By Pastor Greg
Here is an example of a man who never counted the cost. He did hot think through his actions. An oddly, this happens more often than we imagine. Christians do the same thing. Christians do not realize the cost of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Too many Christians are simply consumers, not disciples. Too many Christians take rather than give, which is why our nation seems to be in distress. Too many Christians have never considered the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. We never finish what we started. We turn to Jesus for salvation but do not realize that by following Jesus we are to become his servants. We never counted the cost.
Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship in Luke 14:28-30. But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ And oddly enough, scripture becomes reality. I saw this lesson lived out across the read from my Grandparents house. Across the road from my Grandparent’s house was a partially built home. The foundation had been dug, the basement walls had been built, but nothing more. The house stayed that way for years; poured basement floor and cinder block basement walls. As a child, it seemed strange to me that someone would not complete what he or she had started. Eventually I asked Grandma Jones why the house was never finished. She told me that the person ran out of money and could not complete the project. Of course, Jesus is talking about discipleship here; about the commitment and sacrifice a person must make as they follow Christ. Yet few Christians seem aware that the Lord expects each of His followers to do the work of the Kingdom.
Scripture becomes reality as we look at our nation. As we look at the sadness and the hurt of those still living in darkness, we see the very problem Jesus saw as He looked at His nation of Israel. One day, as Jesus was traveling through the land, He noticed how distressed the people were. They seemed lost and confused; a people without hope. So turning to His disciples, Jesus says, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields" (Matthew 9:37-38). In other words, Jesus points to the problem, then tells His disciples that they need to get involved. They should not just be praying for revival, but they should be praying that the Lord might call them to get actively involved in reaching and touching the lives of these people. Instead of sitting idly by doing nothing, Jesus tells His disciples to pray for an opportunity to become a player, not a spectator; to become a servant, not a consumer.
Scripture becomes reality during the life of Nehemiah. As God looked at the remnant of Jews living in and around Jerusalem, seeing their dismay and hopelessness, He planted the idea of service in Nehemiah’s heart. And after praying, Nehemiah was willing to make sacrifices, willing to submit, and willing to interrupt his life in order to be God’s servant. He was committed to follow wherever God might lead him. I believe Nehemiah was one of those rare individuals whose commitment to God was greater than anything else in his life. Nehemiah was not someone who looked out after his own interests. He considered the needs of others as more important. Nehemiah was a servant, not a consumer. As we wrap up this series looking into the leadership of Nehemiah, there is one last thing I'd like to point out about his ministry. As I said, Nehemiah was a rare individual, especially by today’s standards. Here was a man who made personal sacrifices in his life in order to accomplish what God had placed within his heart. He had counted the cost, yet was still willing to allow his life to be interrupted in order to fulfill what God was calling him to do. He was a giver, not a consumer.
Because of Nehemiah’s example of service and commitment, the people of Jerusalem came together and rebuilt the wall of that city in only 52 days. An incredible feat that happened, I believe, because the entire community joined with Nehemiah and got involved. The entire community was willing to make the commitment, make personal sacrifices, and allow their lives to be inconvenienced. But not only was a great work completed for the community, there was revival in the hearts of the people as well. (Read Nehemiah 9:1-4).
During Jerusalem’s six hour church service, no one seemed to grumble. No one seemed to be inconvenienced. How many confessing Christians do you know who would tolerate a six hour Church service? How many Christians do you know who are willing to inconvenience their lives for the good of others?
The Church in North America seems to be withering and dying. The life inside many congregations is parched and dry. Many Christians in America are thirsty for revival. There is a deep desire to see people become committed to God just like in the good old days. But why is revival so seldom seen? I believe it’s because most congregations are plagued with a consumer mentality instead of a servant’s heart.
Have you ever noticed how inconvenient Church has become to some individuals? Have you noticed the self-centered attitude of some Christians? They grumble and complain when their life is inconvenienced. When asked to serve, many Christians today complain about how they are far too busy to get involved. Of course, their schedule cannot be interrupted. Oh, they will participate in Church activities only if there is nothing else better to do. But don’t ask them to give up some of their time. The North American Church is plagued by Christian consumers; people who are involved with a church because of what THEY get out of it.
I don’t believe a Christian’s faith can fully develop until they get involved in kingdom work. Our faith is not strengthened when we sit idly in our pew watching the world pass by. Paul insists that what God began, he desires to complete. The faith we found at Salvation is to grow and become perfected (Philippians 1:6). This will not happen by being a spectator. We must get involved. We need to view others with a love that calls us to action, not “merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).
This, my friend, is the cost of discipleship; where we make sacrifices and commitments not just for the Church, but for those still living in darkness. However, instead of training disciples, today’s Church has been raising spectators. We know this is true because of what many Churches are doing today; creating an atmosphere that is attractive to those looking for a church to meet their needs or starts and ends according to their schedule; that offers the programs and a worship style THEY want. Some Christians even withhold their giving simply because THEY don't like what's happening in THEIR church. For many Christians in our land, Church has become a spectator sport. There is no sacrifice. There is no giving. There is no “doing for others”. There is only “me”. Is it then any wonder that the North American church seems to be dying? Is it any wonder that revival is seldom seen today? And why should we expect it to happen, especially when there are so many taking instead of giving? I believe this is why we don’t see revival. Few are willing to serve. Few are willing to give. Very few are willing to make any sacrifice at all. This is why the example of Nehemiah is so important for us. He reminds us that to be a Christian is to be a servant obedient to God when He calls us and where He sends us. And where there are servants, there will be revival.
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