Malcolm Cox - SoundSage

Introduction

A new creation! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to this series on ‘A new creation’.

The whole premise of this series is that God is loving us into spiritual character growth. The inspiration for that spiritual character is Jesus. We are being transformed into his likeness.

2 Corinthians 3.18
“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

How does this happen? A key aspect is following Jesus, living as a disciple. Following Jesus changes us, and those changes help us follow him. Today, some thoughts on the cost of not following Jesus.

Costs and Benefits
Jesus invited people to follow him. Some of those invitations sounded attractive. Can you think of some?

Followers will find life and light, never be thirsty, and become cared-for sheep.
Some invitations were challenging. Again, can you think of some?
Can you drink the cup? You must lay down your life; you must take up your cross.
For the rich ruler, the cost was too high:
Luke 18.23 - “But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich.”

QUESTIONS: What attracted you to following Jesus? What was the highest cost of following him? Have you ever felt like leaving him because the cost was too high?

Next time, we will look at learning how to follow Jesus.

Your brother, Malcolm

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Could you send me your questions or suggestions? Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God Grows His People”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.