Salvation is free but being a follower of Christ may cost you everything!

What do we tell people when we share the gospel with them? We usually tell them that they are to realize that they are sinners and that there is no way for them to earn their salvation. They should repent of their sins and put their faith in Christ and then their sins will be forgiven, they will be in heaven when they die and they will be in God’s presence and have eternal life and ....

But do we tell them about the cost of following Christ?

Do we tell them that once they accept Christ they may lose their job, their family may disown them, that their best friends would turn against them, that they might lose their home, safety, even their life?

Do we tell them that the next day they may lose their job/ the promotion they have been waiting for so long because they have to turn down their boss's order because it involves doing something unethical?

Do we tell them that their own parents might kick them out of the house and vow never to accept them as a member of the family?

If we don’t (and sadly we rarely do) we are just presenting something to them that would sound like a perfect “deal”! Nothing much to lose and a long list of benefits! Sounds like a perfect marketing scheme! Doesn’t it?! It would bring better results because many people would gladly sign up for it!

But that is not only deceptive but also extremely dangerous!

Once the person faces any of those difficult situations, he would either walk away from the faith he never had or worse, he would continue living the same life he has always led, all the while thinking he is “safe” because he is now a “Christian”!

Salvation is free but being a follower of Christ may cost you everything!

Let us tell people the whole thing! God is the one who would bring about salvation not us! God is the one who changes hearts not us! We are commanded to tell people the truth and that involves telling them about the cost as well. And being a follower of Christ is worth the cost!

Matthew 16 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?