Over the past few weeks a few things have been pulling on my heart, demanding that I write about them. Among the most persistent is this, would you die for Christ?
Would you be torn apart by lions or even have your intestines ripped out and eaten by pigs, all for the name of Jesus?
I began to think, if I had one chance to really make people think about their salvation, if I had one shot to stand up in front of a thousand Christians and make them really think deeply about their current state as a follower. I would teach on that, I would ask the people, if you were faced with the most gruesome and painful death imaginable, would you stick to your guns and hold to the love you have for God? Or would you simply deny Him for the sake of saving your human body?
Some people think that God died so we wouldn’t have to suffer, or God wants the best for us and He wouldn’t make us go through that. I have even heard people argue that God takes away the pain of those who do sacrifice themselves. Really, this last claim aggravates me deeply; a sacrifice without cost is no sacrifice at all! How can you take that from past martyrs?
I want everyone to understand that Christianity itself is sacrifice. Not only is physical pain involved but mental as well and the mental sacrifices you must make are what bring you to the point of self sacrifice. Everyday you must sacrifice your will, fleshly desires and many other things.
Let’s look at the Bible for some evidence regarding my belief:
1 Peter 2:20-21
20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
Luke 9:62
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
The number of scriptures on the cost of following Jesus Christ is great, I could go on an on, but I think I can get the message across with only a few.
Just as a man or woman looks for their future spouse, so does God. We are that spouse. You would not want someone who only pretends to love you, someone who is merely with you because you promised them a nice house and some fancy cars. You would want them to love you for you, because they are struck with the beauty of who you are and the same is for God, He doesn’t want fakes.
My point is this,
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
God places trials in our lives to weed out the bad from the good, the unfaithful from the faithful, to help us grow, furthering our walk with Him and to find his true lovers. Your salvation is not received when you say the words of submission and acceptance, those are only the beginning. The Bible says that we must “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” You must prove yourself faithful to the end to receive this gift from God.
What I am trying to get across is this; Christianity is not something to be taken lightly.
I want to express to you that it is tough, and I don’t mean Americanized, watered down Christianity. I mean the real stuff, laid out by Jesus himself, not some silly man made theology. These new age teachers preach safety, mediocre lives and no sacrifice. It’s wrong, by doing this we have created Christians who have no idea what they have gotten themselves into! Look, we must prepare new followers, ask them tough questions that might scare them away, ask them if they are willing to give up EVERYTHING, and I mean everything.
Luke 9:62
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
There is something severely wrong when over half of the Christians in this world, spiritually are in the same place they were, 10 years ago. I am convinced that if I were to ask a crowd of 1000 Christians whether they were willing this very moment to die for the name of Christ, that only about 100 or so would be able to truthfully say yes. But, I am also convinced that it would make them think very long and hard about their salvation.
The situation is not a good one, don’t call yourself a Christian unless you are willing to take up your cross and leave everything else behind.
As people who have known the Lord longer, we must prepare our new family members so that they may succeed in the fight for their salvation.
It doesn’t stop once they say that prayer of salvation, it begins and we must be there to disciple them!
Luke 14:25-35
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and
sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
The process of sacrifice brings us closer to the Lord; everything you give up is more than worth it.
For everything that you give, you get it back doubly in a new, fresh and wonderful way!
Giving up the world for God’s presence, alone is more than enough.
Just like the song “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand else where.”
Don’t get me wrong, God doesn't sit up in heaven demanding sacrifices from us all day long, but it’s the sacrifices that bring us closer. That’s what true selfless love is.
Make sure you can make such a sacrifice, making sure that your level of intimacy with the Lord is so deep that you are willing to die for Him even though He is unseen.
John 15:13
13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
Would you be torn apart by lions or even have your intestines ripped out and eaten by pigs, all for the name of Jesus?
I began to think, if I had one chance to really make people think about their salvation, if I had one shot to stand up in front of a thousand Christians and make them really think deeply about their current state as a follower. I would teach on that, I would ask the people, if you were faced with the most gruesome and painful death imaginable, would you stick to your guns and hold to the love you have for God? Or would you simply deny Him for the sake of saving your human body?
Some people think that God died so we wouldn’t have to suffer, or God wants the best for us and He wouldn’t make us go through that. I have even heard people argue that God takes away the pain of those who do sacrifice themselves. Really, this last claim aggravates me deeply; a sacrifice without cost is no sacrifice at all! How can you take that from past martyrs?
I want everyone to understand that Christianity itself is sacrifice. Not only is physical pain involved but mental as well and the mental sacrifices you must make are what bring you to the point of self sacrifice. Everyday you must sacrifice your will, fleshly desires and many other things.
Let’s look at the Bible for some evidence regarding my belief:
1 Peter 2:20-21
20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
Luke 9:62
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
The number of scriptures on the cost of following Jesus Christ is great, I could go on an on, but I think I can get the message across with only a few.
Just as a man or woman looks for their future spouse, so does God. We are that spouse. You would not want someone who only pretends to love you, someone who is merely with you because you promised them a nice house and some fancy cars. You would want them to love you for you, because they are struck with the beauty of who you are and the same is for God, He doesn’t want fakes.
My point is this,
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
God places trials in our lives to weed out the bad from the good, the unfaithful from the faithful, to help us grow, furthering our walk with Him and to find his true lovers. Your salvation is not received when you say the words of submission and acceptance, those are only the beginning. The Bible says that we must “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” You must prove yourself faithful to the end to receive this gift from God.
What I am trying to get across is this; Christianity is not something to be taken lightly.
I want to express to you that it is tough, and I don’t mean Americanized, watered down Christianity. I mean the real stuff, laid out by Jesus himself, not some silly man made theology. These new age teachers preach safety, mediocre lives and no sacrifice. It’s wrong, by doing this we have created Christians who have no idea what they have gotten themselves into! Look, we must prepare new followers, ask them tough questions that might scare them away, ask them if they are willing to give up EVERYTHING, and I mean everything.
Luke 9:62
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
There is something severely wrong when over half of the Christians in this world, spiritually are in the same place they were, 10 years ago. I am convinced that if I were to ask a crowd of 1000 Christians whether they were willing this very moment to die for the name of Christ, that only about 100 or so would be able to truthfully say yes. But, I am also convinced that it would make them think very long and hard about their salvation.
The situation is not a good one, don’t call yourself a Christian unless you are willing to take up your cross and leave everything else behind.
As people who have known the Lord longer, we must prepare our new family members so that they may succeed in the fight for their salvation.
It doesn’t stop once they say that prayer of salvation, it begins and we must be there to disciple them!
Luke 14:25-35
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and
sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
The process of sacrifice brings us closer to the Lord; everything you give up is more than worth it.
For everything that you give, you get it back doubly in a new, fresh and wonderful way!
Giving up the world for God’s presence, alone is more than enough.
Just like the song “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand else where.”
Don’t get me wrong, God doesn't sit up in heaven demanding sacrifices from us all day long, but it’s the sacrifices that bring us closer. That’s what true selfless love is.
Make sure you can make such a sacrifice, making sure that your level of intimacy with the Lord is so deep that you are willing to die for Him even though He is unseen.
John 15:13
13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
