Easy Christianity? The Cost of Following Christ

If you’re like me, you see the words “easy Christianity” and you laugh! On a recent trip to one of our local Christian bookstores, I noticed several of the best-selling books were things that reduced huge concepts of Christian living into 5, 7, or 12 easy steps. These books give the idea that if we just do these steps we’ll be on the right track. It sounds like easy Christianity to me! All I have to do is follow what this author tells me to and I’ll be okay. Ha! When did we ever get the idea that a life of following Christ was supposed to be easy? When did we ever get the idea that following Christ could be condensed down into a handful of steps?

My guess is that it started with those of us in the church. One of the things that the church has been guilty of (me included) is reducing the daily sacrifice of following Jesus into a set of tasks to be checked off a master list. We’ve comprised a wonderful list of do’s and don’ts. We want to know that if we do certain things (attend church regularly, pray, read the Bible from time to time, etc) that we’ll get into heaven. This just seems so backwards! Shouldn’t following Christ be about more than just getting into heaven? And, it seems like it requires so little sacrifice from us. It seems like there should be more to this life of following Christ.

Jesus calls us to a life of faithful obedience. It is true that when we are obedient He will bless us in return. And, it’s true that we are saved by our faith and not our deeds. However, it should be noted that our faith should produce good works. Following Christ and being obedient to the call He has placed on our lives does not mean that we will be without pain or suffering. We don’t like to talk about that much, but it’s a reality that all followers will encounter. I wish I could say that if we would just have more faith that God would bless us and we would be free from struggle, pain, loss, or suffering. But, the truth is, that may not be the path God has chosen for us to take. The Scriptures never guarantee that being a follower would be easy. In fact, it seems the opposite is true.

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

"When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? 'A servant is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you.” (John 15:18-20)
Following Christ requires more than following 5,7, or 12 steps. It requires sacrifice. Are you willing to put yourself aside, pick up your cross, and follow? Are you willing to face the hatred and persecution of the world? This is part of the cost of following Christ! Sounds easy enough, right?