To Be a Disciple of Christ: An “Either. . .Or. . .” Choice

 

Most of us are familiar with the story of the rich young man (Matt. 19:16-29) who asked Jesus what good things he should do to earn eternal life. This rich young man seemed to have no trouble observing the commandments. But when Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” He went away sad because he could not let go of his possessions. Jesus then taught His disciples saying, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life” (Mat. 19:29).

This story intimates what being a disciple of Christ is all about: one must unreservedly turn the focus of one’s life from seeking worldly riches, prestige, and happiness to following and glorifying God. A true disciple of Christ thoroughly, unmistakably and devotionally forsakes worldly enjoyment but remains faithful to God. There is absolutely no neutral ground, no possibility of accomplishing both of them, when it comes to choosing between seeking worldly pleasures and serving God.

Such a choice is of the nature of “Either…or…” and not of “Both…and…” That is the reason why Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matt. 6:24).

This is the steep price that a disciple of Christ must pay; this is the way of taking up the cross of Christ and following Him; this is the only path that leads to eternal life, there is no other way.

What an ultimate requirement! What rigorous standards! A fundamental change in a person’s directions of life is demanded. So difficult to achieve for the weak-willed! Yet “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). Throughout history, numerous saints of China and abroad have been living testimonies of the majestic power of God and examples of a disciple’s walk.

Recall the years of “the Cambridge Seven,” everyone a scholar of excellence at a famous institution, full of a promising future; they left their fame and fortune in their homeland to join the China Inland Mission. They came quietly spreading the Gospel among the poorest villages and remotest regions of China. What they chose to do touched the hearts of many zealous youth in America and Europe, and prompted them to also dedicate themselves to the task of evangelism.

Dr. John Sung considered high academic degrees and high income as rubbish, and returned to his native land with determination; a Bible in his hand, and a coarse shirt on his back. His footsteps were all over China, leading multitudes to Christ.

In these people, we see the whole-hearted followers of Christ who offered up in total, who never for a moment lingered upon worldly happiness and merry-making. These were the true disciples of Christ.

Nevertheless, in today’s churches, we often hear testimonies of the sort of how God provided and blessed the lives of so and so with worldly things. For example, through prayer and God working, some loved ones were able to come to the United States for a family reunion. So and so was able to improve in school; another had now a satisfying job; yet another was blessed with a harmonious family. Food and clothing became abundant for someone; the career coasted smoothly for another; even cars and houses were fully provided, etc. Another type of testimony seemingly more spiritual goes like this. A certain person has already been blessed with a happy family and a successful profession; but more significantly, he and his household devoutly love the Lord and serve God zealously. As a result, they now have an even happier life.

Testimonies such as these seem innocent at first glance; their popular reception, however, may lead to misleading impressions that one’s dedication to the Lord directly ties in with one’s success in the world. Believing Jesus helps you obtain satisfactory work, a happy family, and so on. The undergirding logic is, there is no conflict between worldly success or happiness and following Christ. On the contrary, the latter may even enhance the former. It is well and good to gain worldly position and fortune, putting the label “Christian” on top of it further refines the whole deal.

Existing in the subconscious of many, the ideal Christian is no longer one who would give up his life and be a martyr for the name of Christ, but is a well-groomed, successful, and devout upper middle-class believer. The way of the cross is no longer thorny all over, but is a smooth highway filled with wealth, prestige, and auspiciousness. Christ has fallen from His sovereign position of ruling the universe to become the helper of our careers, the protector of our children, the reconciler of our marriages.

Indeed, Christ sustains and protects us in our daily lives; but if Christ’s position is constrained as such, then the center of our lives is not God but ourselves. God becomes nothing but an idol we trifle with on our hands according to what our needs dictate. Those having such an attitude take the meaning of discipleship as “Both…and …” They want to follow Christ on the one hand, but at the same time they are unwilling to let go of the desires for worldly pleasures. They wish to harmonize the two, dreaming to have the cake and eat it too, in reality repeating the mistake of the rich young man.

Without a doubt, when a person accepts Christ as his Lord and Savior, there must be changes in his value system and his ethical behavior. His life will undergo fundamental transformations. For some, circumstances warrant their experiencing steady career advancements and their family life becoming more harmonious. But others may suffer mockery and discrimination from their bosses and co-workers because of their testimonies of Jesus Christ, even to the point of losing their jobs. Some may have frictions with their family members, leading to expulsion from their homes. Having faced such everyday occurrences around us, how can we confidently say that being a Christian will definitely bring us improvements and blessings in this world?

To Christians, the essential issue is not whether following Christ would bring favorable or unfavorable influences on our worldly living. Nor is it what we will or will not encounter in this life, nor fortunes and status quo per se; but whether we love the Lord over worldly accomplishments at all times. Whether we keep our eyes upon Christ, putting our heart and soul on the commands of Christ, submitting our whole life to the sovereignty of God.

If we carry out the above, we are no longer concerned with personal gains and losses in life, but will cast our cares completely upon the hand of God. We must firmly believe, that God alone knows what is best for us, and He alone determines our portions in life. On the one hand, God will provide His children with the material necessities and sustain our family life according to His will. On the other hand, He uses trials and tribulations in life to train us up. Both are within His grace and blessing, we must accept them joyfully and peaceably.

If we intentionally or unintentionally place a solid link between the life of abundant materialism and that of following Christ, our faith becomes a tower built upon sand. It will not pass the tests of the winds and rains of life.

For the Christians living in modern affluent societies, become aware all the more reminding ourselves constantly of a simple yet solemn truth: being a disciple of Christ is to take up the cross, ever ready to pay any price for Christ’s sake. If we have whole-heartedly accepted Christ as our Lord, the values and lifestyles of the world mean nothing to us, and the world may hate us for this reason. If we surrender to the Lordship of God completely, then occupation and family are no longer the center of our lives. We can sacrifice all for the sake of Truth.

Therefore Jesus said, “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:36-37). Being a disciple of Christ does not mean propagating and perfecting the lifestyle we have in this world, but negating and demolishing it.

Therefore, Jesus requires that we thoroughly break away from our old mentality and habits of life as we follow Him. As a consequence, accepting Christ may not bring peace and tranquility to our family and community; on the contrary, it often causes sharp contrasts and struggles between light and darkness, truth and illusion. As Jesus had said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Matt. 10:34-35). Such a position appears to be difficult for the Chinese people to grasp and comprehend, for they have highly regarded the importance of family life and social relationships. Nonetheless, have there not been many Chinese Christians who were disdained by their family clan for refusing to burn incense and kneel before their ancestral tablets because of their faith? Have there not been many whose parents of old revolutionary tradition severed their family ties just because they sought the truth?

Yes, indeed, to be a disciple of Christ, one must pay the price. True Christians will lose much of worldly happiness, having to live in poverty, endure hardship, even be forsaken by their loved ones and dear friends. In the eyes of the secular, Christians might just be considered total failures and utter fools. But Christians possess peculiar views of success. They lay it all before God and from this gain heavenly joy.

In the 1930s, a young Canadian lady missionary contracted a disease in China and died. Her father made a simple remark upon receiving the news, “I have offered my best to Jesus.” Such is the broad-mindedness of a disciple of Christ!

On that day, Jesus left the rich young man no room for compromise but gave him a choice of “Either…or;” he must forsake all and follow Him. Today, Jesus is still asking us to make the “Either…or…” choice. One cannot follow Christ and refuse to part with the old way of life.

Needing God’s blessing and protection cannot be used as an excuse to rationalize or make sacrosanct the seeking of worldly joys, thus allowing the worldly value system to unconsciously permeate our faith. Happy days and sweet times, and smooth sails at work or business do not adequately reflect whether a person is faithful to Christ. It is when one needs to sacrifice one’s bottom-line profits for the Lord’s sake that one shows one’s true color of genuine discipleship. In God’s care and keeping, we give thanks for all His provisions; and for His sake, we ought to willingly offer up all that He has endowed upon us.

Maintaining that fame and prestige are good with the topping of a Christian label is an inferior attitude; the utmost is to be willing to forsake all fame and prestige for the name of Christ. That rich young man was able to devoutly abide by the commandments of the law, but failed to shoulder the greatest challenge offered to him by Jesus. He was unwilling to offer up his most treasured, thus losing the opportunity to be a precious disciple of Christ. Reminiscing upon the tragedy of this rich young man, we ought to examine ourselves as well. What actions would we take if we face this challenge? Do we have the courage to say to God, “Please go ahead and crash my old life of security and peace, and let me offer my all to You?”

-Kelvin Yao, came from Mainland China, is currently studying in a seminary. This article is from Christian Life Quarterly Vol. 2 No. 3, 1998 September, pp.13-1.