THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

101• The Health, Wealth & Prosperity Gospel has been proclaimed for the last thirtyyears with its triumphalistic message of reward for following Jesus.• Increasingly since the 1980's our culture of Me-ism—looking out for numberone—has made us self-indulgent. A gospel that demands obedience, sacrifice,even suffering, is therefore rejected, or at best, ignored.Thus Christianity has become a religious tranquilizer. Christ is presented for what wecan get out of Him—for selfish gain—rather than as the Lord of life whom we must seekbecause of our burden of sin. Twentieth-century prophet A. W. Tozer put it:“It has become popular to preach a painless Christianity and automatic saintliness.It has become part of our ‘instant’ culture. ‘Just pour a little water on it, stir mildly,pick up a gospel tract, and you are on your Christian way.” 4COUNT THE COST! (14:25,28-35)What a marked contrast to the conditions laid down by the Master! He did not try to makethe way easy in order to attract the crowds. Those who sought entrance into His kingdom werewarned:“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said:Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimatethe cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundationand is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘Thisfellow began to build and was not able to finish.’Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sitdown and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the onecoming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send adelegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot beMy disciple” (vv. 25,28-35).