THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

What happened after the Day of Pentecost? Did they continue their prayer meeting, did they have a camp meeting or a worship service? They preached the gospel! I’ve heard ministers sharing their vision about having worship services and through their worship their city would be shaken and changed by the presence of God. My brother, my sister, this is nonsense. Never in the Bible do we read about a worship service that transformed a city, neither do we read about a prayer meeting that transformed a city. Every time a terror attack occurs, I hear the same nonsense “Now we got to pray more”, as though it is the amount of prayer that decides whether if God would move or not. As though God don’t know what has to be done, as if we have to tell Him to get more involved in transforming our cities. My friend, never in the Bible do we read about a prayer meeting that transformed a city. Prayer is not suppose to move God, God has already moved and He is moving. Prayer rather moves us, and transforms us, and it gives us a passion to preach the gospel. It’s neither worship or prayer, but it is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). If the disciples would have kept on praying on the Day of Pentecost, the unbelievers would have never had their questions answered: what shall we do to be saved? I’m afraid that the church has become too comfortable with their worship and prayer services, and forgot about the preaching of the gospel. It is not the pastors job to preach the gospel - it is the requirement for every believer (Mark. 16:15-18). As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you will be held accountable for wether you have preached the gospel or not. Today there are 7.5 billion people on this earth. 364 000 were born, and 150 000 died this very day. The population grew today with 214 000 people that was born - these need to hear the gospel! Time is running out! The men that die in their iniquity, their blood will the Lord require at thine hand says the Bible. You have a calling from God, and you will be held accountable for fulfilling His call. The Bible says that is is appointed for men to die once, then the judgement, what will be your judgement? What have you done with your calling? Will the Lord say “I never knew you, depart from me” or will He say “Well done, good and faithful servant”? If God has called you to preach the gospel, do it if you have to live on bread and water, do it if you have to stand on a sidewalk, don’t wait for a pulpit, the whole world is your pulpit. Jesus said “Go into all the world”. Jesus said “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”, he also said “he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me”. So many times we live for ourselves, but I want to ask you my friend, do you live for the Lord? The disciples said that they neither lived or died for themselves, but for God, what a commitment they had made to follow Jesus! How far has the church sunk? How many has count the cost of following Jesus? How many pays the price to give up all to follow Him? Do we have a burden for the lost? Is there not a difference between the early disciples and the church folks today? A scribe wanted to follow Jesus but first had to bury his father, Jesus answered him “let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God” Jesus answered the pharisees “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” Jesus told the disciples when sending them out to preach the gospel: “he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”. These are scriptures some have forsaken today, but it is time we mean business with God!