Hard to Believe Workbook: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Hard to Believe WorkbookUNDERSTANDING THE HIGH COST AND INFINITE VALUE OF FOLLOWING JESUSBy John MacArthur Nelson BooksCopyright © 2007 John MacArthurAll right reserved.ISBN: 978-0-7852-6346-3ContentsHow to Use This Companion Workbook............................................v1. The Cost (Hard to Believe Introduction and Chapter 1).....................12. Telling the Truth (Hard to Believe Chapter 2).............................143. The Humility of the Cost (Hard to Believe Chapter 3)......................284. Following the Leader (Hard to Believe Chapter 4)..........................425. Two Choices (Hard to Believe Chapter 5)...................................576. More Than Words (Hard to Believe Chapter 6)................................717. The Foolish and the Wise (Hard to Believe Chapter 7).......................858. The Real Christian (Hard to Believe Chapter 8)............................999. No Compromise (Hard to Believe Chapter 9)..................................11310. The Defectors (Hard to Believe Chapter 10)...............................12711. The Christian Mission (Hard to Believe Chapter 11)........................14112. Those Who Believe (Hard to Believe Chapter 12)............................155About the Author..............................................................169Chapter OneTHE COSTBIBLICAL FOCUSKey passages from this section of the book: Matthew 16:24-25; Matthew 10:34-36; Luke 9:23-26.READING ASSIGNMENTRead both the introduction and chapter 1 of Hard to Believe.ANOTHER LOOKThe following questions will help you review the material you read in the book.1. The introduction to Hard to Believe sets the stage for what it costs to follow Christ today: "The world is filled with millions of people who think they are headed for heaven-but they are deadly wrong. Probably most people think heaven awaits them, but it doesn't. But what is especially sad, is that many of those people sit in evangelical churches misinformed!" (p. ix). What was your initial reaction to this challenge that many Christians who believe they are headed to heaven have been misinformed? Why? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________2. In your opinion, how does the title of chapter 1, "Tastes Great, Less Filling," represent the author's concern about how some churches are presenting the gospel? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________3. One example of the cost of being Jesus' disciple is found in Luke 14:26, when Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (NASB). How does Jesus' statement point to the "lite-ness" of many gospel presentations today? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________4. What similarities do you see between false teachers in the ancient world as described in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 and the "man-centered self-esteem gospel that eventually became the seeker-friendly movement" (p. 4) in our churches today? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________5. What institutions appear to endorse "Christianity Lite" (see the following excerpt)? In what ways do you think