Questions for further study:

1.  Read what Jesus told the crowds about being His disciple in Luke 14:25-27.  Based on Pastor Sam’s teaching, what does Jesus mean by this difficult statement?  What else in this world must you “hate” if you want to follow Him?

2.  Jesus also spoke of hating your own life.  See John 12:25.  Is this about despising yourself as we know the meaning of hate today?  What are you living for in this world?

3.  There are other instances in the Bible where the word “hate” is used more as a word for comparison than as a word for emotional contempt.  Look at the story of Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29.   According to Pastor Sam’s teaching, why does it say that Jacob “hated Leah”?  See Genesis 29:30.

4.  The apostle Paul understood what it meant for the love for God to make everything else pale by comparison.  See what he wrote in Philippians 3:7-11.  What “gains” does he consider a loss compared with knowing Jesus?  Why could he rejoice in the sufferings spoken of in Romans 5:3-5?

5.  Jesus speaks of “taking up your cross” in Luke 9:23 and 14:27.  What kind of cross is He talking about here?  How is the Christian disciple crucified in the same way Jesus was?  How does this compare to your personal commitment to Christ?  Also look at Galatians 2:20.