We are in a generation and age where churches preach about tolerance and inclusivity without providing impactful discipleship teaching on repentance, regeneration, and holiness. Jesus invites us to live out the true cost of discipleship. Jesus, in the conclusion to a teaching about the cost of discipleship, said, “Anyone who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:33). Cross-centred discipleship is a breaking free from the control of material wealth and attachments. As Christians, we are in the world, but we are not of the world, regardless of its emotional bond, fears, and ambitions. We must therefore be free from every worldly tie to embrace the radical freedom found in its fullness in Cross-centred discipleship. The true cost of Cross-centred discipleship calls for a prioritisation of spiritual commitments over worldly attachments. Cross-centred discipleship is a path of personal and corporate transformation, preparation, and renunciation.

Sadly, material blessings, positions, titles, and awards have become commodities for the highest bidders and a means of compromise. Truth hurts. The Bible has turned to pulpit decoration. Followers have outnumbered disciples, like nine lepers against one leper. Altar turns to shows. We sing about the cross but hate the Saviour. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” Christianity without Christ is a distant Christianity with no relationship with Jesus as the Saviour. Charles Spurgeon said, “Without Christ we are like branches without sap, withered and ready to be burned,” and buried. Today, many follow Jesus from a distance because they do not want their association with Jesus to cost them anything.

Christian discipleship as a Cross-centred journey to eternal life is costly. It embodies a way of life that often runs counter to societal norms. Jesus asks, “Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost?” (Lk 14:28). Christian discipleship flourishes through self-reflection and dedication. Jesus hyperbolically tells us the requirement and cost for effective discipleship and commitment. He said, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:26). The word ‘hating’ is about prioritising our spiritual mission over familial bonds and self-interest. Jesus’ statement ‘highlights the difficulty of the path Jesus calls us to follow—one that requires unwavering dedication and the courage to face societal pressures.’  “Carrying one’s own Cross” reinforces the cost of sacrifice as a disciple.

Costless discipleship, as the basis of distant Christianity, maintains a safe distance from passionate Bible teachings and sharing the Gospel. Distant Christianity expresses doubt in the validity of God’s Word. The decline and ineffectiveness of the church and Christianity today are due to the increasing costless discipleship that shapes the increasingly distant Christianity. The primary task of the church is the relational transformation of individuals and communities into the image of Jesus Christ, not compromising with the world, its agents, and values. Costless discipleship and Cross-less Christianity have produced leaders and workers who are careerists shaped by the world’s standards and values. For such careerists, teaching about repentance and salvation to follow Jesus is optional. The Bible says, ‘Blessed are those who mourn over their sin’ (Matt 5:4). Sadly, this generation, in their pride, tolerates and celebrates their sins, thereby losing the act, humility, and practice of repentance and holiness.

Jesus did not say fill a church building or an auditorium. He said, ‘Make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:19). The practice of distant Christianity is based on the problem of costless discipleship. Today, many people who claim to be “followers” of Jesus Christ are following in the same way as the ten lepers and Peter afar off and at a distance.

In one of my publications on the story of the ten lepers, I explained that Jesus healed the ten lepers from a distance. Beloved, do not be a distant Christian, just for the benefits of Christianity. Jesus called us to be His disciples, a relational engagement. Distant Christianity is deceitful, declining, destructive, and defective discipleship, a fading encounter shaped by a dangerous, immoral obsession and perspectives. The Bible says, “Peter followed at a distance,” hence his lukewarm commitment and a compromise where commitment is not total (Matt 26, Mk 14:54). Like many of us, we may not have been too far behind Jesus physically, but spiritually, like Peter, we are at a great distance. Peter denied even knowing Jesus, like many churches, following Jesus at a distance, shying away from the name and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Distant Christianity is a state of being halfway between following Jesus and the world. The primary danger of distant Christianity is falling into sin under pressure. Peter’s denial of Jesus is a prime example of how distance from Christ can lead to completely disowning Him, even to the point of denying Him with oaths and profanity. One of the reasons behind Distant Christianity is the prioritisation of comfort and safety. Peter distanced himself to stay warm and safe, a decision driven by a desire for comfort rather than standing with Jesus. Many messages warn against this, reminding people that following Jesus is not about comfort but about character and transformation. Distance Christianity is a distorted perspective of life and God’s plan. When a person is far from God, they become vulnerable to sin.

Like Peter, many are sitting at a distance around the kindled fire of compromise amid the world’s courtyard (Lk 22:55). Peter did not follow Jesus for long. He distanced himself from the Master until he had joined the crowd around a comfortable campfire. Peter quietly shifted his identities. No longer a follower of Jesus. Like many today, Peter became one of the crowds. Christianity is not about the crowd but about Christ. Distant Christianity is expressed through a defensive mode, just as Peter denied Jesus in order to enjoy the warmth of the campfire (Lk 22:57).

Like Peter, a generation of distant Christians denies Jesus Christ to avoid identity with Christ’s suffering, a costless discipleship. Generation of distant Christians get involved in the church and as leaders, but deny what it means and the need to be saved. Generation of distant Christianity denies Jesus when we are afraid about what others will think if we tell people what the Bible say about ‘controversial issues like abortion, divorce, homosexuality, transgenderism, and the age of the earth.’

To overcome the tragedy of costless discipleship and distant discipleship, the one leper who returned to Jesus offers us a model. Effective discipleship starts with returning to Jesus’ feet, committing oneself to follow Jesus, not at a distance. Peter also returned to close fellowship with Jesus after a sorrowful repentance. Peter wept bitterly when he realised his error (Luke 22:62). A broken and contrite heart is never rejected. (Psalm 51:17). Peter followed from afar and fell; he also found restoration. A distant walk leads to disaster, but a close walk leads to eternal destiny in Jesus Christ.