Luke 14

(vs) 28 : For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?


How often do we need to count the cost?  Do we count it once and then dive right into ministry?  Is counting the cost a life long pursuit throughout our ministry?   Is it a burden?
Is it a blessing?  Is counting the cost a rigid standard that can be used to discourage, or to encourage ministry effort's?

I'm not going to pretend to have the answer's. To be honest, I have more questions than answer's when it comes to ministry and life in general. That's why when a dozen or so guys on a Tuesday night look to me for answer's, I take them straight into the word of God.  It's all I have and it's all I need.

I believe the answer's to the above questions can only be found in the size of your burden.
I'm not even going to share my choice of answer with you, it will simply not be the same as yours. Instead, let's look at what Jesus had to say before he made this statement.

Jesus always lead by example. From the beginning of this chapter, He is showing us that the more the world hates us ( James 1:8 ) the more they will go out of their way to follow us (vs 1). They will watch every move we make, so check your daily walk. Only by observing us will they learn what true joy and freedom are all about. I say, let them watch.

Jesus goes on to show that sometimes He needs to take us (vs 4) and drain the poison that causes us to swell and become spiritually bloated. (Dropsy was a condition that caused build up of fluid in the body, today called edema.)  Yield to the healing hands of God and then get busy about your Father's business.

When the world sees the glory of God in your life, they will stand speechless and not be able to refute what has been done (vs 6).  In their heart's they are crying out for the hope that you have.  Open yourself up and just pour it out on them !

Being a humble servant Himself (John 13:5, Mat 20:28) Jesus moves on to instruct us on the importance of humility and the rewards that go along when we truly embrace it (vs 11.)

This next section is key for us as a church as to who we are reaching for and where we may have to go to find them (vs 13-23). God's vision for His church was not one where only the elite gathered . We need a disciple factory, where we reach into the gutter of humanity and help to make jewels out of junk. There are no disposable people, they all have potential and since Jesus is in the renewal business, we must be as well!

Jesus is not into mere numbers and He does not want a crowd who are only interested in the loaves and fishes. His vision for a church was not in a multitude but a movement of people who know how to carry crosses and burdens! (vs 26 -27).

So to recap, before vs 28 Jesus said that we must keep walking worthy, and let him rid us of the unwanted material that would cause our lives to become bloated, ultimately weighing down the church. He said that we need to be humble servants that would reach for the poor, maimed, lame and the blind. (We all fit one, or more of those qualifications before we were called out). That we would need to go into places that we really don't want to go in order to reach for that one. Basically out of our comfort zone. And that IQ and heritage do not matter, only the ability to give it all away to God and be all we can in Him.

I'm not a scholar but that sounds about right.

Let's look at vs 28 from another point of view. The cost that you need to always count is the price paid at Calvary. When you learn to see the world from the point of the cross, it's easier to catch the vision and then catch on fire! Jesus died so His church can be empowered in His name to rise up, to meet an advancing enemy that outnumbers us two to one (vs 31.) Just empty yourself and be filled with the power to become more than a conqueror!

The last piece of instruction that Jesus gave to us in this chapter was to stay salty. What we need right now is some REAL salty  men from Euless to give this world a little Holy Ghost flavor! Salt was used for various purpose's in the ancient middle east. One of those purpose's was to start fires. If we will purpose ourselves to stay salty, God will use us as the catalyst for revival, and it will be a bonfire unlike the world has ever seen!

1 Cor 2:9  But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for him who loves Him.

Robert MacPhee Jr