What Did You Expect?
- Kingdom Kulture
- Aug 14
- 5 min read
As a young kid, I'll never forget looking at a picture of Jesus on the cross at church, seeing His bloody face filled with pain and agony, knowing He endured that for me. I couldn't help but think more deeply: what does He expect from me? I turned to some of the older members of the congregation and asked if they were sure He didn’t expect anything more from us. With a response lacking confidence, they said, "All He wants is for us to believe."
"19 You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder [in terror and horror such as make a man’s hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]! 20 Are you willing to be shown [proof], you foolish (unproductive, spiritually deficient) fellow, that faith apart from [good] works is inactive and ineffective and worthless?" - James 2:19-20 AMPC
Even as a kid, I wasn't convinced that somehow, somewhere, more wasn't required. As life became hectic, it slipped my mind entirely. Yet, as I grew older and noticed that most of my peers stopped attending church, praying, and reading the Bible, I began to question whether my faith truly had any depth.
I was honest with myself and acknowledged that, apart from following the daily Bible plan and going to sermons where I mostly spent time on my phone, my life wasn't significantly different from others'.
After college, I began working at a homeless shelter, assisting individuals in reintegrating into society. One day, I heard a visiting pastor discuss the difficulties of being a Christian in China and the struggles they encounter. I felt a sense of relief knowing I was born in America, where I wouldn't face the same challenges as those who choose to follow Jesus in other parts of the world. This led me to question whether this was fair. Why doesn't the Bible simply instruct everyone to move to America, where nothing would be required of them? Perhaps there's something I've overlooked?
The reality is that we observe Jesus and what He endured, yet we never anticipate experiencing the same. We all wear bracelets with "WWJD," but do we truly act as He would? Jesus would abandon everything to spread the Gospel—would we?
"23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]." - Luke 9:23 AMPC
Jesus would be so concerned with spreading the message of God that He would have no idea where He would even stay. Would we?
"19 And a scribe came up and said to Him, Master, I will accompany You wherever You go. 20 And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." - Matthew8:19-20 AMPC
Jesus would overturn tables in a place where money has become the focus instead of prayer—Would we?
"14 There He found in the temple [enclosure] those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there [also at their stands]. 15 And having made a lash (a whip) of cords, He drove them all out of the temple [enclosure]—both the sheep and the oxen—spilling and scattering the brokers’ money and upsetting and tossing around their trays (their stands). 16 Then to those who sold the doves He said, Take these things away (out of here)! Make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise (a marketplace, a sales shop)! 17 And His disciples remembered that it is written [in the Holy Scriptures], Zeal (the fervor of love) for Your house will eat Me up. [I will be consumed with jealousy for the honor of Your house.]" John 2:14-17 AMPC
He stated that He came to bring division and shake things up—have we?
"34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to part asunder a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a newly married wife from her mother-in-law— 36 And a man’s foes will be they of his own household. 37 He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; 38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me." - Matthew 10:34-38 AMPC
The truth is, Jesus was so in love with God that His devotion overshadowed His desire for human approval.
"26 Woe to (alas for) you when everyone speaks fairly and handsomely of you and praises you, for even so their forefathers did to the false prophets." - Luke 6:26 AMPC
As I've grown older, I've come to realize that while it's true Jesus died on the Cross, it's also true that He expects us to carry our own.
I recently came to understand that I was letting my own desires and various pastors, who were also guided by their own desires, dictate what God expected from me instead of relying on God's Word itself. I observed a trend in my preferences for sermons that focused heavily on God's blessings for me, with little emphasis on my own obedience and commitment to Him.
Jesus explained to His disciples what they should anticipate if they intended to follow Him, and this is even more relevant today given how distant the world has become from God.
"12 Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand]." - 2 Timothy 3:12 AMPC
We observe that most of the individuals who followed Christ in the Bible faced hatred, slander, and even death. Somehow, we've convinced ourselves that this was their misfortune and that today everyone loves God. However, the crime rate and the acceptance of the truth from God's Word appear to indicate otherwise.
Jesus advised His followers to count the cost before attempting to follow Him because if you had more love for things of this world instead of God, you would never make it. If Jesus says that there is a cost for following Him, we need to reflect on what pursuing Jesus has cost us. If the answer is nothing, we should examine more closely whether we are genuinely following Christ or merely deceiving ourselves.
Question of the Day: Has your pursuit of Jesus been costly?
Below is a list of people from all over the world that are currently experiencing the cost of following Jesus in their own lives.
