“Wo yi jing ding gao gen sui Ye Su…” This phrase, repeated three times, was sung to a familiar tune Susan and I quickly recognized. “I have decided to follow Jesus… no turning back, no turning back.”
It was a special honor to sing this song with young Chinese Christians who may risk more than we can imagine as they say ‘yes’ to the Lord. Dangers vary in the different provinces of China, but all must consider Jesus’ instruction to count the cost.
One young lady we met in QingDao radiated the joy of the Lord as she has decided to follow Him. When asked what would happen if her employer found that she was a Christian, she explained there was already a difference between certain workers. “A person doing my job gets paid four times what I do if he is a member of the Communist Party. If it were known that I was a Christian, I am confident I would lose my job.” Is this young lady foolish to take such risks with her livelihood?
“My cross I’ll carry til I see Jesus… no turning back, no turning back.” On June 17, 2004, in Guizhou Province, a young lady and her mother-in-law were arrested for handing out Bibles and Christian literature. When the mother-in-law was released on June 23, she was horrified to hear that her daughter-in-law had died at the hands of her captors. A husband and four-year-old son have lost a wife and mother. Were these Christians foolish to share the Gospel in their land?
David Aikman, former Beijing Bureau Chief for Time magazine, described a visit to an underground seminary in his book, JESUS IN BEIJING. In a class he attended, the students sang a song with great enthusiasm: “China, China, rise up to share the Gospel because God loves you.” Recognizing an American among them, the students added a second verse: “America, America, rise up to share the Gospel because God loves you.”
Is the cost of discipleship greater in one nation than in another? The cost of Heaven was the same… the precious blood of the Lamb. The enemy of God is the same… though his strategies may vary. The King is the same… though some have difficulty understanding the concept of supreme authority. Is it not reasonable to conclude that God expects the same of all who want to follow the Son… everything?
“The cross before me, the world behind me… no turning back, I’ll follow Him.” Focus totally on the cross, and see what the world says… no matter where you live. When we walk toward the cross, we turn our back on this world. Paul wrote, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The world says avoid anything that causes pain or discomfort. Jesus says, “Pick up your cross and follow Me.”
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple… (Jesus then tells of a tower builder and a king who had to count the cost)… In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-33