The Cost to Follow

Every good thing in life involves relationship. Friends, family and workmates. Jesus made some very strong statements about how following Him can come between the people you love and live with. He demands that we place extreme value on him- in contrast to value we place on others. Jesus even framed those points of internal reference comparing that to “hating” others in contrast to our devotion to Him. Devotion to Him requires extreme separation from anything and anyone who comes between us and Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.. This is especially pertinent when we first come into the family of God by faith. God must intentionally and forcefully bring separation from the things and people that have held sway over our being - bringing bondage to sin and loyalty that divides. God, through the Holy Spirit determinedly sets in motion in our life- pre and post faith in Christ a necessary agony that comes from setting aside our earthly loyalty and relationships that further our distance from Him. He forcefully stands defiant of allowing anything getting between Him and our relationship to Him. I say, “forcefully” because throughout the scriptural narrative God is always calling men and women to decide who they valued the most - HIM or Them…. Him or sin. Luke 14:26-27 “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. How did this play out in my life? What and when did God step into the mess of my life and forcefully separate me unto himself. I say, “forcefully” because it took a dramatic event to get my attention. When God calls us to himself, especially someone in deep bondage like myself He seems to have to make His point dramatically. He did with Paul and many others. As you have followed my story, you already know that my coming to faith was drawn out… I had to see it in a life… I had to hear it through God’s word ( by reading it in secret) and I had to accept it fully in public. That is not to say that others can not come to faith is private settings- For me God wanted me to make it plain in front of others. We also we that throughout the Bible. By this time, it was late December 1980. I was still trying to self-reform. I was still playing in the same places and with the same people, so to speak. So, I wasn’t being very successful at reformation. Internally, I was conflicted and convicted. God’s mercy was that He patiently led me along. But that patience would come to an end. His call on my life - His conviction in my heart and mind would have to be dealt with and He decided to do it in such a way that it would force my decision to follow Him. Using the word “force” doesn’t mean that I was being taken captive - but that I was being led to make a decision that would break the bonds of relationships and separate me from them to Him. Fridays were pay day and party day. Cash my check - stop at the liquor store - go to our friends house and there eat - drink and be “miserable”. At least that was how it was that Friday (December 19th, 1980) We had been drinking and playing games and talking. Everyone knew that I was going through this struggle toward faith. I was sitting and drinking with 7 of my friends. We were well into a fifth of Jack and a case of Miller. This is where things get spiritual. Well into the evening the subject of “religion” came into our conversation. There’s nothing good about 7 drunk people talking about issues of faith and the meaning of life. Something unexplainable came over me in the midst of that conversation. I didn’t know it then, but it was the Holy Spirit bringing to the forefront all that had been going on in my heart and mind for months. The things I written about in this blog. Yet, this time He wasn’t passively provoking me. Sitting there in the depths of my drunken stupor I come to the full understanding that I had to make a strong definitive life altering decision - in that very moment, who I was going to follow. I would go far as to say that I “felt” the Holy Spirit say to me - “its now or never”. In other words, He was making one final offer for me to decisively come to faith in Christ. In that moment, God gave me the clarity of mind to understand that I couldn’t continue to run from Him. I had been investigating and experiencing the truth of the gospel for months. Ken Liles always says, “the Bible has a unique way of making Christians out of people”. The word of God is powerful and separates us from our blindness and brokenness. It pours light into our darkened heart. That evening God gave me the strength to stand up and walk out of that house understanding that my life was being altered forever. I could never go back to who I was… what I was doing… and who I was doing it with. One of my friends stopped me while I was on my way to the door - I was weeping - He asked, what is going on? I simply said, I’ve been running from God. That decision permanently changed those friendships. From that night on, I was considered an outcast from them. The cost of following Christ begins with not just our sin, but our friends. For weeks, I lived alone - ate alone... in fact a few days later on Christmas I ate alone at Denny's because I had not place to go or anyone to celebrate Christmas with... Bill Borden - missionary to Eygpt wrote in the cover of his Bible three statements that define my decision that evening. BB - "No Reserve"- BG - I've tried to give my all since that day. BB - "No Return" - BG - I've never thought of going back to that old life BB - "No Regret" - BG- I've never regretted saying yes to Jesus and no to the very things that would have bond me in an eternity without Christ. I came to Christ four weeks later… but before I could hear the gospel clearly God had to remove the debris and the distractions. He had to dramatically speak to my heart and mind. I had to come to place where I wanted Him more than anything. Romans 5:20-21 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.