Interactive Core Study: The Cost of Following Christ

(15–20 minutes)
Provide a dry erase board and markers.

Ask: What does it take to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Allow for responses. Encourage learners to consider what other people believe are the requirements of discipleship, even if they don’t necessarily share those same thoughts. Record some (or all) of the responses on the board. Enlist a learner to read aloud Luke 14:25–33. Then lead learners in making a new list based solely on this passage of Scripture. Compare and contrast the two lists.

1. Following Christ means being devoted to Him above anyone else (Luke 14:25–26).

Draw a circle on the middle part of the board and label it “you.” Direct learners to brainstorm all the categories of people with whom they have a relationship (Spouse, children, parents, other family member, friends, co-workers, etc.). Draw other circles surrounding the first and label them separately with each of these categories. Next, lead learners to rank each of these categories according to the importance of the relationship (in practice, not theory) and assign numbers to each of the corresponding circles. Ask: If we really get honest with one another, where does Jesus fit in this ranking? Allow for responses.

Direct the group’s focus on verse 26. Guide learners to consider why Jesus would use such harsh language here. Explain while our tendency is to try to rationalize a verse like this by thinking that Jesus was just using hyperbole and didn’t really mean what He was saying, Jesus used this language for a very specific and purposeful reason. Emphasize that the Greek word for “hate” is not an absolute but a relative term. Say: Jesus’ point was that a true disciple’s devotion to Him should make all other relationships appear to be characterized by hate in comparison. Clarify that this doesn’t lessen the impact of Jesus’ words. He still meant our love for Him takes priority in our lives.

Remind students of the section in the book (“Talking People Out of Following Christ”) where David Platt relates this is a continuing theme from earlier in Luke where Jesus has been responding to the request of various other people to come and follow Him. Say: David writes “Jesus was simply and boldly making it clear from the start that if you follow him, you abandon everything . . . even your family” (pp. 7–10).

2. Following Christ means continually sacrificing who we were for who He is (Luke 14:27).

Draw a cross on the board. Ask: What types of things immediately come to mind whenever you see this symbol? Allow for responses. (Jesus, church, Easter, etc.) Lead learners to consider what different types of things might have come to the mind of a first-century person living under Roman rule.

Reread verse 27. Point out that most of us connect the phrase “carry his cross” with Jesus on His way to Golgotha to be crucified. This is precisely the type of picture Jesus was trying to convey because following Him involves dying to ourselves, letting go completely of all we have desired and pursued in life in order to fully embrace all He wants for us.

Refer students to the section of the book (“A Different Scene”) where David warns if we’re not careful we can settle for a “Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves” (pp. 6–7). Ask: Why is it so often the case that we become our own greatest hindrance in following where Jesus desires to lead us? Allow for responses. Emphasize the fact that dying to self isn’t something we do one time whenever we “get saved.” On our journey with Jesus we must continually sacrifice who we are for who He is.

3. Following Christ requires a cost that should be considered before we commit (Luke 14:28–32).

On the board write the two words “aspiration” and “goal.” Ask: What differences exist between an aspiration and a goal? Record the responses. Emphasize that an aspiration is most often something a person desires or hopes to have happen at some point in his life whereas a goal is a result towards which a person is currently actively striving.

Reread verses 28–32. Explain how being a disciple of Jesus is not something we sit around and wait to magically happen one day. Rather, it is an outcome toward which we must make a plan and consider the cost involved. Ask: According to these verses what are some of the costs to be considered? Emphasize how special attention should be given to the level of persistence and perseverance it will require to follow Jesus to whatever end He has for us, as well as, our willingness to follow Him in the midst of great adversity with the potential to overwhelm us. Say: Choosing to follow Christ at any cost is an essential decision we each must make before we even take the first step.

Indicate this is a decision that also doesn’t just affect us. Remind learners that David acknowledges the cost of following Christ can certainly be high, but also shares a realization he had in India: The cost of our not following Christ is high for those who do not know Him at all because it often means we are distracted by our own selfish pursuits from carrying the gospel message to those who have not heard (pp. 14–15).

4. Following Christ requires radical abandonment of everything we previously sought in life for the freedom to fully pursue Him and His glory (Luke 14:33).

Lead learners to consider the wildest, craziest dreams they have (or have had) for their lives. Inquire as to what are some of the hindrances holding them back from realizing those dreams. Say: We all have dreams, but being a follower of Jesus is literally the ultimate goal of our lives. Guide learners to now consider what restraints currently exist that keep them from reaching this goal of following Jesus. Record some of their thoughts on the board.

Ask: When Jesus says anyone who does not give up everything cannot be His disciple, what does He mean by “everything?” Allow for responses. Emphasize the process of “giving up” means relinquishing all control. Explain that though we may or may not actually be called to literally abandon all possessions and relationships and die for the sake of Christ, the cost of being a disciple of Jesus is our acceptance of His total lordship over everything in our life. It requires we are willing to literally lose everything even if we do not.

David explores the value of this type of commitment by imagining what it would be like if we literally lived the parable of the treasure in the field. He concludes that, in this picture, Jesus is someone worth losing everything for (pp. 17–18).