Men in Black is a comedy about two special agents who work for Men in Black, an underground agency created to protect earth from dangerous extraterrestrials. In this scene, Agent K (played by Tommy Lee Jones) tries to recruit a New York City cop (played by Will Smith) to the agency. Take a look (show video: Men in Black, Agent K Recruits Another Agent).
Agent K explains, “All right, kid, here's the deal. At any given time, there are around 1,500 aliens on the planet. Most of them are right here in Manhattan. Most are decent enough. They're just trying to make a living. Humans, for the most part, don't have a clue.”
The cop asks, “But, uh, why the big secret? Humans are smart. They can handle it.”
Agent K answers: “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago, everyone knew the earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everyone knew the earth was flat. And fifteen minutes ago you knew that people were alone on this universe.” With a sigh, Agent K adds, “Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.”
The cop asks, “What's the catch?”
“The catch?” K says. “That catch is you will sever every human contact. Nobody will ever know you exist anywhere. Ever.” K pauses and then adds, “I'll give you till sunrise to think it over.”
As K strolls away, the cop shouts, “Hey, is it worth it?”
“Oh yeah, it's worth it,” K answers, “If you're strong enough” (Men in Black, Columbia Pictures, 1997, written by Ed Solomon, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld).
Heaven is free to all who put their trust in Christ, but Jesus wants only the “strong” to join Him in the fight against “cosmic powers” and “the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
So, what’s the catch? What does it cost to follow Jesus in this fight? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Luke 14, Luke 14, where Jesus lays out the cost of becoming His apprentice in the fight against evil in our world.
Luke 14:25-26 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (ESV).
Crowds of people were following Jesus, but Jesus is not interested in quantity. He wants quality people on His team. To be sure, He wants His house to be full (Luke 14:23). He wants everyone to believe in Him and find eternal life. But He wants only those who are willing to pay the price to be His disciples.
Now, a “disciple” is a learner, those who attach themselves to a teacher in order to learn a trade or a subject. Today, we call such people an “apprentice,” those who learn by watching a master craftsman and doing what he shows them to do.
Do you want to learn from the best? Then it will cost you. First, if you want to apprentice yourself to Christ, then you must…
RANK HIM FIRST IN YOUR LIFE.
Make your relationship with Jesus a priority over all other relationships. Put His desires so far above even your own family’s desires that it looks like you “hate” them in comparison.
Tony Evans put it this way: “Jesus deserves priority over every other relationship. If you must choose between Jesus and a family member, then, Jesus wins. Our love for him must be so strong that unbelieving family members think our love for them might as well be hate, because we chose to obey Jesus rather than do what they want” (Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, Holman Bible Publishers, 2019).
Korehira Watanabe is a Japanese swordsmith, who has spent 40 years honing his craft in an attempt to recreate an ancient kind of sword. He says:
“When I was younger, I was making swords just because I loved it, but as I got older, I started to think that I need to pass along the aesthetics and soul of the Japanese people through my swords.
“When I was in college,” Watanabe says, “I saw a picture in a magazine of the legendary sword maker Akihira Miyairi, who later became my master. That was when… I decided to be a sword maker. All of my family members opposed the idea because they didn't think I could make a living. They told me, ‘Don't ever come back home if you want to be a sword maker.’”
Watanabe apprenticed himself to Miyairi anyway and later said, “What I received from my master is not only the technique, but also his passion for sword making. I want my disciple to receive my passion, and I believe he will pass down his own passion for sword making to the next generations” (Takeshi Fukunaga, Director and Editor, Handmade Portraits: The Sword Maker, Etsy.com; www.PreachingToday.com).
Do you want Jesus’ passion and skill to make disciples and so change your world? Then, like Watanabe, you must put your apprenticeship with Him above your family’s desires. Choose to obey Christ even when your family disapproves. If you want to learn from the best, 1st, Rank Jesus first in your life. Then 2nd…
RISK YOUR LIFE FOR HIM.
Not only “hate your own family,” but “bear your own cross” for Him. In other words, be willing to give up your life for Jesus. Jesus said…
Luke 14:27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (ESV).
When the Roman Empire crucified a criminal, the authorities often forced the victim to carry his own cross through the heart of the city to the crucifixion site. It was a tacit and very public confession that Rome was right and the criminal was wrong. So when Jesus called His apprentices to carry their own crosses, He called them to publicly confess Him as their rightful Lord and their willingness to follow Him to their deaths. That’s because in Jesus’ day, the only people who carried crosses were those getting ready to die.
And that must be your commitment to Christ if you want to learn from Him as His apprentice. You must be willing to die for Him, because you risk your life to publicly follow Him. Now, your family may disparage your commitment to Christ, but even more so the world who hates Christ and all He stands for.
That’s why they assassinated Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, and all the Christian martyrs since a Jewish mob stoned Steven in the First Century. The world hates their commitment to Christ and their commitment to His teachings. When asked about why he shot Kirk, Kirk’s assassin replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out” (John Seewer, “As officials searched for Charlie Kirk’s shooter, suspect confessed to his partner, prosecutor says,” PBS News, September 17, 2025). Kirk’s assassin heard Kirk’s defense of Christian principles as “hate speech,” which a bullet must silence, not negotiation. That’s the cost of publicly following Christ.
In his memoir, Everything Sad Is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri tells the gripping story of his mother’s conversion from a devout Muslim background to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. She gave up wealth and social status, eventually being forced to flee from Iran under a death threat. But she was willing to pay the price. Nayeri writes about one example of her costly faith:
One time she hung a little cross necklace from the rearview mirror of her car, which was probably a reckless thing to do… He says, “My mom was like that.” One day after work, she went to her car, and there was a note stuck to the windshield. It said, “Madame Doctor, if we see this cross again, we will kill you.”
To my dad, [who is not a Christian], this is the kind of story that proves his point. That my mom was picking a fight. That she could’ve lived quietly and saved everyone the heartaches that would come. If she had kept her head down. If she stopped telling people. If she pretended just a few holidays a year, that nothing had changed. She could still have everything.
My mom took the cross down that day. Then she got a cross so big it blocked half the windshield, and she put it up (Daniel Nayeri, Everything Sad Is Untrue, Levine Quierido, 2020, pp. 206-207; www.PreachingToday.com).
Those are the kind of people Jesus wants as His apprentices, people willing to risk their lives for Him. So, if you want to learn from the best, 1st, rank Jesus first in your life, 2nd, risk your life for Him, and 3rd…
RENOUNCE ALL YOU HAVE.
Yield the right of ownership to all your possessions, and recognize Jesus as the owner of all your assets.
Luke 14:28-33 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (ESV).
When used of persons, the word “renounce means to take leave of or to say good-by to someone. When used of things, it means to give up that thing (BAG). For following Christ may not only cost you your life. It may cost you everything you own. So count the cost and renounce it all if you want to be His apprentice. Turn all your assets over to Jesus for Him to use as He sees fit.
Now, He may let you use some of His assets to care for your needs. But never forget that He owns all those assets, which He wants you to use primarily for His glory. That’s what the story of the builder and the king illustrates. The builder and the king must count the cost before they start a project or go to war, lest they be embarrassed by failure (vs.29-30).
Certainly, Jesus is urging His followers to “count the cost” before they continue with Him, since it may cost them everything, but Jesus may also be talking about Himself.
In fact, Warren Wiersbe suggests, “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” (Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor Books, 1996).
Either way, there is a great price to pay to work with Jesus to build His church or to go to war with Him against the enemy.
Before Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of the Union army, it would venture south into Confederate territory, suffer a defeat, then withdraw northward to conduct endless marching drills and meaningless grand reviews—anything to avoid striking a serious blow at the enemy.
That all changed when Lincoln put Grant in charge. Journalist Michael Kilian describes the immediate impact the new general made on an army conditioned to defeat:
In May 1864 … a horrible, two-day battle ensued, with many wounded burning to death when the woods caught fire. The fight was a standoff but so costly to the North a Union withdrawal was expected.
On the rainy night after the close of battle, the weary soldiers of the battered Union Army were slogging along, believing they were once again going to retreat, as they had done time after time in Virginia since the first battle of Bull Run three years before.
Instead, at the crossroads, they encountered the muddy, unkempt figure of their new commanding general, who sat upon his horse, blocking the road to the north, directing the troops onto another that led south and east and eventually to Richmond.
Grant's resolve to lead his troops forward were costly, but he did not retreat and instead continued moving south. Grant's firm leadership finally paid off. In April of 1865, General Lee surrendered to Grant at the McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Virginia (Michael Killian, “Grant's two wars: On the trail of the Union's greatest general,” Chicago Tribune, 5-20-02; www.PreachingToday.com).
If you choose to follow Jesus, there is no turning back even when you feel weary and defeated. Instead, He will lead you to victory if you give Him everything you have.
Colin Smith, pastor of Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church, writes:
I have vivid memories as a kid of my father taking me to an auction sale. He told me, “Don't scratch your nose at the wrong time, son.” He also said, “Always remember this: Whenever you go to an auction sale, make sure you know your upper limit price.”
However, Jesus does not allow us to set our upper limit. Rather, He calls us to a life of unconditional obedience where the price is unknown (Colin Smith, Preaching Today #204).
Pastor Charles Allen recalls being with Billy Graham in the second crusade he ever conducted in Augusta, Georgia. Graham was just a young man then, and he said to Allen, “I never dreamed God would give me the ministry he's given me today. I just said, ‘God I'm going to give you all I have now. And you lead the way.’” That's the way it works (Charles Allen, “Lessons from the Lepers,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 147).
Yes, indeed! Jesus wants to apprentice only those who give Him all they have. So, if you want to learn from the best, 1st, rank Jesus first in your life, 2nd, risk your life for Him, 3rd, renounce all you have, and finally…
RETAIN YOUR SALTINESS.
Persevere in your commitment to Christ. Resist letting the world reduce your ability to preserve, heal, and make people thirsty for Jesus. Jesus concludes…
Luke 14:34-35 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (ESV).
Salt is good as a preservative—to retard the growth of evil and decay. Salt is also good as a purifying agent—to make things cleaner like an antiseptic. It may sting when it touches a wound, but it kills infection. Finally, salt is good flavoring—to make Jesus taste good to those who might otherwise reject Him.
Now, Jesus told His followers, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), but He warns them, “Don’t lose your taste.” That is, “Stay salty!” lest you lose your usefulness. This is a call for perseverance in your commitment to Christ.
Warren Wiersbe says, “Our modern salt is pure and does not lose its flavor, but the salt in Jesus’ day was impure and could lose its flavor, especially if it came in contact with earth. Once the saltiness was gone, there was no way to restore it, and the salt was thrown out into the street to be walked on. When a disciple loses his Christian character, he is ‘good for nothing’ and will eventually be ‘walked on’ by others and bring disgrace to Christ” (Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor Books, 1996).
Please, don’t let that happen to you! Don’t let your contact with the world reduce your effectiveness for Christ. Instead, remain committed to Christ no matter what.
The problem is some Christians want to be honey instead of salt. They want to attract the world rather than apply the stinging salt of healing. As a result, they cease to be effective for Christ. Please, whatever you do, don’t lose your saltiness. Persevere in your commitment to Christ and let Him use you for His glory!
Now, if that’s what you want, it is going to cost you. If you want Jesus to teach you how to change your world, 1st, rank Him first in your life, 2nd, risk your life for Him, 3rd, renounce all you have, and 4th, retain your saltiness.
For it’s not enough just to be free, to be saved FROM sin if you want to really live. You must also be committed to a cause beyond yourself, to be saved FOR something worthwhile.
Author Pete Davis put it this way:
Freedom isn’t sufficient for a fulfilling life. The car lets us go anywhere and the internet lets us see anything—but happiness has not come automatically. Despite our ability to think freely, to find all the cracks in the stories we have been told—the world we want to live in has not automatically emerged from the ashes of the old one. The liberated spirit has helped avoid some tragedies, but it hasn’t built global peace. It has helped diagnose the maladies of our time, but it hasn’t figured out a cure.
A free world requires creativity, belief, unity, and inspiration, too. That’s because liberation is only half of the story of who we are. The other half is dedication. People want to be free, but we want to be free to then do something… We leave, but we don’t cleave. We desecrate, but we don’t consecrate. We melt down, but we don’t solidify into something else (Pete Davis, Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing, Avid Reader Press, 2021, p. 47-48; www.PreachingToday.com).
My dear friends, Christ set you free to do something worthwhile, not just to coast until you die. So, dedicate yourself to something greater than yourself. Dedicate yourself wholly to serving Christ. Count the cost and spend it all for Him. It really is worth it!
