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There are times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis,

shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now,

deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;

yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict,

the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; It is dearness only that gives everything its value.

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress

and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink;

but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct,

will pursue his principles unto death.

- These words were penned by Thomas Paine, in the late 1700s.

For our country, through our sense of Patriotism and passion, we are willing to recognize and pay a cost. We honor those who have, and, daily continue, to lay down their lives for their country… our country. We support those who endure the sacrifice associated with defending freedom… our freedom. Yet, when it comes to our faith… the faith, that those men and women we honor, have died to uphold… we all too often shy away from thought of adversity, and complain as to why there is any price associated with our beliefs at all. If we place inherent and grandiose value and honor in the citizenship of our land of origin; and without doubt, uphold the subsequent sacrifice bonded to it… If we, without reservation, fight for what is needed to obtain those things that we hold dear in our humanness… how much more important… no, how much more passionate and undeniably elemental should our desire be to sacrifice for our citizenship in Heaven? When it comes to our relationship with God, how much more are we, through our allegiance to Him, willing to recognize and pay the cost? Or, do

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we even know that there is a cost? My name is Jen, and the title of my talk is “The Cost of Discipleship”.

Thomas Paine stated in the first line of his speech, “There are times that try men’s souls”. Ladies, we are in those times. But even more than that, we are in a battle. And not just any battle, but outright war for the very souls of mankind. These are times that hold men’s souls in the balance between everlasting, magnificent Paradise, and the eternal misery of a life apart from all that is loving, good, and holy… an eternity without the presence or comfort of God. Does that resonate as important to you? If so, what are you willing to sacrifice to see the Kingdom of God heralded in in indescribable glory?

We are among those who have been chosen to help amplify that glory, and fill God’s presence with voices from all over the earth… from every nation, tribe, and tongue, as it says in Revelation 7:9. We ARE on a good side… we know that Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, has overcome evil. Victory is imminent. And although we know that we are sure to be triumphant, there will be losses and war wounds, as there are with any battle. Jesus, Himself, paid the ultimate cost. True, without His willingness to lay down His life for the Will of God, we would not be able to claim victory. But never let the result blur the enormity of the price that He paid.

If our Creator faced sacrifice, then it should not come as any surprise to us that we too, must face difficulties. Jesus prepared us for this certainty, when He warned in John 15:18-25, "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, so you don't belong to it. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master; they don’t get better treatment than their masters. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you.…. They are going to do these things to you because of the way they treated me, because they don't know the One who sent me…. They saw the God-signs and hated anyway, both me and my Father. But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: 'They hated me for no reason.’” Jesus was not surprised when trials befell Him. He did not whine that the right path was difficult or seemingly unfair. He understood that He was living for God’s glory and doing His Father’s will. If this was Jesus’ attitude toward service and imminent

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trials, should our attitude or expectations be any different? Paul did not think so. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, he writes, That is why we never give up. Even though our physical body is becoming older and weaker, our spirit inside us is made new every day, by the grace of God. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Satan would like to trick us into believing that following Christ should be easy, and if we find ourselves in difficulties, that we must deserve them or are experiencing punishment. It is true that we can bring suffering on ourselves. God expressed the certainty of self-inflicted pain and judgment, way back at the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis 3:16-19, when He told Adam that “Because of your disobedience, I will put a curse on the ground, and you will have to work very hard for your food. In pain you will eat its food all the days of your life. The ground will produce thorns and weeds for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. You will sweat and work hard for your food.”, and to Eve, God determined that childbirth would be painful and that she would live under the rule of her husband. There are plenty of other examples of self-induced destruction and subsequent consequences, that I am sure we could come up with on our own. However, 1 Peter 4:12-19, reminds us that these areas of suffering are not what we are talking about, “My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you. But be happy that you are sharing in Christ's sufferings so that you will be happy and full of joy when Christ comes again in glory. When people insult you because you follow Christ, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is with you. Do not suffer for murder, theft, or any other crime, nor because you trouble other people. But if you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed. Praise God because you wear that name. It is time for judgment to begin with God's family. And if that judging begins with us, what will happen to those people who do not obey the Good News of God? "If it is very hard for a good person to be saved, the wicked person and the sinner will surely be lost!" So those who suffer as God wants should trust their souls to the faithful Creator as they continue to do what is right.”

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Thomas Paine’s line, “Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered”, reiterates this descriptive of why we, as Christians face adversity. We are commissioned by God to “Go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20). We are commanded to “love and pray for our enemies” (Matthew 5:43-48), to “love our neighbors” (Luke 10:27), and to “treat others better then ourselves” (Philippians 2:1-11). We are told to tread on the very territory of the Evil One, and reach out to the lost souls for God. Is it any wonder that Satan might try to stop us? His whole goal is to cause pain to God in an attempt to crush Him… we are just pawns that he tries to use in his play. It is to our benefit, though, that we must sacrifice. Thomas Paine penned, “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” Jesus paid the cost for our salvation. Do we sometimes take this for granted? Interruptions to our façade, like the movie, The Passion, bring back to our minds how dear a price God paid for lives. But in the monotony of life, it becomes somehow, easy, to push to the back of our minds the need for sacrifice, not just on the part of God, but in our daily walk with Him, as well. Paul, would agree, when he writes in Romans 5:2b-5, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The Bible is filled with examples of God’s children facing adversity or being asked to pay a cost for their faith, and yet it is also overflowing with the blessings that God has poured out on those who take refuge in His will. From the beginning, followers of The Lord, have faced suffering. Take Noah, for example, in Genesis 6-9. In a world full of corruption, Noah’s family found favor with God, as they lived righteously, and walked with God. God allowed them to escape the annihilation of mankind through the flood, but not without trial. God commanded Noah, at 600 years old, to construct a monstrous ship, and fill it with multiples of each species of life, according to God’s plan. On top of the physical strain involved, and probable encounters with the trying taunts of those around him, Noah’s faith was stretched considerably, by witnessing the world, as he knew it, swallowed up in water, as the full vengeance of nature was unleashed upon the land. Have you ever been asked to give up the things

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that are familiar and cherished… or felt as if everything around you was unraveling at a pace far beyond what you believed you could bear? After what must have been a frightful and horrifically grueling scene to endure, Noah found himself face-to-face with the question of trusting God to rescue him. God’s awesome power demanded that Noah pay a cost for his faith. Noah had the choice of not obeying God’s mandates. Yet, as Noah willingly offered his life as a sacrifice to his Creator, God’s profound love brought blessing upon Noah and all his descendants.

Genealogy tells us that Abraham was a descendant of Noah, and as such, we can assume that he had grown up hearing stories about how God had saved his family and made a covenant with them to never again flood the earth. It is presumable to believe that trust in the Creator had been passed down during these generations. Still the faith of our forefathers does not dictate how we will react to the will of God in our lives. Each one of us must, in turn, choose if we will pay the price that is asked of us. In Genesis 12, we learn that “GOD told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.” Abraham, then still called Abram, was seventy-five years old when God asked him to pick up and go. And even though he had no idea where God was leading him, Abraham left his home, and willing followed. God cleared the way for Abraham’s family, and promised to bless him by making him into a great nation, making his name great, and allowing all the entire earth to be blessed through him. Even though Hebrews 11:11-13, tells us that Abraham only saw the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise in his lifetime, he still held fast to his faith. Has God ever asked you to obey, even though you didn’t fully understand, did not know all the details, or see any good come from the situation? Can you imagine a greater blessing, than to know that God is using you to fulfill His plan throughout the world? A plan that surpasses our present time? Do you realize that your life holds an integral and everlasting role in God’s eternal design? Do you have the willingness to live by faith, trusting God to uphold His promises, even when you are not given all the answers? Each time we are asked to make a sacrifice for our faith in Jesus, we are faced with choices similar to those of Abraham, and offered similar blessings… will we allow God to use us for His eternal glory, according to HIS Will, not ours?

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Paul was another wonderful example of how we must sacrifice our lives, thoughts and desires to that of God’s will. When presented with the truth of Jesus Christ, Paul gave up his citizenship in Rome, and all the rights that came with it. He turned from persecuting those following God, and paradoxically was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and ultimately martyred for his faith in the same Lord. Yet, despite all his hardships, God blessed Paul by using him to bring multitudes to Christ, all over the known world at that time, and by inspiring him to write a majority of the New Testament, thus allowing him to forever have a place in God’s timeless plan of bringing all peoples to Him… even today, 2000 years later. Have you ever assumed God couldn’t use you because of who you are, or what you have done? Have you ever considered giving up this false identity? What amazing things could God do through you, if you would just be willing to give up your “self”, and allow Him to live out, through you, the purpose He created you for.

Sacrifice sounds noble and inspiring when we think of it in terms of Paul’s life, or the words of famous patriots like, Nathan Hale, who is credited as saying, “I am so satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged that my only regret is that I have not more lives than one to offer in its service.” This quote is often shortened to the familiar line, “I only regret that I have but one life to give my country.” We listen to words as empowering as these, and compare our lives to utopic philosophies, or the stories of the heroes who are imprinted on our hearts. In that light, we revere sacrifice as an honorable ideal. However, the problem with holding this lofty view, is that we become disillusioned about the reality of cost in our own daily lives… especially in our walk with God. We are not all called to martyrdom. But we are ALL commanded to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2, that our lives are to be “…holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This idea of giving God our lives, not necessarily as martyrs, but in our everyday existence, is reiterated in 1 Peter 2:4-5, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

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Being a living sacrifice, and giving your life to God, is not like being a martyr and giving your life for God. Being a living sacrifice requires ongoing commitment, not just a one time act. If we go again to 1 Peter 2, this time to verses 1-3, we see that in order to continue in our faithful service to God, we must pay the cost of humility and self… we must be willing to give up our pride, and human transgressions, and trade it in for the truth of God. “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” This same theme of sacrifice of “self” is weaved throughout the New Testament. We see it in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”; and again, among other places, in Romans 13:12b, 14, “So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light…. clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Similarly, God entreats us to show the same fortitude and attitude of surrender, when it comes to other areas of cost in our lives. We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, that “The person who plants a little will have a small harvest, but the person who plants a lot will have a big harvest. Each of you should present your offering to God as you have decided in your heart, and are led by the Spirit, to do. You should not be sad when you are benevolent, and you should not offer your gift because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.” This “giving” implies, not only to our money, but to our time, as well. We could even extend this request to reflect all areas of our lives.

It might be our human nature to squirm at the mention of “giving”,

especially in areas that are most significant to us, or where we feel pressed the

most already. However, please keep in mind that the important cost we are

truly being asked to pay, does not lie in the physical realm. It is our heart that

God is asking for, and it is for our own benefit, that He implores us to sacrifice

our perception of control, and rely solely on Him.

In Luke 12:29-34, we find God’s reassurance, “What I'm trying to do here

is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to

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God's giving. People who don't know God and the way He works fuss over

these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-

reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human

concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends!

The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself. Be generous. Give to the

poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven. It's

obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most

want to be, and end up being.”

I want to encourage you in this, that as with each cost, there is a promise

of blessing for those who willingly comply. Consider this moment in our lives,

of economic hardship and uncertainty… some might even say crisis. It is a

cost… a sacrifice… to acknowledge God’s goodness, to see this time of cleansing

as an ordained blessing, and to refocus our eyes off the created, and onto The

Creator… our Creator.

Despite all the promises God has faithfully blessed us with, we still must choose to act… you must be willing to pay the cost that is requested of you. James reminds us of that in chapter 2, verses 14-17, “Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? If people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”

So, who determines the cost we are asked to pay? Well, first and foremost, the call comes from God. The sacrifice may come in the way He speaks to your heart… what He has specifically purposed for you to do. You may also bring a cost for discipleship upon yourself, depending on your desire to learn from and follow God’s Word, listen to Him through prayer, and be sensitive to the world around you. The final way that cost is determined, is through interaction with others. Adversity may come based on their reaction

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to you and your Christian faith. Or, conversely, sacrifice may become necessary in response to the needs that they represent.

In my life, sacrifice for God has come in many shapes and sizes. The most conspicuous cost for our family, is in His call to serve Him overseas. As immense as that price might seem, it is in the mundane and repetitive parts of my everyday life, whether here or elsewhere, that I see God requesting the greatest sacrifice from me. This cost almost always comes in the form of denying self. It may be seen when I reprioritize my time, in response to God’s promptings, and choose to offer my time and talents to help others. It may be seen when God asks me to answer the question, “What is most important to you? Me or money?” It may be seen when I rescind my perceived rights to feel powerful and be first, and instead, choose to lovingly serve the needs of my husband. This cost is the most difficult to pay on those days when I don’t feel like showing love. The call for sacrifice in my life, may be seen, on many days, during a public tantrum provided by one of my children, for the eyes of many. The price comes when I must choose to deny my desire to react out of pride and selfishness, and instead of seeking approval from others, decide to train my child in the matters of their heart, according to God’s will. Most often, though, my cost for discipleship is felt, and amplified, during my times of failure… when I want nothing more than to give up, but instead, I am asked to give up myself… and allow Christ to live in, and through me. God doesn’t expect me to be perfect, but He does ask me to be perfectly dependent on Him… and passionately obedient to His will.

According to an article by Floyd McClung, entitled “Apostolic Passion”, passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for. It is what you hunger for so intensely that you will sacrifice anything to have it. In our Christian walk, this passion has to do with understanding that there is a cost to discipleship, and necessitates being joyful in that call to offer such a sacrifice. It’s the quality of those who are on fire for Jesus. McClung says, “I know it’s missing from my life when I sing about heaven, but live as if earth is my home. I have lost it, too, when I make decisions based on the danger or discomfort involved, not the glory God will get. If you will not suffer and sacrifice for something, you are not passionate about it. If you say you will do anything for Jesus, but you look the other way, when God asks you to suffer for Him, then

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you aren’t really passionate about Christ and His purposes on earth. Human enthusiasm cannot sustain zeal. When God invests His own passion in you He desires to see His name glorified, so you must commit, even during the tough times, to build and develop what God has given you. Too many people want the blessings of a Christian life, such as in the lives of Noah, or Abraham, or Paul, without paying the price that they paid. They died continually to anything that conflicted with God’s will. They knew that in and of themselves, they couldn’t sustain the heart of God. So they abandoned their perceived rights, they sacrificed their understanding of how they thought their lives should be, and they trusted fully in the will of God.

We live in a world of competing desires. If we do not die to self and fill our lives with the consuming passions of the worship of God, we will end up with other obsessions. It’s possible to deceive ourselves into thinking we have Biblical passions when, in reality, all we have done is to baptize the values of our culture and give them Christian names. Have you asked God, “How shall I serve you?” Let me repeat that, with some emphasis added… Have you asked God, “How shall I serve YOU?” Passion for Christ, true discipleship, requires being willing to pay whatever cost God asks of you. It also involves being willing to patiently wait for an answer. Present your gifts, vocations, and talents to the Lord. Press into God. Stay there until you are joyful about whatever sacrifice you might have to make for God’s glory. We will have chosen to give true value to our citizenship in Heaven, only when our hearts are firm in the dearness of God’s desires. I challenge you to pray this prayer: "Lord, be ruthless with me in revealing my selfish ambition and lack of willingness to die to myself. Show me Your purpose for my life, and teach me to, in unquestionable obedience and joy, embrace any cost you ask me to pay." Remain in God’s presence and you will have His passion.

Remember Thomas Paine’s words, “‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, will pursue his principles unto death.” This statement, most assuredly, holds true in our spiritual lives. If we have this unwavering desire to become submerged in God’s will, then, as Floyd McClung states, we are one of the most dangerous people on the planet. The world no longer will rule our hearts. We will no longer be seduced by getting and gaining but devoted to spreading and proclaiming the glory of God. We will

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joyfully live as pilgrims, [like Abraham] unattached to the cares of this world. We, [like Noah] will not be afraid of loss. We will even dare, [as Paul did] to believe we may be given the privilege of dying to spread God’ glory on the earth. The Father’s passions will then, have become our passions. We will have found our satisfaction and significance in Him. We will believe He is with us always, to the end of life itself. We will be sold out to God, and we will live for the Lamb. Satan will fear us, and the angels will applaud us. Our greatest dream will be that God’s name will be praised in languages never before heard in heaven. Our reward will be the look of pure delight we anticipate seeing our Lord’s eyes when we lay at His feet… knowing we played an everlasting part in the glorious triumph and worship of the redeemed.

Thomas Paine had it right when he said that “yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”, for the triumph in our everyday battles is great, but the glory of the coming of the Kingdom of God will be indescribably more triumphant. So, we are faced with a choice. Do we follow the lead of the “Summer Soldier” and “Sunshine Patriot”, and “shrink from… service”? Do we assume that we are exempt from trials and persecution? Do we give into the temptation to believe that we have the right to live a life of “butterflies and roses” simply because we have accepted a gift… which I might remind you, we did not do anything to deserve? Or… do we embrace the reality that, as H.L. Mencken quite pointedly stated, “There comes a time in everyone’s life when he (or she) must roll up their sleeves, raise the black flag, and commence cutting throats.” Perhaps we could rephrase this into words that seem more palatable, but the undisputable meaning is still the same… sometimes upholding the value of something precious MUST get messy. When we are no longer able to just stand idly by from the side-lines, but are called to pick a side, and take action, will we be ready? More importantly, will we be passionately obedient in the service of our Lord?

The time has come, for those of us, who have accepted God’s call, and have chosen to become part of God’s family, to act upon our convictions. You know the cost of discipleship… I challenge you now, to ask yourself, honestly… Is my heart firmly steadfast in the will of God? Will I joyfully sacrifice, at any

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cost, for God’s glory? Will I stand, unwavering in God’s Spirit, through the trials enveloping our souls? The choice, my dear sisters, is yours.

Walk In Love.