If we take the four gospels and look at them from the standpoint of what it takes to be a follower of Jesus, and believe that Jesus meant what he said, there might not be many Christians.
Look just at Matthew 8:18-22. (18) Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. (19) And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee withersoever thou goest. (20) And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (21) And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. (22) But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
There are a number of things to note in this passage and in context with other passages. Jesus was not interested in having large numbers of people around him.
So many "pastors" today spend millions of dollars to keep building bigger and bigger edifices to accommodate all of those who want to be around them. That alone makes me doubt I want to hear anything these men have to say about spiritual matters. If the scribe mentioned in verse 19 was alive today he might be a megachurch pastor. He told Jesus that he would follow him "withersoever thou goest." The answer that Jesus gave him was that there would be physical hardships. Perhaps Jesus knew that the scribe thought that following Jesus would be a good career move for him. There is no record of how he responded or what he did after that.
The second man is noted as "another of his disciples." He was not just starting out. He asked Jesus if he could "first" do something else. Before getting in the boat to go to the other side he wanted to stop being a follower of Jesus for a while so that he could tend to his father's needs. I don't think the father had just died. I do think that the commandment of Jesus to depart unto the other side in verse 18 was more than just for a short time. It may well have been clear to this second man that they would not be coming back anytime soon. His father may have been near the end or quite possibly have been in reasonably good health but elderly. His leave of absence may have been for an unspecified length of time until the father died, there was a funeral, and then an estate distribution. Jesus certainly is not saying that people who are physically dead could bury another dead person. Jesus meant that there were others in the family, not followers of Jesus, who could do all that was needed to care for the needs of the father while he was still alive and after death. The man wanted to "first" not follow Jesus. Jesus said that following Him would have to come first. Here too we do not know what the man decided to do.
Commitment is more than just making a statement in church. It is action. James said "Faith without works is dead."
Jesus did not promise a life of luxury. Nor did he promise a life of misery. He did say that we were to be prepared for whatever might come our way. He did promise that by faith we could do what he said without fear of the consequences. What is incredible is that so many so-called followers of Christ have no discernment of what actions constitute following Christ. Whether giving sacrificially or out of excess they fund "pastors" with ocean-front homes, Bentleys, airplanes, and other luxuries. In their business they will service their markets on a schedule yet provide favoritism to those who can do the most for them. They will ignore the needs of the lesser customers and will not go out of their way for them. Their store is set to open at 10:00AM. It will not open one minute sooner even if there is a blizzard and a mother is standing outside the door waiting to get food for her children.
The apostle Paul worked night and day so as not to be a charge to the people at Thessalonika. He wanted to be an example to them that even though the Lord might return at any moment that they should not leave their jobs.
Let us not forget Ecclesiastes 9:10 where we are told "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might." Our heart may be looking for something else. We might not have time on this earth to do those things. We should do whatever service opportunity is in front of us.
David Sneed
Look just at Matthew 8:18-22. (18) Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. (19) And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee withersoever thou goest. (20) And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (21) And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. (22) But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
There are a number of things to note in this passage and in context with other passages. Jesus was not interested in having large numbers of people around him.
So many "pastors" today spend millions of dollars to keep building bigger and bigger edifices to accommodate all of those who want to be around them. That alone makes me doubt I want to hear anything these men have to say about spiritual matters. If the scribe mentioned in verse 19 was alive today he might be a megachurch pastor. He told Jesus that he would follow him "withersoever thou goest." The answer that Jesus gave him was that there would be physical hardships. Perhaps Jesus knew that the scribe thought that following Jesus would be a good career move for him. There is no record of how he responded or what he did after that.
The second man is noted as "another of his disciples." He was not just starting out. He asked Jesus if he could "first" do something else. Before getting in the boat to go to the other side he wanted to stop being a follower of Jesus for a while so that he could tend to his father's needs. I don't think the father had just died. I do think that the commandment of Jesus to depart unto the other side in verse 18 was more than just for a short time. It may well have been clear to this second man that they would not be coming back anytime soon. His father may have been near the end or quite possibly have been in reasonably good health but elderly. His leave of absence may have been for an unspecified length of time until the father died, there was a funeral, and then an estate distribution. Jesus certainly is not saying that people who are physically dead could bury another dead person. Jesus meant that there were others in the family, not followers of Jesus, who could do all that was needed to care for the needs of the father while he was still alive and after death. The man wanted to "first" not follow Jesus. Jesus said that following Him would have to come first. Here too we do not know what the man decided to do.
Commitment is more than just making a statement in church. It is action. James said "Faith without works is dead."
Jesus did not promise a life of luxury. Nor did he promise a life of misery. He did say that we were to be prepared for whatever might come our way. He did promise that by faith we could do what he said without fear of the consequences. What is incredible is that so many so-called followers of Christ have no discernment of what actions constitute following Christ. Whether giving sacrificially or out of excess they fund "pastors" with ocean-front homes, Bentleys, airplanes, and other luxuries. In their business they will service their markets on a schedule yet provide favoritism to those who can do the most for them. They will ignore the needs of the lesser customers and will not go out of their way for them. Their store is set to open at 10:00AM. It will not open one minute sooner even if there is a blizzard and a mother is standing outside the door waiting to get food for her children.
The apostle Paul worked night and day so as not to be a charge to the people at Thessalonika. He wanted to be an example to them that even though the Lord might return at any moment that they should not leave their jobs.
Let us not forget Ecclesiastes 9:10 where we are told "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might." Our heart may be looking for something else. We might not have time on this earth to do those things. We should do whatever service opportunity is in front of us.
David Sneed
