Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Discipleship

The Death of Freewill

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Freewill is central to my theology and in my mind is the linchpin to answering difficult questions about sin, disease, and evil in the world. After Jesus, I think freewill is probably the greatest gift God bestowed on His creation. After all, freewill is what enables us to love. It enables us to choose. Most importantly, it enables us to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.

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But here’s the irony for all disciples of Jesus: to accept Christ means the death of freewill in our lives. When we surrender ourselves to Christ, we surrender everything, including our freewill. Nothing is excluded. The very thing permitting us to accept Christ is what we must give up in exchange for His Lordship in our lives.

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One Thing

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A few years ago, Gary Keller wrote a book called, “The One Thing”. While it was not a “Christian” book by definition, I found it applicable to life as a disciple of Jesus. The book talks about finding the one thing that drives you. It encourages the reader to discover the one thing about which they are most passionate. Once discovered, the author compels us to pursue it with intense focus and determination.

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For years I have known what my “one thing” is. It is to instruct and encourage others to live lives wholly devoted to Christ. While it’s been some time since I read Mr. Keller’s excellent book, it left quite an impact on me. Then I recently read “Absolute Surrender , a book written by Andrew Murray over a century ago. In it, I came across the following statement: “Absolute surrender to God is the one thing.”
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Disciple or Christian?

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I think one of the greatest problems with Christianity today is there are too many Christians and not enough disciples of Jesus. Lip service Christianity does a great disservice to the name of Jesus in our world. What we need are more people willing to forsake everything in order to follow Jesus no matter the cost and with no thought of themselves. Instead, we are inflicted with generations of professing Christians who want nothing to do with a costly faith.

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They are willing to identify with Christ only to the point of suffering or persecution. Vast numbers in our churches today profess Jesus on Sunday morning only to leave Him behind on the way out the door. Where is the righteous indignation, the fiery zeal, and the unqualified devotion of the early church?
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Independence Day

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It’s Independence Day in America. Of course, for followers of Christ, the real Independence Day was the day they committed their lives wholly to Jesus. Real freedom, real independence, is found only in Jesus. Only He can set you free.

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No Nation, government, or authority can make you truly free. True freedom is found when you are no longer a slave to anything or anyone other than Jesus. Until your life is fully given over to Him, you will always be beholden to something or someone.
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Prepared to Die

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As someone who has longed to meet Jesus for a long time now, I was particularly struck by a quote I read from one of the early church fathers named Irenaeus. He said, “The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be ever preparing for death”.  The statement also reminded me of Francis Chan’s latest book, “You and Me Forever”, in which he espouses the primary role of the husband is to make certain his wife is well prepared for Heaven.

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Our entire lives should be spent preparing ourselves and others to meet Christ. This profoundly impacts the decisions we make and activities we engage in every day of our lives.
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