Cost of Christian Discipleship
- James Collazo
- May 12, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 9
Introduction
Content warning: This article focuses on Christian discipleship. While it alludes to current political themes, its primary purpose is to remind believers that our focus should remain on faith and mission—not on temporary political matters.
The Great Commission calls believers to share the gospel and make disciples of all nations—a mission that carries renewed urgency, especially in the modern West. Fulfilling Christ's command begins in our own communities, where we engage the diverse people around us. In a globalized world, discipleship means presenting the timeless truth of Christ in ways that connect with every culture and context. To do this, we must move beyond a territorial mindset and focus on people and communities through intentional disciple-making that unites local and global efforts, fulfilling Christ's call to form faithful followers who live out his teachings.
Make the Commission Great Again
It was an inauguration to remember. Crowds filled the streets as visitors came from around the world, and local small businesses thrived for weeks. After years of poor leadership and cultural division, the working class longed for a fresh start and a brighter future. The new leader of a rising populist movement spoke to an impressive crowd of about 300,000 people. Known for his bold remarks and unusual accent, he still delivered a powerful and memorable speech that marked the beginning of a successful administration.
He was Simon Peter, a blue-collar Galilean known for his fiery temper and outspoken nature. Now, he stood as the keynote speaker for the Way—the name given to the early Jesus movement. This day marked the inauguration of the Christian church. During the Jewish feast of Pentecost (Hebrew: Shavuot, H7620), around May 25, AD 30, Peter began:
Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:14–16).
Peter connected an Old Testament prophecy to the day's mysterious events. Jews from across the Roman Empire heard the eleven apostles speaking in languages they had never learned, declaring that Jesus was the Messiah. God had promised that before the world's end, his Spirit would give visions and dreams to all people—men and women, slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles alike (Joel 2:28–32; Gal. 3:28).
Disciples of All Nations
Peter's sermon at Pentecost was about ten days after Jesus issued the Great Commission:
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19–20).
While the apostles waited in an upper room of the Jerusalem temple, the Holy Spirit moved them to act on Jesus' command without delay. The first nations to receive baptized Christians included Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Roman Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libyan Cyrene, Rome, Crete, and Arabia (Acts 2:9–11). These regions roughly align with the modern nations of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Italy, Greece, and those on the Arabian Peninsula—Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The area spanned about 3,182 miles (5,122 kilometers) from east to west and about 2,766 miles (4,452 kilometers) from north to south, a region nearly the same size as the conterminous United States.
On the first day of the church, three thousand Jewish pilgrims repented of their rejection of Jesus as their national Messiah and received baptism (Acts 2:37–42). Once they all returned home, the gospel spread across a vast expanse encompassing the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The dispersion of Jews played a crucial role in the growth of Christianity across the Roman Empire and beyond. Even in his time, the apostle Paul wrote, "This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven" (Col. 1:23).
Still Greatly Commissioned
We are Christians today because believers long ago baptized our ancestors and led them to follow Jesus. That act of faith and obedience could have happened at any point between the first and the twenty-first centuries. Yet the Lord still calls us to continue his Great Commission—to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Throughout history, the church has carried the gospel to every corner of the world. Today, many Christians in the West face a new challenge: we must again proclaim the good news to our own nations before reaching others abroad.
Our mission field is no longer just across the ocean—it is across the street. It is time to "Make the Commission Great Again" by returning to Jesus' call: to make disciples who transform the world from within. You might ask, "Did not Jesus tell us to baptize the nations?" Yes, he did—but we need to understand what that really means. When Matthew recorded the Great Commission, he used the Greek word ethnē (G1484), often translated as "nations." A better translation is "ethnic groups." In the Bible, ethnē refers to groups of people, not political units.
Jesus told his followers to reach people, not nations. He calls us to share the gospel person to person, whether we travel far or stay close to home, and to see brethren rather than borders. He also wants us to care for those who have left the faith—the "leavers" who have made their own Chrexit, a personal exit from Christianity often caused by doubts or disappointments—and to walk with them as they sort through their questions. Most of all, Jesus did not ask us to create churchgoers. He told us to make and baptize disciples who live as his church.
Cost of Discipleship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) wrote The Cost of Discipleship, a powerful work that clearly distinguishes costly grace from cheap grace. He pastored an underground church, openly resisted Nazi Germany, and paid for his convictions with his life when the regime executed him near the end of World War II. Bonhoeffer understood what it truly means to pay the price for following Christ. He wrote:
Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, and absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. . . . [Discipleship] is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son (1995, pp. 44–45).
Jesus teaches us, "Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will you not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" (Luke 14:27–28). This teaching demands careful calculation. The word disciple translates the Greek mathētēs (G3101), derived from manthanō (G3129), meaning "to learn." From this same root comes our word mathematics, which refers to the disciplined study of knowledge. To be a disciple—a learner of Jesus—means we must count the cost of following him. The decision to follow Christ requires intention and understanding. In practical terms, it resembles a risk-cost-benefit analysis: we must weigh our options and choose the most profitable outcome. Jesus challenges us with a piercing question: "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matt. 16:26).
Conclusion
Peter's sermon at Pentecost launched the Christian church and set God's people in motion. Jewish pilgrims from across the Roman Empire filled the streets of Jerusalem, celebrating the feast and searching for renewal. After decades of weak, self-serving leadership by the Herodian dynasty and the Sanhedrin, the people longed for change. Cultural and religious factions divided the nation—Hebraists clashed with Hellenists, Pharisees argued with Sadducees, Jews opposed Gentiles, and Judeans distrusted Galileans. Yet amid this tension, most people worked hard, hoped quietly, and longed for a new beginning.
Peter stepped forward as the leading voice of the Way, a populist movement centered on the "good news" (Greek: euaggelion, G2098) that would transform the world (see "Christian Case for Capitalism & Populism"). First-century Jewish historian Josephus (AD 37–100) claimed that nearly three million Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the festival pilgrimages (Wars of the Jews 6.9). At the same time, modern scholars estimate the number to be closer to 300,000. Peter—bold, outspoken, and marked by his Galilean accent—persuaded about three thousand Jewish pilgrims to repent, receive baptism, and acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Today, we read his powerful message through the lens of Christendom's enduring triumph.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You are loving and faithful, inspiring us to follow your Son. Help us fulfill your Great Commission by sending us to make disciples and teach them to obey your commandments. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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