During the heyday of Communism, millions of Christians around the world were persecuted and thousands were even killed for their faith. Under those regimes, becoming a Christian was a risky venture.
That’s why several pastors, like Rev. John Oros, cautioned people to truly count the cost of following Jesus.
Pastor Oros lived through the oppressive years of Communism in Romania and experienced the suffering of political leaders firsthand. The scars left on the lives of Christ’s followers were fresh on his mind when he addressed the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 2001.
“During communism, many of us preached and people came up at the end of a service, and they said, ‘I have decided to become a Christian.’ We told them, ‘It is good that you want to become a Christian, but we would like to tell you that there is a price to be paid. Why don’t you reconsider what you want to do, because many things can happen to you. You can lose, and you can lose big.’
“A high percentage of these people chose to take part in a three-month catechism class. At the end of this period, many participants declared their desire to be baptized. Typically, I would respond, ‘It is really nice that you want to become a Christian, but when you give your testimony there will be informers here who will jot down your name. Tomorrow the problems will start. Count the cost. Christianity is not easy. It’s not cheap. You can be demoted. You can lose your job. You can lose your friends. You can lose your neighbors. You can lose your kids who are climbing the social ladder. You can lose even your life.’”
Then Oros said, “Let me tell you my joy when we looked into their eyes, and their eyes were in tears as they told us, ‘If I lose everything but my personal relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ, it is still worth it.’”
Pastor Oros was simply offering his people the counsel that Jesus did 2,000 years ago:
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27-33)
Makes you wonder why so many of us have reduced following Jesus to “walking down an aisle” or “raising a hand” in a church service.
Resource’s Origin:
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. Zondervan, 2011, Page 66.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Commitment
Communism
Decision-Making
Devotion
Discipleship
Follow
Jesus’ Teaching
Persecution
Preaching
Salvation
Testimony
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)