The difference between salvation and being a disciple of Christ

I wrote about this topic a long time ago, how salvation is a free gift to all who accept it but that choosing to be a disciple of Jesus is a different thing altogether and is very costly. Many are called..few follow.
The other day, the associate pastor at my church sent me the following study on this very subject. It is awesome, and sums it all up better then I could. I thought I would share it with you. :) Enjoy.....

"Jesus seems to make a distinction between salvation and discipleship. Salvation is open to all who will come by faith, while discipleship is for believers willing to pay a price. Salvation means coming to the cross and trusting Jesus Christ, while discipleship means carrying the cross and following Jesus Christ. Jesus wants as many sinners saved as possible (“that My house may be filled”), but He cautions us not to take discipleship lightly; and in the three parables He gave, He made it clear that there is a price to pay.

To begin with, we must love Christ supremely, even more than we love our own flesh and blood (Luke 14:26–27). The word hate there does not suggest hate as we would define the word, but rather “to love less” (see Gen. 29:30–31; Mal. 1:2–3; and Matt. 10:37). Our love for Christ must be so strong that all other love is as hatred in comparison. In fact, we must hate (love less) our own lives and be willing to bear the cross after Him.

What does it mean to “carry the cross”? It means daily identification with Christ in shame, suffering, and surrender to God’s will. It means death to self, to our own plans and ambitions, and a willingness to serve Him as He directs (John 12:23–28). A “cross” is something we willingly accept from God as part of His will for our lives. The Christian who calls his annoying neighbors the “cross” he has to bear certainly does not understand the meaning of dying to self.

Jesus gave three parables to explain why He makes such costly demands on His followers: the man building a tower, the king fighting a war, and the salt losing its flavor. The usual interpretation is that believers are represented by the man building the tower and the king fighting the war, and we had better “count the cost” before we start, lest we start and not be able to finish. But I agree with Campbell Morgan that the builder and the king represent not the believer but Jesus Christ. He is the One who must “count the cost” to see whether we are the kind of material He can use to build the church and battle the enemy. He cannot get the job done with halfhearted followers who will not pay the price."

James 4:4 "Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God."

I personally don't feel that last scripture is meant to be as harsh as it might sound. I think it just simply means that God's passion and purpose are not about enjoying the pleasures of this world. If that is our main passion and purpose, then we can't be considered "a friend of God" because we are pursing a different objective then Him. We don't have the same goal as Him, we aren't on the same "path". It's doesn't mean we aren't saved or aren't going to heaven.

My hearts desire is to be counted as one whom Jesus can "get the job done with". I pray that for you as well.
I pray that we would all live for eternal purpose.

That was a heavy one. :) I'll lighten it up next time!