The Cost of Discipleship

This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Luke 14:25-34, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.

That time, lots of people followed Jesus around. They wanted to learn from Him and hear what He had to say.

Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “If you want to be my follower, you must love me more than anyone else in the world. That means even more than your mom, dad, sister, brother, or anyone else you love. If you want to be my disciple, you must be willing to carry your own cross and follow me.”

Jesus told a story about a person who wanted to build a tall tower. Before they started building, they thought carefully about how much it would cost and if they could finish it. Jesus explained that if someone starts building without thinking about the cost, they might run out of money and not be able to finish. Then, everyone would laugh at them for starting something they couldn’t complete.

Jesus also told another story about a king who was going to battle against another king. Before going to battle, the first king thought carefully about how many soldiers he had and how many soldiers the other king had. He realized he only had ten thousand soldiers while the other king had twenty thousand soldiers. He knew that he didn’t have enough soldiers to win the battle, so he made peace with the other king instead of fighting.

Jesus said, “If you want to be my disciple, you must be willing to give up everything you have and focus on following me. That way, you’ll be ready to do what I ask you to do.”

Biblical Lessons

Following Jesus means putting Him above everything else, even our family and possessions.
Being a disciple of Jesus means being willing to sacrifice for Him and carry our own cross.
Before we start something, we should think carefully about the cost and if we can finish it.
It’s important to be wise and make good decisions, even if it means making peace instead of fighting.
We should be willing to give up everything we have in order to follow Jesus.

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Biblical Lessons

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