Even If i Walk Alone

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

Matthew

Picking and Choosing

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When determining how to live out our faith in Christ, it seems we can get very selective about which parts of the Bible we will choose to apply to our lives. We relish the parts that tell us how much God loves us, so we’ll definitely emphasize His love in our lives. Everyone likes to be loved, so we’ll even share that love with others. The book of Proverbs tells us that if we keep God first in our life then He will guide our steps. I’ll take that one as well, because who wouldn’t want a little direction? I really like the part where Jesus says that all who come to Him will find rest; He followed that up later by telling us He would send His Holy Spirit to be a comforter and a counselor for us. There is no doubt that these are overwhelming benefits, ones that few would ever turn down. As icing on the cake, we also get to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. It’s no wonder that Christianity is attractive to so many, and indeed it is a great mystery as to why so many reject it.

Then there are those other, more pesky passages of Scripture that we’d rather just pretend did not exist. We’re happy to accept the good stuff, the things that make our own lives happier and more pleasurable. But what about the Scriptures that tell us to go out into the entire world telling others about Jesus? We recoil and assume these words are for those odd, super-spiritual missionary types who were apparently born with a slide projector in their hands. We defer to mystical words like “calling” to rationalize away why those passages don’t apply to us. Truthfully, most of us do not even dare to go out into our own neighborhoods proclaiming the glory of Christ, much less into the entire world.

There are other passages that tell us we must take up our cross if we would follow Christ. I don’t normally wake up looking for an excuse to carry around an instrument of torture and death. Those words must be for those in other countries who live under oppressive governments. Being born in America or other free parts of the world, we are happy to believe that we don’t have to endure persecution because of our beliefs. Of course we still have to deal with the parts of Scripture that tell us if we follow Christ we must forsake our family, risk being homeless, and sell everything we own and give the proceeds to the poor. Again, those words are for other folks, not for us. We’re good with the peace, joy and love stuff.

We cannot pick and choose which parts of the Bible we will follow if we are serious about being a follower of Christ. Jesus gave up everything for us, and He demands the same in return. Each one of us is called to forsake our families, to sell what we have to care for the poor, to give up our safety and security, and to endure trials and persecution as we go throughout the world telling others about the love and glory of our great King. To accept only certain parts of Jesus’ teaching is to reject them all. No one is exempt from any part of His suffering, just as no one is overlooked by any measure of His blessing. Each one of us is gifted in different ways, and how we live out our calling will look different from person to person. The calling, however, is the same, regardless of its manifestation. We all are called to suffer, to go and to tell. The goal of our lives, the reason we were created, is so that we might demonstrate the glory of God to others. We cannot pick and choose our way through the Bible. We must embrace it all if we are to grasp what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If we give everything to Him, He will not fail to pour out all of His love, mercy and grace on each of us. He longs to give us all that He is, but this requires that we give Him all that we are. We were created for the glory of God, and if we would receive that glory in full, then we must pour out our lives for Him. There is no half way in total devotion. We are all called to one mission. Let’s live it fully.

Our Response to Poverty

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Poverty can be of a material, physical, mental or spiritual nature. As followers of Jesus, what should be our response to poverty in all of its various forms? It is clear in Scripture that we are to care for those in need. A quick reading of the parable of “The Sheep and the Goats” (Matthew 25:31-46) reveals that we are to feed the hungry, provide water to those who don’t have access to it, give shelter to the homeless, clothe those who are in need, care for the sick and minister to those in prison. It’s a rather comprehensive picture of the poor and outcast in our society. These are the things we must do if we would be a true follower of Christ. This is the mission He left for us to pursue. Not only that, but it is the mission He modeled in His own life. Do you want to live a life that reflects the beauty of Jesus? If so, our mission to those in poverty has been clearly laid out for us.

To carry out our mission will require sacrifice on our behalf for those we find in need. Ministering to those in prison will require giving up some of our time and perhaps will force some of us to drop a sense of fear towards those who are incarcerated. Despite the reasons they are there, those in prison are some of the most vulnerable and desperate people on the planet. They need to hear of the hope offered by Jesus and to feel the nonjudgmental touch of unconditional love.

Caring for the sick requires us to not only sacrifice our time but also to possibly forfeit our own health. Mother Theresa endured many illnesses contracted while carrying for the sick in Calcutta. She was not deterred, and neither can we become so. To touch one who is sick, to visit them in their illness will do wonders for their psyche and resolve. Simply demonstrating the love of Jesus to them will often speed their recovery by that simple act alone. Love is a wonderful healer, and letting a sick person know that someone cares may be just the boost they need.

Giving food and water, clothing or shelter to those who lack these things can be as simple as sharing from your excess. Most of us who live in the West have more than enough food in our cupboards and access to a virtually unlimited supply of clean water. By simply being a people content with “just enough” for ourselves (Proverbs 30:8-9), we would discover a tremendous abundance that we could give to someone who did not have enough. We could also give our money to organizations that are involved in getting food to famine stricken nations or drilling wells in places that have no access to clean water (two excellent ministries I highly recommend that are doing work in this area are Persecution Project and Living Water International). Perhaps you may even consider sacrificing further and actually going to the poor of the world, whether that means a third world country far away, or an inner city just around the corner. Giving your life in service to those in need is giving your life to live out the Gospel. This is a life, if done with the proper attitude and spirit, which certainly looks like Jesus.

We are called to serve those in poverty. Throughout much of the New Testament we find passages that admonish us to care for those who are in need and to share what we have with one another, so that no one lacks anything. Jesus gave all that He had, ultimately His own life, in order to give a better life to all those around Him. He did this out of love and obedience to God. He sacrificed freely and completely. Our response must be the same, so that we too can live lives that are a fragrant sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2). Poverty surrounds every one of us. To those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus, the challenge is clear. How will we respond?

How (Not) To Grow a Church

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My Dad was a pastor so I grew up very aware of the inner workings of churches in America. I was privy to the strategies and techniques used to grow a church and the plans to attract more people each Sunday. It is both interesting and sad that church growth has traditionally been about the number of bodies in the pews rather than the actual development of the individual; but I digress. As an avid reader I have consumed many books on the subject of the Western church, megachurches, emerging churches, evangelism, church growth, etc. With that in mind, I believe I have discovered the one sure fire way to impede church growth (as defined by adding members): preach the Gospel. Most Christians I have talked to in my life attend their particular church because they preach the Gospel, or they leave a church because it does not. It makes me wonder exactly what Gospel they are talking about. Let’s take a quick look at a few teachings of Jesus to determine whether or not your church is actually preaching the Gospel.

In Luke 18:18-23, Jesus told the young man that if he wanted to follow Him, he would have to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor. When was the last time your preacher told the congregation they needed to start liquidating their material possessions and donate that money to care for the less fortunate in their town and around the world? How well do you think that sermon might go over? This isn’t some vague notion or the opinion of a learned scholar, these words came directly from the mouth of Jesus. How convenient that we have chosen to either ignore or explain away this teaching. This is part of the Gospel of Jesus. The good news is that He has come to bring life and justice, and sometimes justice means selling what we have in order to give to those who are hungry or homeless.

In the book of Matthew (chapter 8, verses 21 and 22), a man says he will follow Jesus, but first needs to go bury his father. Jesus rebuked him and told the man that if he wanted to be His follower, he would need to forget about his family. In fact, Jesus went so far as to say we must hate our mother, father, brothers and sisters if we would follow Him (Luke 14:25-27). I have heard more sermons preached on taking care of one’s own family than I have on hating them. The point is we must be so consumed with Jesus that everything we do in life is with Him in mind. All other obligations and responsibilities must be set aside when it competes with following Jesus. If a scheduling conflict forces you to choose between a kid’s soccer game and feeding the hungry at a soup kitchen, it has to be the soup kitchen every time. This is not going to be a popular message on Sunday morning, and I can only imagine the email the pastor would receive after preaching it. But this too is the Gospel. Our mission is to tell the world about Christ, to make disciples of all people. Everything we do must revolve around this purpose.

Finally, Jesus told another man who wished to follow Him that He had no home (Matthew 8:19-20). The implication is that if we would follow Christ, we too will be homeless; so much for the American dream. In the era of the “prosperity gospel”, this is not a popular topic. Western Christianity has come to be taught as some sort of slick panacea, a comfortable existence lived with a dose of compassion. The modern church has planted itself in the suburbs and consumed itself with programs to entertain and cocoon its members. Many churches have become nothing more than large social clubs where one must maintain a certain look and lifestyle in order to gain admittance; the homeless are often not welcome. Yet, the Gospel of Jesus, the true Gospel, states that if we would follow Him, we will have no place to lay our head at night.

Do you really want to attend a church that preaches the Gospel? The Gospel is amazing news indeed; it is the story of God’s love for His creation. It is the story of His redemption of our fallen and wicked world. It is the story of Jesus giving up His own life so that we might gain eternal life. There is more than this, however. The Gospel is also about our responsibility to spread the message to all nations. We are called to give up everything we own or hold dear for the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God. We are called to sell our possessions, to renounce our earthly relationships and to live a life of utter dependence on Jesus. Not all will be faced with these trials, but all must be willing. If God chooses to bless us with even more than we give up, then it is for His glory. If He chooses to not return abundance to us in this life, it is also for His glory and we will be lavishly rewarded in the life to come. Are you willing to live your life in total surrender to Jesus? Are you willing to live out the whole Gospel, not just the comfortable parts? Your answers to these questions will determine whether or not you are a true follower of Jesus. Don’t get left behind.

How Far Would You Go?

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How far would you go to follow Jesus? It’s easy to say you love Him; most of us would even say we’d die for Him. In Matthew 10, Jesus tells His us that if we follow Him, the world at large will hate us. Are we willing to be hated by the world? The leaders of Israel were constantly conspiring to kill Jesus, or to trap Him in His own words. They were determined to take Him down, one way or the other. Are you prepared to live that way, under that kind of scrutiny? Again in Matthew 10, Jesus issues another warning, telling us that our own family members will betray, disown and kill us. They will do this simply because we choose to follow Jesus. Are you prepared to cause division and strife in your family? Are you willing to love God more than you love them? Obedience to the call of Jesus is not an easy road.

It doesn’t end here. Still in Matthew 10, Jesus tells his followers that they will be persecuted and tortured because of His name. This is not a calling for the marginally curious. Following Jesus is extremely serious, and you must be willing to pay the price before you endeavor to do so. We are not promised an easy, secure life; rather we are told by Jesus that we’ll be like a lone sheep surrounded by many hungry wolves (Matthew 10:16). We will suffer. We may die. We will alienate many around us, and we may lose our friends and family. These are the facts given by Jesus Himself; this is not a game. Following Jesus calls for a radical commitment devoid of any self-interest. Is the cost worth it to you? Are you still willing to come along?

In another passage in Matthew (chapter 8, verses 20-22), Jesus tells us we should expect to be homeless if we follow Him. This is almost unfathomable to Christians in the West who have intertwined their faith with the American dream. If we are traveling into all nations telling others about Jesus, just as He commanded us to do, then what need of a home would we have anyway? Jesus goes on to say that we should not even take the time to bury our family members. This is urgent, and there is no time to lose. The days are evil and counting furiously down. Time is against us, so we cannot deviate from our mission for even an hour. We have to reject all that the world offers us and instead, accept all that Christ will freely give. Though others may curse us and spit on us, we must respond by loving them, understanding that they are simply in need of a Savior and that God considers them to be of infinite worth. Though others may jeer and even torture us, we must remain steadfastly committed to praying for them, and loving them. This is what Jesus did. If we would follow Him, we must not waver.

Are you in? Are you still able to say that you truly love Jesus? Do you love Him to the extent that you would die for Him? Christ took the time to warn us of exactly what we should expect. There should be no surprises when it comes our time to face and endure trials and persecutions. Rather, we should seriously consider our walk with Him if we are not already facing these trials. Perhaps we’ve given in to the Westernized view of Christianity, the one that is replete with multi-million dollar buildings and with sermons proclaiming a safe, successful version of Christianity. This isn’t about being comfortable or feeling secure. This is about following hard after Jesus Christ with an unbridled and unrestrained passion. The road is narrow and difficult, and only a few will persist.

Let me ask once more, “Are you in?” Are you ready to literally lose everything for the sake of Jesus Christ? Are you ready to travel all over the world to proclaim His message? Will you endure being mocked, spit upon, and tortured? Will you concede all of your friends and family in order to follow Him? Are you willing to die for the sake of Jesus? How far would you go?

Unity and Peace

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My dad is a retired pastor (contradicted by the steady number of Sundays he continues to preach at various churches around the area!), so I have seen more than most of what goes on behind the scenes in churches. The backbiting and sniping, the conniving and planning, and the outright wickedness and lies; I’ve seen it all. Don’t misunderstand me; those engaging in these activities are always a small minority of the people attending church. This group does, however, point out how easy it seems to be for Christians to be anything but unified. There is as much discord in your typical church as there is within your typical political party. This isn’t how it is supposed to be. We are instructed to diligently seek unity. Diligence is defined as “constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken”. This is not a word that means to nonchalantly give lip service to our efforts. We must be constantly seeking unity. Unity is difficult to achieve, division is easy. It’s far less work to complain about someone else than to work towards a solution. It’s far easier to criticize the ideas of others than to present one of your own. It seems like most of our efforts result in tearing apart rather than building up. As long as we are pulling in disparate directions, our effectiveness will be significantly hindered. Cooperation yields incredible power by sheer quantity of scale. As the saying goes, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” In the same way, none of us is as strong as all of us. As Jesus Himself said, wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be there with them (Matthew 18:20). There is great power in unity.

In Ephesians 4:3, we find the key to unity: peace. If we live in peace with one another, unity will come easily. The problem is we live in anything but peace. We are far more interested in establishing our own superiority. We want to be the one everyone else looks up to or seeks out in times of trouble. We want to be seen as the wisest and most spiritual person in our group. Whenever anyone else appears to be taking on that role, we are quick to attack them. Suddenly we see it as our duty to expose their every fault. As a result, we give them no peace, nor do we have any of our own. If we would follow Jesus then we must follow His pattern of peace. He did not react violently when violence was being inflicted upon Him; He did not reject others though they rejected Him. Instead, He chose to respond in peace and with tender love to all. He was a man of peace, consumed with a passion for God and people, but determined to demonstrate victory through love and not force. He succeeded beyond all comprehension. Jesus began the largest and most enduring movement in history without ever “firing a shot”. Jesus won the war of eternity through the use of His love and with an attitude of peace. He is all inclusive and will never berate or look down on anyone. He simply loves you, and in His love, He brings perfect peace to all who ask. Live in peace with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Diligently, and without exception, work at building unity with one another. Peace will draw us together into unity, and peace will hold that very unity together.

Are you doing all you can to live in peace and unity with all those around you? Are you living that way among your Christian brothers and sisters? It is paramount that we who profess to be followers of Jesus love one another, care for one another and seek unity in all things. The devil takes great delight in our infighting because it frustrates and hinders our effectiveness. We must remember at all times that we have a common enemy. The battle for the Kingdom is not about us, but rather about Christ living through us. The next time you are tempted to gossip, to berate or to lash out at your brother or sister, stop and ask yourself if it is the way Jesus would react. Ask yourself if your words or actions will work toward an environment of unity and peace. Take yourself out of the equation and let the peace of Christ reign among us as we live in unity for His name and His glory.