The Cost of Following Christ

This month has been heavy. Writing this post was more difficult than most.

In a country many call “Christian,” where free speech and religious freedom are rights, we saw a man publicly killed for speaking about his faith in Christ.

In a place designed for learning, violence poured out on one who confessed Jesus as Lord.

A Flood of Emotions

One of my first thoughts was fear. As someone who owns a very blatantly Christ-focused business, I wondered if my work could one day put my family at risk.

This was a fleeting knee-jerk reaction and honestly overblown but I realized I rarely consider the weight of openly being a believer in Christ.

Then came the hard question: Am I bold enough to share my faith in the face of persecution? Am I willing to bear that cost?

Our American Bubble

Here in the Bible-belt of the U.S., I rarely face persecution. At most, I might face mild disapproval for my faith (Couple of angry emails). Meanwhile, there are believers around the world live under the threat of death for following Christ.

For many of us, the “cost” of discipleship looks like showing up most Sundays or joining a community group. We take our faith for granted. We live in comfort, too busy to have our quiet times most days.

That’s the trap. Complacency.

We think of the U.S. as “Christian.” But ironically, it’s the persecuted church, those with the most to lose, who walk in a deeper more intimate relationship with God.

A Call to Wake Up

This tragedy reminded me that following Christ is not casual. It is a daily choice.

We were designed to be in relationship with God. And yet with often are too busy to invest the effort it takes to build that relationship.

We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

How can we see what God designed and prepared us for when we drift through life barely acknowledging Him?

We are missing out on the most significant relationship in our lives and wonder why life feels so purposeless.

So I ask you the same questions I’ve been asking myself:

Where do you stand with God? Are you living for Him or without Him?

Jesus bore the cost of our sin so we could be restored to God. He didn’t die so that we could live as though He doesn’t exist.

The cost of following Him is real. But so is the hope in the finished work of Jesus.

Prayer

Father,
We praise Your holy name. Thank you for every breath, for every day You give.

Open our hearts to grasp the depth of Christ’s sacrifice. Move us out of complacency into intentional obedience. Strengthen us to stand boldly, to love deeply, and to carry Your message to a hurting world.

Make us sensitive to Your leading and act in obedience. Help us lift one another up as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I lift up the persecuted Church all over the world. I pray that you encourage, strengthen, and protect believers that are willing to sacrifice themselves for your name’s sake.

Remind us of the incredible work you are doing through them to save those who don’t know you. May we have a fraction of their boldness.

You did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

May you be Anchored in Christ
Jacob Dyke