Luke 14:25-27 NLT

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:25-27 TLB

25 Great crowds were following him. He turned around and addressed them as follows: 26 “Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does[a] his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—yes, more than his own life—otherwise he cannot be my disciple. 27 And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me.

Only about 1 in 4 people are actually living out their faith in a consistent way.

Only a small percentage of Christians (6-9%) would say their life is actually shaped by a biblical worldview.

There’s a gap - between what we say we believe, and how we actually live.

Christian Atheist - someone who professes belief in God - but lives their daily life as if He does not exist.

Matthew 7:21-23 MSG

21-23 “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our super-spiritual projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

It’s possible to say the right things about Jesus - do some of the right things -go to the right places - and still not follow Him.

Luke 6:46 TPT

46“What good does it do for you to say I am your Lord and Master if you don’t put into practice what I teach you? 

Luke 6:46-47 MSG

46-47 “Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.

If Jesus is Lord of your life (not just on Sunday – but EVERYDAY) it should show up in real life:

•  how you treat people

•  how you handle pressure

•  how you make decisions

•  what you prioritize

There is more to following Jesus than what we’ve settled for.

John 1:43 NLT

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”

A disciple is someone who:

•  follows Jesus

•  is being changed by Jesus

•  builds their life around Jesus

Following Jesus isn’t just about what you believe…it’s about who you’re loyal to.

 Am I actually following Him – as He defines following Him?

•  Is He leading my life… or am I?

•  Has my life actually been shaped by Him?

•  Does my everyday life reflect what I say I believe? 

This (Christian life) was never meant to be just Sunday…this was meant to be your whole life!