Research Paper on Benefits and Costs of Being a Follower of Christ

Introduction

Many times we hear sermons that say "Come to Christ and He will give you all the desires of your heart", there finish the phrase and multitudes of people, without knowledge of the word are left with a half-truth and "receive" a Christ which has become just a means to achieve own goals, personal desires, and interests. "It will only take you five minutes," they will say from the pulpits, so it will not cost a person even some of their precious time, and they will have everything they have wanted in return. This is a false gospel, called "Gospel of Prosperity" that sells the idea mentioned above. There are also churches that claim to reject this deviation from the gospel flatly, but upon hearing their sermons, it can be seen that their preaching is the same, "My blessing", "How to get this and that," Five steps to be a champion, "How to emerge victoriously, ". All kinds of sermons focused on a man and his welfare and not on God, knowledge of the true gospel and doctrine is neglected, and there is terrible anemia of the knowledge of God. One can quote three thousand promises from God to an individual (taking many of context) but have no idea of the attributes of God, do not know the doctrines of salvation, justification, regeneration, do not know what "born again" implies.

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Many times we hear sermons that say "Come to Christ and He will give you all the desires of your heart", there finish the phrase and multitudes of people, without knowledge of the word are left with a half-truth and "receive" a Christ which has become just a means to achieve own goals, personal desires, and interests. "It will only take you five minutes," they will say from the pulpits, so it will not cost a person even some of their precious time, and they will have everything they have wanted in return.

Jesus Christ was frank and direct when he dealt with people about the cost of discipleship. He had nothing to cover, and he wanted to present the matter clearly from the beginning. "And calling people and their disciples," he frankly explained the requirements for those who wanted to be his followers. Jesus Christ was the pattern or the model, his life was notable for the denial of himself and sacrifice for others. Being a Christian has a price like everything else in life, but the price of being a Christian is not so high if the benefits are taken into account. Contrary to what many people think and declare, being a Christian has a price, a price that may seem high, but in reality, it is not, especially bearing in mind the innumerable benefits of being a follower of Christ. The price of being a Christian is to renounce whoever the person is, think, do and want to submit themselves to the Will of God. It is to renounce the customs, activities, and habits that connect a Christian to the world. This is because when a Christian is born again in the Spirit, they have to renounce the old ways with all its inconveniences, vices and weaknesses that used to accompany their lives. However, this does not mean leaving the world because everyone lives in it, but to abstract from it and begin to act according to the demands of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ expresses it in Luke 14:33 when he says, "Therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple," and being a disciple means being a follower of Christ, that is, being a Christian. Also in Matthew 10:37 it says the following: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, "are the words of Jesus.

The modern gospel dares to ensure that whoever wants to be a Christian does not have to do anything to be saved, rather than repeating a meaningless prayer in which Jesus is invited to enter the heart. They allude that Jesus Christ, with his love, longs to be accepted by a person. However, it must be remembered that Jesus Christ humbled himself and offered his life more than two thousand years ago and because of this sacrifice is that God put him above all authority. Jesus is today regarded as the Supreme King of the universe and does not need anyone to be him. He already did for all he had to do and is now on his throne. Jesus Christ does not need or want to enter anyone's heart. Jesus Christ only demands that whoever wants to be saved must submit to his lordship and in this way is that his Holy Spirit enters to dwell in them, as a necessary consequence of their total submission to God, not otherwise. Total submission to God implies renouncing sin and all those things that He does not like. However, the decision is totally on a person. He demands sanctity only if a person wants to follow him and if a person wants to be saved; otherwise, He does not oblige an individual. Everything is a matter of choice. However, a person cannot pretend to receive the gift of Eternal Life without submitting to God. That is the idea that many pastors want to sell to people to fill their churches and benefit from it.

It is through the Holy Spirit that a Christian can achieve living by God's standards, but for that, he or she has to be willing to give everything to Him, renouncing all questioning and simply subjecting himself to His Will, entirely depending on God as a child does with their parents. Subjection is to give up what a person wants or think. This sounds like being a Christian is boring. It seems that but in reality, it is not. Being a Christian, far from being boring, is a pleasure and an enormous privilege. This is because changing the mentality also changes tastes and desires, and in the same way changes, the way a person enjoys their lives. It is like when a person falls in love, they want to leave everything to be with that person and although no one understands why they do it, only the person knows what that person gives them and how happy they are to the point of leaving everything else. It is so with God, only with a huge difference and that God never fails a person or betrays them. Jesus Christ accepted the cross to give Christians the Kingdom. The price he had to pay in fulfilling his mission was high. So Christians too, if they want to be part of his Kingdom they have to accept their cross. However, no one is forced to enter this discipleship, "If anyone wants to come after me." It is within the human will that it is decided to accept or reject being a disciple of Christ. Heaven and happiness belong to those who accept it with longing, who are willing to pay the price of discipleship, whatever it may be.

The Kingdom of God

It is not surprising that someone does not fully understand what the Kingdom of God means since the reading of the Gospels reveals that not even the Apostles before Pentecost had understood it well, and it is one of the notions that has most generated throughout the history discussions and discrepancies. In the first place, it must be said that the meaning of the expression is not univocal. That is to say, that means several things, although all of them related and with something in common. Thus, it can be seen in the Gospels that Jesus Christ says on one occasion my kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and at another time the Kingdom of God is already in your midst (Luke 17, 21). It does not explain whether it will present itself as an earthly kingdom, that it will be followed by a celestial kingdom, or if we are to expect a decisive and final action, through which "heaven and earth" will be changed according to God's purposes. However, it would be foolish to deny that the Bible does present a political and earthly nature of the kingdom of God. The Old Testament is full of prophecies that speak of a kingdom that will be established in this same land. In Jewish literature, the kingdom is presented in 3 possible ways: 1). The kingdom will produce a transformation of the heavens and the earth. 2). The kingdom will be eternal on earth. 3). The kingdom is a temporal and earthly order, which will be followed by a celestial and eternal kingdom.

In the book of the evangelist Mark (1: 1, 14, 15), and in that of Matthew (4:17) we read that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, preaching "The Gospel of the Kingdom", and saying, "time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near: repent and believe in the gospel. "This gospel of the kingdom was the CENTER of his message and the reason for his coming. In Luke 4:43 Jesus reveals that it was necessary for him to proclaim to other cities the gospel of the kingdom of God because for this he was sent. The four evangelists include in their writings or gospels, more than 60 different occasions in which Jesus referred to the kingdom of God. Even in the Acts of the Apostles, the phrase "the Kingdom of God" appears six times. The apostle Paul refers nine times to the kingdom of God. Therefore, the kingdom of God deserves special consideration and profound biblical study, since it is profusely mentioned throughout the Bible, and in particular, in the New Testament. The evangelist and apostle Matthew chooses to speak of "The Kingdom of Heaven," when the other three evangelists speak of "The Kingdom of God." Only on four occasions does Matthew use the phrase "The Kingdom of God" (6:33; 12: 21, 28, 31, 43), while the phrase "the Kingdom of Heaven" appears 32 times in his Gospel. Matthew's preference for this last phrase is explained to denote the celestial character of the kingdom, that is, which it comes from above, as a gift of God and not as a merely human and perishable creation.

The Christian Church, throughout its history, has interpreted the Kingdom of God in two ways: One is that which has an eschatological or futuristic character, and the other that emphasizes its present or consummate nature. Certainly, in the early Church, the futuristic concept prevailed. The so-called "Apostolic Fathers" contemplated the kingdom as a future matter of happiness that would be consummated with the second coming of Christ to the world. Besides, some of those "parents" even argued that it would be a terrestrial domain, although others did not dare to mention specific places. The only one who did not accept the eschatological interpretation was Origen. He believed that the kingdom had a spiritual or symbolic meaning and not a literal one.

The Kingdom of God and the church are inseparable because to this God has promised to give him his kingdom (Luke 12:32). The church is the one that will receive the kingdom of God. The chosen people will restore the Davidic kingdom on earth. The kingdom is made up of holy men (Jews and Gentiles) converted by the gospel of Christ. To these saints, of all ages, we can call them as "The Church of God," "The Body of Christ," "The Bride," "The Chosen," etc. The church is the heir of the kingdom (Matthew 25: 31, 34). Jesus affirmed that the kingdom is something that can be seen and enter (John 3: 3, 5), and Paul said that "flesh and blood" (mortals) cannot inherit it (1 Corinthians 15:50). On the other hand, one can be part of the church by being mortal. This is the great substantial difference between the kingdom and the church. On the other hand, one can be part of the church immediately after baptism (Acts 2: 38, 41); instead, to inherit the kingdom one must have suffered for Christ and have grown in the faith and knowledge of the Lord. The most important thing is to have received the physical transformation when Christ returns to this world (see 2 Peter 1: 8-11, Acts 14:22, 1 Corinthians 15: 45-50). Although the church admits "spiritual children" (1 Corinthians 3: 1-2) who must grow up to the stature of Christ, only the "spiritual matures" enter the kingdom, those who have reached "spiritual perfection" (Ephesians 4: 12, 13, 15) (2 Peter 1: 3-11). On the other hand, it seems evident that God considered that some form of community association and organization was essential for...