“As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me—even Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.”
2 Timothy 1:15-18 NLT
Christian’s following Jesus should start off unashamed of identifying with insurrection and abnormality. Jesus was an enemy of the state. Possibly the most detrimental thing that could’ve happened to discipleship within Christendom was for Rome to decriminalize it and then adopt it as the official religion of the state. This led to the idea that Christianity is a mainstream aspect of god worship. But this is not the Christianity that Jesus taught. Even before it’s decriminalization, Paul was suffering for his discipleship. How could he not? He was, at a point, it’s chief prosecutor. Unfortunately, many whom he had called, adopted the energy of the movement of Christianity without counting the cost of discipleship. This will always be in struggle in the church. This is why discipleship to Jesus must be taught over adoption of a Jesus culture. How can we call ourselves Christians when we fit so easily into the mainstream and perfectly amongst the world and it’s values? True disciples never will.
JOSH McGARY. COM 