“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then
in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46)
One of the terms we sometimes use in our “kingdom lingo” is the term “sold out”. In fact, our movement has been nicknamed the “Sold Out
Discipling Movement”. Similar to the first-century disciples in Antioch, who received the moniker “Christians” for being “little Christs”, (Acts 11:26) this nickname was actually a derogatory nickname that was given to us because of our foundational conviction that one must give up everything to become a disciple of Jesus. They must be completely “sold out”!
This rudimental conviction was something Jesus expected out of His original disciples. He taught that they should “[lose] their life” in order to “save it”, (Luke 9:24-25) and that they should “give up everything [they] have” or they could not “be [His] disciples”. (Luke 14:33) Even when a rich, young ruler came to Jesus, He told him, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22) Jesus’ standard must be our standard, as His expectations for His disciples do not change. There is simply no other way to be a Christian, but to be a “sold-out” disciple!
But what does it mean to be “sold out”? Interestingly, the concept of being “sold out” is not unfamiliar to us, even in a worldly sense. There are a number of situations where giving up everything is perfectly acceptable and understandable. For instance, if your loved one was found to have cancer but couldn’t afford to pay for the surgery or chemotherapy, you would gladly sell everything to help them without hesitating. Our willingness to be “sold out” for something is really a matter of cost versus benefit. Is what I am receiving worth more than I am giving? In the instance mentioned above, it is worth more to keep a loved one in our lives than the value of the possessions we own.
There are three areas in which people in the world would typically give up everything: love, opportunities, and emergencies. When a man is in love with a woman (or vice versa) they will go to great lengths to make the relationship work; even if it means giving up a career, moving away from family, and living in a completely different city. The same is true for a parent’s love for their child. I personally know of a couple where the woman gave up a very lucrative career in the pharmaceutical industry to homeschool her daughter because she was concerned about the vaccines that her daughter would have to receive to be a student in the public school system.
Like love, opportunities can also be too big to pass up. Our fear of missing out (“FOMO”) can drive us to extreme measures. A person may give up the familiarity of their surroundings for a new and unfamiliar environment by moving to another country just for a great job opportunity. Athletes make tremendous sacrifices for the opportunity to play professionally. Even gamblers risk it all for the extremely low chance that they will win big at a slot machine. Opportunities can be seductive. So seductive that we would risk it all, or give it all up.
Lastly, as mentioned earlier in my example, we would also give up almost anything in an emergency situation. I remember, when I was younger, seeing a brush fire in the distance with my dad. Since my dad was a firefighter, we drove towards the brush fire to see if we could help. Sadly, the brush fire was consuming a rural community, and had already burned down several houses. As we drove around looking for ways to help, people were desperately loading their valuables into strangers’ cars and trucks for them to haul away to a safer location. Even though they did not know whose vehicles they were loading their things into, they were willing to entrust them because the situation left them with little choice. This is not unique. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and desperate measures often include being “sold out”.
Amazingly, all three of these things – love, opportunity, and emergencies – are aspects of our relationship with God! In Him, we find the most fulfilling and meaningful relationship we can have. The Bible teaches that “What a person desires is unfailing love.” (Proverbs 19:22) It also says, “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6) In other words, in God alone can we find true, faithful, and unfailing love. No one else can give this to us. Although they may claim they have it, such a “faithful person” cannot be found.
Additionally, in God alone do we find the greatest opportunities. For He has a great plan for our lives, “plans to prosper [us] and not to harm [us], plans to give [us] hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) These plans for our lives, which include the best possible future we could have, can only be experienced “when [we] seek [God] with all [of our] heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) In other words, you have to be “sold out” to ensure that you are on the path of God’s plan for your life – and the greatest opportunity of your life!
How about emergencies? How do they factor into our relationship with God? In his letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul referred to the times they were living in as a “present crisis”. (I Corinthians 7:26) A crisis? What crisis? What was the emergency situation that existed in his generation, and that also exists in ours? He later clarifies, “What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that time is short.” (I Corinthians 7:29) The truth is that we don’t have much time on the earth; and if we don’t get right with God, we won’t have anything to look forward to beyond our time on earth. Time is short! What would you give for more time? Everything?
The calling of Jesus has always been that one must be “sold out” to become His disciple! And many disciples, throughout many generations, have answered His calling, and have given up everything to follow Him! Excitingly, God’s promise to us is that “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30) The benefit to cost ratio of being “sold out” for God is beyond worth it! Whether we are giving up our time for meetings of the body, Bible studies with non-Christians, or encouraging one another through encouragement dates and discipling times; or giving our finances through weekly contribution and benevolence; or giving up our dreams and ambitions for God’s will for our lives; let us choose to be totally “sold out”! For there is no other way to be a disciple of Jesus! To God be all the glory!
Evan Bartholomew