4. Week Four—The Cost Of Following Jesus

Words To Live By Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?” Luke 9:23-25 This lesson is packed with crucial stories and teaching that you don’t want to miss! One of the themes that comes out in this section of Luke is discipleship. What is a disciple? She is a learner, student and follower. In the First Century, it was common for a rabbi to have a group of disciples who traveled with him, learning by watching and listening. Ultimately a disciple would become like her teacher. I love how Mark put it in his gospel: “He [Jesus} appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14-15, NIV). The Twelve were first WITH Jesus, and because of huge amounts of time with him, they gained the knowledge needed to preach and take power over the forces of evil. Part One Study We’re going to read all of today’s passage and then focus...