The costs for everyday Christians would simply be lost time, but I am positive that what you get from prayer and Eucharist and charity are certainly worth it. The rewards are clear, the satisfaction from helping others, changing others lives, communicating with God, preaching to your parish, worshipping with your fellow monks in your monastery. All of the above are high points of the different aspects of modern day discipleship. Eternal life, happiness and a faith. If you are as determined, dedicated and committed enough, you can have all three of those wonders. Just follow Jesus' example, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, The Lord our God is the only Lord".
Evaluation-The term "true" disciple is somewhat unclear in it's meaning. I certainly wouldn't describe a true disciple as perfect; nobody is perfect other than God. I would consider a true disciple to be committed, dedicated, willing to help others and wanting to share in Jesus' faith and expectations. A true disciple wouldn't have to be struggling, doubtful, unhappy or in anyway negative. Of course people like Mother Teresa are true modern day disciples, she gave up absolutely everything to do what she could to help those in poverty, she thought that was the right thing to do, she followed Gods' message, that is why she was a true disciple.
Another example of a true disciple is a friend of my family, John Kirkby. He left his highly paid financial advisor job to start a charity, 'Christians against Poverty'. He 'saw the light' and since then he has given EVERYTHING possible to those in need, and he has such a strong belief that the Lord will provide that last Christmas, without a home and with a pregnant wife and children, he still genuinely believed that everything would be alright because God would ensure no harm would come to them. That is true discipleship, to have a faith like this is truly admirable.
I think a true Christian disciple would take the form of regularly attending church, participating in the sacraments, reconciliation for example, and caring for others at all times. Helping others, charity, standing up for what is right, forgiving, seeking good in all, and happiness are all factors for being a Christian disciple. I think that perfection isn't necessary, nobody should try and live a "perfect" life. Everybody makes mistakes, it is part of life, but nothing in particular "qualifies" anybody to be a Christian disciple. Being a genuinely good person, and a believer would class you as a Christian disciple in my opinion.
Although I know that others disagree, and say that there are things that have to be sustained before the term "Christian disciple" can apply. Celebrating the Eucharist every week is vital for such a title apparently, though I would suggest that it only contributes to the fact that dedication is involved. Of course we have to remember that many dislike worshipping the lord with crowds of others, which is why the House Church Movement exists. This is a movement that allows people to worship God in their own homes, and it models itself on the life and worship of the New Testament.
Working for justice and peace is very important, if nobody did so; we'd all be in very serious trouble. True disciples would certainly stand up to wrongdoing and speak out against injustice. Campaigning for peace and justice can be on different levels, global, national, and local. Some would say that true disciples are only people like Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, because they have stood up against injustice, have had a huge effect and are known famously to this day, and always will be. But I don't think that to be a true disciple you need to make big waves by campaigning for big global issues, but what I do think is that if an issue that concerned a true disciple arose, then he/she would certainly have the confidence to stand and say "Hey, that's wrong", and do something about it.
Those trying to follow Jesus in this "materialistic, consumer orientated secular world" are going to find it harder to than it would have been back in the days of the first disciples. Obsessed with material objects, luxuries, being concerned solely with buying and selling these material objects in this non-spiritual all-commercial worldly world is what most people live their lives by. Clearly this is a setback for those wanting to spend their lives on more traditional matters, but again, to be a true disciple is to rise above this, and make the effort to overcome the problems and setbacks to achieve goals. Others would say that fitting such a lifestyle into this secular world would be the answer, and perhaps it has to be in a way, but having all this modern technology shouldn't prevent, or even reduce the chances and time for prayer, communication, etc. Unfortunately however, because of all the way in which our world now runs, there are fewer genuine Christians, but the positive outlook we can make about this is that these Christians are strong, in their beliefs and in their morals.
To conclude, I would say that yes, it is possible to be a true disciple in the modern day. It is nowhere near the same to what the first disciples were like, but the same principles are involved, love, faith, care, willingness, commitment. Understanding is vital too, and even though the disciples of Jesus didn't quite master this area, we today can, we can understand the bible, and what Jesus told us, we can go to church and communicate with both God, priests, monks and nuns. To be a true disciple is to be true.
