Coffee With The Lord

Salvation is by “grace alone” – God’s free gift through faith in Christ! (Ephesians 2:8-9) Discipleship, however, is not for “wimps”! (Luke 14:25-33)

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a 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 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.”

Three key figures of speech dominate this passage dealing with the cost of discipleship…

“Hate” – not literal hatred, or the meaning would violate other passages that demand that we “love.” The sense seems to be that in comparison to our love for God and our commitment to follow His will regardless of the cost, all other relationships are “hated” (i.e. there is no comparison).

“Bear his own cross” – Those followers of Jesus who have had to actually die on a cross, like their Savior, have been rare! The meaning that appears to be intended here is the depth of our self-renunciation in order to follow Christ and do His will. We “die to self” in order to follow Christ completely (Romans 6:5-14)

“Count the cost” – This figure of speech and its intended meaning is reinforced by two other images: First, the appropriate consideration of the cost of building a tower before beginning to build it. Secondly, the image of warfare and the importance of weighing carefully whether there are enough resources at the disposal of the “king” to defeat the enemy.

So the point is, “discipleship is not for wimps!” Jesus put it this way at the end of the passage: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple!”

My response? I’ve heard Your call Lord, and I’ve seriously considered the cost… I still want to be Your disciple!

It’s just embarrassing! You spent big bucks on an exquisite venue, got a quote from the caterer that could scare you to death, spent hours going over the guest list, sent out beautiful invitations, asked those invited to RSVP … and NOTHING! NO ONE! I mean, how does that make a person feel?! Ticked off really!
There’s a story just like that one that I read this morning in the Bible!
“A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ” (Luke 14:16–24 ESV)
Those you thought would have responded – didn’t! Those who were invited – rejected the invitation! So who is going to enjoy the beautiful venue, the succulent cuisine, the incredible hospitality and great celebration? Those you would never expect! Those who WILL respond with appreciation and gratitude – The poor! The needy! The marginalized! Those lacking education and the finer points of etiquette! Those who live “on the wrong side of the tracks!” Those down on the dark edge of the city square looking for a job – any job! Those the socialites look down upon as second or third class citizens! They’re the ones who fill the banquet hall!
Reminds me of a Scripture passage Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write…
“For consider your calling: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God! And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption! So as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord!’”
Gotta tell you, It’s really going to be interesting to see who enjoys a place of honor at “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” – the greatest feast of all! (Revelation 19:9) I intend to RSVP! Thank the Lord, I’ve been summoned to attend! I intend to be there! How about you?

There are parts of the Bible that challenge me deeply every time I read them! They are revolutionary – they fly in the face of conventional social norms. I don’t know about you, but every time I encounter them I have a deep feeling that what they talk about holds a secret of rich and largely undiscovered blessing!
Here’s the passage like that I encountered again this morning during “Coffee with the Lord”…
“One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees… He said to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’” (Luke 14:12–14 ESV)
What Jesus said that day to the “ruler of the Pharisees” runs so counter to customary social practices! The normal practice for us is to carefully form our guest lists to impress – to influence – to nurture advantageous connections. You invite me for dinner as an expression of friendship – my responsibility is to invite you to dinner in return. Then, if things go well with the extension of friendship, we’ll make some decisions about who pays the next time around… we’ll probably decide to “go Dutch treat” (each person paying their own tab). We rarely invite “those who cannot repay us.” The social rule of the day is reciprocity… You invite me and them I’m expected to invite you. Once in awhile at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years we break out of the norm, but rarely as a matter of habit or normal practice. And I am convinced that as a result we miss a rich and satisfying blessing opportunity!
The question is… What if we are NEVER repaid? What if there is NEVER reciprocity? The answer is, we’ve just got to trust the Lord… He says, “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just!” – the biggest, grandest, most prestigious banquet of all, “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9)
I had parents who really worked hard to put this principle – this blessing opportunity – into practice. We NEVER spent a Christmas alone! Mom and Dad ALWAYS shared a wonderful Christmas or New Years meal at our house with someone less fortunate! (And we were cautioned… “You boys must let their children pay with your toys or they will be reclaimed and you will not have the privilege of playing with those toys in the future.”) Tough love, eh? But it was good spiritual training for the Bartel boys! As an aside… we NEVER knew who Dad would invite to share Sunday dinner at our house. New people who visited our church were at the very top of his invitation list (and Dad was a layman, not the preacher).
I think I know what you’re thinking… Dr. Bartel, do you have this one down? How good – how consistent – are you at practicing what this passage teaches? I gotta tell you, I’m still working on this kingdom principle! Every time I read about it in my Bible I am deeply challenged! I desire to discover the blessing opportunity it provides! I want payday – “the resurrection of the just” and “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” to be extra special events in my “eternal life”!! Don’t you?!