Jesus didn’t say, “Be willing to give up everything.” He didn’t say, “Give up some things.” In Luke 14:33, He said, “Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” This is the foundational principle of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. This is the baseline expectation of a follower of Christ. Give up everything, and if you don’t give up everything, you cannot be His disciple.
He didn’t say you’ll be a weak disciple. He didn’t say you’ll be a second-class disciple. He says, if you do not give up everything, you cannot be His disciple.
The Temptation of Half-Hearted Faith
We are all tempted to be half-hearted followers of Jesus. We are all tempted in our lives to want the benefits of Jesus but not pay the cost of following Jesus, because we want enough Jesus in our life to make us feel good, but not too much Jesus in our life that disrupts our life.
And Jesus says very clearly, you cannot do that. There is no middle measure. You can’t have just some of Jesus. You can’t have casual Christianity. This is a commitment to go all in with Jesus.
It’s not about losing your salvation. It’s not about going to hell. This is about you not experiencing the fullness of the life that Jesus wants for you, a life of peace and joy and hope.
The Empty Tower
When we build empty towers, towers that are not finished but look like they are on the outside, we’re actually living the worst of both worlds. We’re too Christian to enjoy the things the world offers, and we’re too worldly to embrace the fullness of what Jesus offers. We have empty towers in our lives.
So I ask you, what’s true for you? Are you just chasing the benefits of Jesus without your willingness to understand and pay the cost of following Him? Or are you going all in for Him?
Here’s what Jesus is not saying. He’s not saying try your best. He’s not saying give what you can. He’s saying everything. Give up everything. If you don’t give up everything, you cannot be His disciple. There’s no middle ground, there’s no Jesus-plus, there’s no casual Christianity. You’re either all in or you have an unfinished tower of faith in your life.
The Hard Question
I know this all sounds harsh, but if we believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, we must take seriously the things that Jesus says. If you do not give up everything, you cannot be His disciple.
So here’s what I want you to answer. This is the question I want you to think about seriously. Don’t just hear the question and ignore it. Here’s a question, and think about your own life: What is it in your life that you refuse to let go of?
What is it in your life that if Jesus came up to you, put His finger on it and said, “I want you to give Me that,” you would hesitate?
Is it your money? For most of us, it is. If Jesus came up and put His finger on your bank account and said, “I want you to give Me that,” we would hesitate. That’s why many of us, when the church begins to talk about money, we shut off our ears. We stop listening. We think it’s not for us, even though the Bible, over and over and over again, talks about generosity.
Maybe it’s not your money. Maybe it’s your time. You’re so busy with everything else that you haven’t given any time to serve other people. Maybe your dreams, your hopes, your career, a relationship, or your comfort. What is it in your life that if Jesus came up and put His finger on it and said, “I want that,” you would hesitate?
Whatever it is, it’s your unfinished tower. Whatever it is, it’s the structure that’s unfinished, that on the outside looks Christian but on the inside is empty and void.
The Good News
Jesus says, give up everything, and if you haven’t, you cannot be His disciple. But here’s the good news. Here’s the good news today. You can count the cost. Today, you can count the cost of releasing that thing that you haven’t released to God yet. You can count the cost of what true discipleship looks like. And today you can lay it down. You can offer it to Jesus.
You can say, “Jesus, this is the thing that I’ve been holding on to and I’ve kept away from You. And I want to offer it to You. I want to surrender it to You. I want to go all in. I want to truly be Your disciple.”
What’s true for you?
The Crowd Following Jesus
I picture this moment in Luke 14 that Jesus is walking along. He’s got a crowd of people following Him, and on one hand, it probably felt good, and on the other hand, it broke His heart because Jesus knew that they weren’t ready. Jesus knew that they were following Him for the benefits of Jesus but not willing to pay the cost of following Jesus.
What’s holding you back? Name it. Don’t spiritualize it. Don’t justify it. Just name it. Just tell Jesus, “Hey, this is the thing that’s holding me back. This is the thing that if You put Your finger on it and said, ‘I want that,’ I would be resistant and I’d be hesitant,” and then offer it to Him.
Because here’s the thing: we don’t need more half-hearted followers. We don’t need more empty buildings. We don’t need more empty faith. What we need are disciples who have counted the cost of what it means to follow Jesus and boldly go all in with Him.
So I’ll ask you one more time: What is true for you?
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