrance the former days, in which, after they were illuminated, they endured a great fight of afflictions.
It is interesting that some times it is the young believers who are willing to give all, while those who have been in the faith for years have grown stagnant. Jesus did not ask us to understand. He is asking us to obey. Obeying only when we have full understanding is not obeying with a heart of trust. Is it risky to follow Jesus? You bet it is? In fact, following Him is for those and only those who are willing to risk it all.
Learnermike,
To get the sermons by David Platt. Google search " The church at brookhills", then click " Weekly teachings"
The sermons are on page 6 and called " Radical"
you will be greatly blessed.
I encourage all of you to listen, you will not regret it.
Untobabes,
Are those sermons the same as the book by David Platt?
THanks
Very close, Although he says somethings in the sermons that he did not in the book and vise versa.
I have both listened to the sermons and read the book but like the sermons much more.
I would say he says much more in the sermons because there are 8 of them about 1 hour each.
I found this helpful. It is from william Macdonald's book "True Discipleship". One of his first subjects is forsaking all. I appreciate how he does not "run away" from Jesus instructions.
here is a link to his book online, if you scroll down just a little then you will see the title "Forsaking all"
Oh God help me to practice what I preach
I will have to check out David Path and William MacDonald. What sort of things has God lead you guys to forsake?
I believe Lysa is correct.I haven't read the other replies but I believe "forsaking all" is done in stages.
Even though Peter said that he forsook all to follow Jesus, he hadn't forsaken everything.
When you look at how he was still reasoning with the mind of flesh in several instances, even after Pentecost he was still having trouble forsaking all. I believe this verse helps us understand these stages; But GROW in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18
I am sorry. I must have forgotten to put the link for William MacDonald's chapter on forsaking all. Here it is.
http://plymouthbrethren.wordpress.com/2007/01/06/true-discipleship-william-macdonald/
What sort of things has God lead you guys to forsake?
Well I have not forsaken much so far. I think many of the post are accurate in that Jesus is talking about internal and external things. I think what treasure we have "physically" does reveal somewhat where are heart is. I can also see, in my own life, how my spare time, early in the morning,late at night or during a lunch break is something that I have struggled to forsake and give to God. Forsaking my own pride and agendas I believe are crucial to my salvation.
On the external side, my wife and I have our house on the market, so we can downsize. Our priorities and ideas of success have changed over the past 4 years. We want to live frugally so we can be more available to give toward kingdom needs. We by most of our clothing 2nd hand. We have been trying to turn our affections from the things of this world and to turn them towards Jesus. I know that I am very monetarily rich compared to most the people in other countries and that bothers me, especially when I read the New Testament.
Becoming humble is a goal of mine.(not that I have anything outside of Jesus to boast about) Seeking my own is something that I feel I need to die to. Spending more time in prayer and depending on the Source of Life Himself will require me to forsake my flesh's selfish demands. So I am seeking Him for help.
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