Introduction

Good day to you all! Today, we will be discussing the third part of becoming disciples, with the theme The Cost of Being a Disciple. The fourth part will be Confusions Regarding Discipleship. Actually, the fourth part mainly sorts out and summarizes the previous three parts, and answers some disciple-related confusions from the side.

Let's start with The Cost of Being a Disciple. A long time ago, I delivered a sermon titled Accounting Before the Lord Jesus. You live day by day on this earth, and one day you will come before the Lord Jesus to give an account. Then someone asked me, Teacher! Do Christians also have to give an account? I replied, Of course, when the time comes, you will come before the Lord Jesus to receive rewards. Is this true? Of course, it is true. There is performance evaluation in a company. After the evaluation, you can get the reward. Can you get away with not paying the price if you don't work hard? Even if some of them work hard, they are not enough. It's even worse if you don't pay the price.

Among us, there are those who have taken the college entrance examination, or have children who have taken the college entrance examination. The students who take the college entrance examination are very hard in those years. In order to be admitted to the university, they are working hard. I thank the Lord! Give me a good mother. I was not very diligent at school when I took the college entrance examination, but I was diligent when I got home. That's how the top students are. When I got home, my mother told me not to study anymore, and not to tire myself out. Paying the price is not a joke.

One of my strengths is that I am willing to pay the price for studying, but I don't pay the price for watching TV. If I pay the price for watching TV, can it be the same as paying the price for taking the college entrance examination? My mother saw that I was working so hard, so she advised me not to study anymore. She also gave me extra meals, a scrambled egg for a while, and a cup of milk for me. It's so good to have such a mother. What I mean is that you have to pay the price for everything you do. If you put the effort of taking the college entrance examination on believing in the Lord, it would be amazing. Among us, are there any who put the effort of taking the college entrance examination on believing in the Lord? I haven't seen one so far. Why? Because people have a lot of confusion about believing in the Lord. They think they don't have to pay the price for believing in the Lord. This is a huge myth.

I. Calculate The Cost of Everything You Do

We must calculate the cost of everything we do. If we don't calculate the cost, it will be a very fatal thing. Look at the real estate tycoons, who have opened a large-scale company. The construction of the forest city can accommodate many people, or the construction of commercial complexes. The big guys will calculate the accounts. When it comes time to pay the price, the company goes bankrupt, and the buyers pay the bill. The big guys took the money away, and they had already figured it out.

But this is a lifetime of hard-earned money, and some people become house slaves when they buy a house. The construction of the building became unfinished, and one bad building is one million square meters, and then two million square meters, the order of magnitude is very scary. If you don't pay the price for doing anything, you can't build an unfinished building. An unfinished building has no price. Now in this market, the construction of unfinished buildings does not require him to pay the price. Who pays the price? The buyer pays the price. But when you didn't buy it, why didn't you calculate the cost?

Sometimes I wonder, how can people become smarter? Then you have to learn to calculate. The book The Art of War is well written. We always feel that The Art of War is talking about tricks. When it comes to tricks, people think of tricks. In fact, The Art of War is about calculation. Tricks are small tricks, brain teasers. For example, talking about a pig and a donkey, which one to kill first, kill the donkey first, and the pig thinks so too. This is a brain teaser, which is called a trick.

However, The Art of War is not about tricks, but about clever calculations. What is clever calculation? Before things happen, you have to calculate well and plan ahead. The generals can see that the battle cannot be won, so don't fight it. Unlike some people who flirt with big bears for nothing. In Canada, many people live in houses in the mountains, and black bears often appear. If a black bear appears and you tease it, it will be troublesome. If you really fight, you can't beat it. That guy slaps out 500 kilograms, you can't stand it. If you encounter a brown bear, be more careful. That big guy is grumpy, like a Northeasterner. Unlike Tianjin people, Tianjin people speak very interestingly. When they fight, they take bricks and shoot you. The angry person asks if you can do it? He also discussed it with you. If you change to a Northeasterner, he will shoot it directly.

You have to calculate everything you do, and don't provoke people if you can't beat them. Watching the current Russia-Ukraine war is like watching a joke. I am not a politician, but I know that you have to calculate before doing things. For example, once I was in a hurry to get on the road and bumped into someone's bicycle. I saw the owner of the bicycle, with horizontal and vertical scars on his head and bloodshot eyes. When I met such a person, I quickly apologized and apologized. If I got into a fight, I would have some scars on my head. That's so Scary. His life is not worth much, but my life is more valuable than him. Even if I leave it to Jesus, I won't leave it to such a person.

You have to calculate everything you do, I don't play horizontally. So being a disciple requires calculation. It is not good to be an unfinished disciple or a defeated disciple. You have to calculate the cost of being a disciple. Everyone should know that reading the Old Testament, Moses took these people out of Egypt, and they followed. I didn't think about what they were doing out there. After they came out, they regretted it. As a result, when they encountered a little environment, they had to return to Egypt, and they were finally killed by God in the wilderness. This is a tragedy of that era, and even such a tragedy is still being staged in our era.

Being a Christian is being a disciple, just changing the name. You have to calculate whether you can do it as a disciple. I'm not scaring you, Jesus said so. If you can't afford the cost of being a disciple, forget it, just stay in Egypt. Work hard in Egypt, and do what the Egyptians tell me to do. So everyone should know that being a disciple requires paying the price. It's not like what you said, watching Korean dramas and Hong Kong dramas, and then telling Jesus that I am your disciple. I think you are a disciple of Korean dramas and Hong Kong dramas. Today brothers and sisters should know that this is a very important truth. Being a disciple requires paying the price. What can you do if you don't pay the price? You can't do anything without paying the price. People who do this will live and become stupid.

II. Being A Disciple Is Like Building A Building

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:25-33)

Yesterday I shared Luke 14:25-33. Jesus turned around and said, if people come to me and do not overcome their wives, children, brothers, sisters, and their own lives, they cannot be my disciples; those who do not carry their own crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples. Verses 28 to 33 are well spoken. He said that before you build a building, can you not calculate whether the building can be built? I'm afraid that if you lay the foundation, you won't be able to succeed, and those who see it will laugh at him. Being a disciple is like building a building. You see, verses 25-27 talk about being a disciple, and verse 33 talks about being a disciple. The middle is talking about the structure of being a disciple, and it must also be talking about building of being a disciple.

If you want to build a building, you have to calculate the money in hand. Among us, there is a brother whose uncle is very interesting. He bought a house for his aunt, paid the down payment but could not pay the monthly payment, and could not pay the monthly payment in the first month. If you can't afford the monthly payment before buying a house, isn't this just asking for trouble? So you have to calculate everything you do. Do as much as you have the capital. Today I tell you that if a person lays the foundation but cannot complete it, those who see it will become a joke.

So today there are many Christians who died in the wilderness. Because in these years I have been a Christian, I like to understand things clearly. If you want to be a Christian, be a resounding Christian, if you want to be a lawyer, be a resounding lawyer, and if you want to be an accountant, be a resounding accountant. This is my logic, because I saw that all these people in the Bible died in the wilderness. Some people say that it is the Old Testament, and I am different from others.

A person who can read and a person who cannot read will read different results. After reading it, I thought, will being a Christian die in the wilderness? Later, I observed in the church that many Christians were killed by God in the wilderness. So from a very young age, I was a Christian, and later I calculated how to be a Christian. I thought to myself, don't be an unfinished project, this is my inner thoughts and intentions.

So in the past few years, I have never missed a Sunday, and I have absolutely set aside time to worship God. If a good friend invites me to attend his wedding, I will ask him what day it will be set. He said Sunday. When I heard it was Sunday, it would not work. I told him that I had left the time to God before the creation of the world. This time cannot be taken back, why didn't you tell me earlier. After hearing this, the man laughed, and he didn't blame me. Including Bible study and prayer meetings, I have never missed them, although that person's Bible study and prayer were terrible, but I have never missed them. So being a disciple is like building a building, don't die in the wilderness.

Many years ago, I divided Christians into three categories: the first category did not follow God out of Egypt, and liked to be slaves in Egypt, and these people were all descendants of Abraham; the second category was that they went out of Egypt with a fever in their heads, and they didn't know why they wanted to go out of Egypt, so Moses Shouted and left. I don't want to enter the promised land of Canaan in the wilderness, and I die in the wilderness as a result; the third category goes out of Egypt to the wilderness and enters the promised land. So I hope that those who listen to my sharing can be like me and make smart choices, and calculate whether the price is worth paying, just like building a building and calculating the chips in hand, and it must be built. Put this chip on being a disciple, and the chip is to pay the life as the price, and this price can definitely be paid.

Taking discipleship at the cost of one's life is definitely a victory, and paying this price is worthwhile. Sometimes I teach people how to calculate, and it's interesting to calculate back and forth. When building a building, avoid leaving it unfinished; when being a Christian or a disciple, also avoid leaving it unfinished, because once it's unfinished, it becomes a joke. In this generation, if Christians do not pay the price, they will be troubled by various diseases. If you don't pay the price for discipleship, you will have to pay the price for something else. Can you figure out which is better and which is worse? Paying the price to be a disciple means you don't have to pay the price to be a disciple of the world. Paying the price for the world is offending God. Don't go against God, no matter who else you go against. I would rather go against the strongest enemy in the world, the devil Satan, than go against God. Because our God is not like the devil. The devil can kill the body but not the soul. Our God can kill both the body and the soul. This is not a joke; this account must be calculated clearly.

Being a disciple is like building a building—don't leave it unfinished; you have to calculate. Some people say to me, Teacher, look, I am a Christian. I jokingly suggest that they become Buddhists instead, as they don't seem to have much affinity with Jesus. When they ask why I say that, I tell them that being a disciple of Jesus Christ will definitely end up unfinished because they cannot afford the price. I advise them to go to a place where they can afford the price. In our place, it requires paying with one's life, and that price is too high.

Usually, I am only interested in making disciples of Jesus Christ; I am not very interested in anything else. Some people call me, asking me to pray quickly for someone who is dying. Can a person who is about to die still be a disciple? If they can't even be disciples, I have no interest. They say, No, you have to send him to heaven. I train disciples, I don't send people to heaven. If I sold tickets to heaven, wouldn't I become rich?

Actually, this is not in the Bible, but many people like to do these things. When they evangelize, they preach to cancer patients, wanting to save their souls, but it ends up being an unfinished building. If you spend your whole life building unfinished buildings, it's a tragedy. If God can't change them, how can I change them? It's better to be clear-headed. Some people say, Look at that thief who acknowledged Jesus Christ on the cross and then went with Jesus to paradise—how wonderful! That's because he had that Mingding and affinity. If it were you, who knows what would happen.

Being a disciple is like building a building—you have to calculate the cost. We have to figure out how much money we have and what our chips are. This chip is loving God more than loving our own lives.

Three, Being a Disciple is Like Fighting a Battle

Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:31-33)

Being a disciple is like fighting a battle—if you can win, then fight; if you can't win, then surrender early and negotiate with the other side. Don't be foolish and fight when you can't win; you have to calculate and deliberate. Being a disciple is actually being a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The Book of Numbers begins by saying how many people are able to fight; others are not counted. Israel had about 600,000 men who could fight with swords. If you can't afford the price of fighting, don't go provoking—constantly trying to fight the devil. The result is being rubbed on the ground by the devil because you cannot bring yourself to love God more than your own parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and your own life. If you become a good soldier of God, you cannot have these entanglements and attachments. If you have already become a good soldier of God, and the devil touches your mother, you will immediately come back. What kind of battle is that? You might as well not provoke him. The devil will definitely deal with your mother, wife, and children.

I ministered to a pastor's wife who was in pain all over and had many illnesses. This pastor used to cast out demons when he was young, but later his child was killed by a demon. From then on, he and his wife no longer cast out demons. Some people ask, If it were you, what would you do? If it were me, if the devil killed one of mine, I would kill 10 of his. Anyway, I have already abandoned everything. Everything that is close to me, like my parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters, including my own life, are costs. Today, being a disciple is like fighting a battle with ghosts. My mother has Alzheimer's disease, and I think this is a very good thing. If the demon comes to torment my mother, I will rub the demon of Alzheimer's disease on the ground. Although my mother has Alzheimer's disease, she is in good condition when she is with me.

Why should loving the Lord be greater than loving my mother? Because if the demon comes to torment my mother, I have to torment the demon. Fortunately, I have forsaken my mother. My forsaking is not the same as what you think is forsaking. One day, my mother was lying in bed dying and told me she was going to die. When I heard this, I felt something was wrong because I had already forsaken her, and she could no longer control me. I said that I didn't care about my own death, and I didn't care about your death either. I grabbed my mother's clothes and pulled her up to pray with me. She didn't have the strength, so I pulled her up. After praying for a while, she was able to get out of bed and run back and forth in the living room, making the devil angry. If I hadn't forsaken her, according to the normal acting method, one way would be for the protagonist to lie on his mother and cry; another way would be to ask his mother what she wanted to eat and what unfulfilled wishes she had. If you add music, the scene would be very touching. But my script is the script of a disciple of Jesus Christ. I don't care about my death, and I don't care about your death either. Death is normal. As a result, the demon was eliminated by the prayer.

If I lost this battle, it would be terrible. Not only would my mother be rubbed on the ground by the demon, but I would also be rubbed on the ground by the demon. Today, there would be no Chinese Mingding Doctrine, and everything would be ruined. So no matter who comes to me, they can't do anything because I have plenty of tricks. Being a disciple is like fighting a battle with ghosts. You must be a person who is not afraid of death. If you are afraid of death, you cannot fight. Why do I win? It's because I am not afraid of death, whether it is living people, dead people, or ghosts. The only one I fear is God.

I implement God's words little by little, and no one can deprive me of my qualification to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am determined to give my life to God, and that is the price. I can afford all the prices that can be mentioned because this is the best blessing. There is nothing better than this. Therefore, a building will not be unfinished, and a battle will be won. The mind is very clear. So brothers and sisters, if you want to become disciples of Jesus Christ, prepare yourselves: don't build unfinished buildings, and don't fight losing battles. Being a disciple requires paying a price, but after paying the price, there is victory.

IV. It's Best Not to Be a Disciple If You Can't Afford the Price.

It's best not to be a disciple if you can't afford the price. This is my advice to many people. In the past few years, I have observed a phenomenon: many people who cannot afford the price and have believed in the Lord have become like the Israelites who fell in the wilderness. They have no way to enter the Promised Land and are killed by God in the wilderness. There are many middle-aged women in a church, and one examination reveals cancer. The pastor is exhausted. Before one is sent away, another cancer appears after a while, and the pastor is exhausted. If people do not pay the price to enter the Promised Land, they will pay the price to die in the wilderness.

I recently spoke about The Tragedy of the Ten Spies. I was wondering what kind of brains these people have. Their brains seem to be growing on the back of their heels, and they can't figure it out no matter how they think about it. These people were killed by God with plagues on the spot because they couldn't afford the price. The history in the Old Testament of the Bible, the Israelites leaving Egypt, is the best portrayal of a Christian's life. After reading it, I thought that even if I had to pay the price of my life, I would enter the Promised Land to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As a result, Joshua and Caleb both received double the inheritance in Canaan.

Some people say that if they make a decision to believe in the Lord, they can go to heaven after they die. I don't think so! Are there still people among us who think that after believing in the Lord and making a decision, they can go to heaven? If so, I disagree. The Bible does not clearly record the matter of going to heaven after death. Making a decision to believe in the Lord is like leaving Egypt. Only making a decision to enter the Promised Land is correct, because being a disciple requires paying a price. Making a decision to believe in the Lord is similar to the Israelites leaving Egypt. If you can't afford the price, don't leave Egypt. Don't even be a Christian. Find something you have some affinity with.

Loving the world to the point of becoming an enemy of God but still wanting to be a Christian. The curses in the Bible are written to those who believe in the Lord, not to the people of the world, although the people of the world also follow this pattern. You must be careful to keep and do God's words is said to the Israelites, not to the Gentiles, so if you can't afford the price, don't be a Christian, maybe the curse will be lighter.

V. This Price is Dedicating Life to God

You must have a very clear understanding that it is worthwhile to be a Christian, and the returns are high. But this price is to dedicate your life to God, and from now on, no longer live for yourself, but live for Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us. This is the price of being a disciple. People must be able to calculate in their minds. After calculating, you must know that doing so is the best choice in a person's life. To offer your life as a living sacrifice to God, this is our reasonable service.