Even If i Walk Alone

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

mission

First Steps in Following Jesus

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I continue to think about and be bothered by our modern evangelical methods. So many of us have grown up steeped in church culture and tradition, and we neglect our responsibility to test the things we are taught. I believe this has placed many Christians in great peril, in that many who believe they are “saved” are indeed not. We have glossed over one of the most frightening statements of Jesus when He said that He will turn away from many who call Him Lord because they truly didn’t know Him (Matthew 7:21-23). We teach that by simply believing in Jesus and saying a magic prayer that this guarantees our place in Heaven. There is no scriptural basis for this, yet the teaching has perpetuated through the Western church for the last couple of hundred years or so. We need to wake up to the realization that it takes more than a onetime prayer to truly know Jesus and to gain entrance into His kingdom.

To be a follower of Jesus first and foremost requires that we believe in Him, that He is who He claimed to be, the Son of the only God, the Creator of the Universe. We must accept the fact that we could never gain access to God save for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross where His blood covered all of our sins. We can do nothing to earn our place in the Kingdom; it is only through the grace of God providing a way for us to enter in, that we gain the privilege of eternity with Him. His grace is available to everyone free of charge, but as with all gifts, this grace must be accepted. We accept this gift by allowing Him to glorify Himself through our lives. This is the purpose for which we were created. He glorifies Himself through us by the actions we take that reflect His character and fulfill His mission.

As we have discussed many times, we glorify God by doing the things Jesus commanded us to do: feed the hungry, provide water to the thirsty, give shelter to the homeless, clothe the poor, take care of the sick, visit those in prison and without hope (Matthew 25:31-46). We glorify God by providing for the needs of the orphans and the widows, and keeping ourselves from the temptations of the world around us (James 1:27). If we truly believe in the person and mission of Jesus Christ, we will glorify Him by working tirelessly for justice, opposing wickedness, and setting free all who are oppressed and enslaved (Isaiah 58:6). Finally, we glorify God by demonstrating our devotion to His son, regardless of the price. We must serve Jesus even if it costs us our home, our families, our possessions and even our own life. (Luke 9:57-62; Luke 18:18-23; Luke 9:23-27). This is a hard road to travel, but it is the only path that leads to the Kingdom of God.

The first step to true salvation is to believe in Jesus and that His death provides the forgiveness of our sins, without which we could never approach the Holy and perfect God. The next and equally important step is to accept His gift of grace by allowing God to glorify Himself through us. This is an ongoing active acceptance, not a onetime act. There are no free rides into Heaven. Jesus loves us beyond measure, but His perfect purity demands total devotion of our hearts toward Him. We demonstrate that devotion by our obedience to His commands and by continuing His mission on earth. If you have bought into the teaching that your place in Heaven is secured by simply reciting the “sinner’s prayer”, I urge you to prayerfully examine the Scriptures and seek out what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. The time for this is now, we must not hesitate. Believe in Jesus and allow Him to show His glory through your life. Devote yourself to following His instructions and living out His mission. This is the only way to salvation. Don’t miss it and don’t be deceived. Determine today that you will grow to intimately know Jesus, so that you will never hear Jesus say the most chilling words ever spoken, “Depart from me, I never knew you”.

Surrender

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We can do nothing without Jesus. As long as we presume that we can, we will live a life of disappointment and failure. Our best effort on our best day will fall short of the smallest thing we can do through the power of Christ. Until we fully surrender every aspect of our lives to Him, we will have no idea what we can truly accomplish.

Most of us have grand designs and dreams for our lives. We are taught to strive to be whatever we should desire. Whatever we might accomplish in this world on our own will be tempered by a gnawing feeling that we are still missing something. Money can buy neither love nor acceptance. For a true follower of Jesus, worldly achievement will never fulfill the deepest desires of our souls. The only way to succeed in life is to surrender all that we are to Him. We have to let Him know that He can have everything that He has blessed us with: friends, family and all the accumulated “stuff”. Nothing means anything apart from Jesus.

When we surrender everything to Him we will begin to see the world in a new way. The things we used to find interesting or important will no longer have any hold on us. We will start to see the world as Jesus does. Instead of selfishly devoting our time to things that bring us pleasure and satisfaction, we will become people who take pleasure in doing things that bring glory to God. We are called to glorify Him in everything that we do. This daunting task is possible only to those who have surrendered their lives to Him. Surrender means no longer living for ourselves in any way. Everything we do must be with Him in mind; no more self-serving endeavors, no more mindless drifting, no more wasting time. As Thoreau wrote, As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” Indeed, any time not spent serving Christ is time that another soul potentially dies without knowledge of Jesus. The world is dying all around us; we have no time to waste. If we don’t show them the love of Christ, then who will?

We have to let go of the lie. We have to realize that we have no control of our life. We are either ruled by Christ or led by Satan. Jesus didn’t leave room for any sort of gray area. We are for Him or we are against Him. If we are truly for Him then we will fully surrender to Him; this is what He demands. For too long we have been content to give lip service to our devotion to Christ but live our lives as we see fit. Time has run out for Sunday morning Christians. What the world needs are Christ followers who have surrendered their lives fully to Jesus, people whose sole purpose is to reflect the love and glory of God to the world. We are called to be the Kingdom of God here on earth. We cannot be the Kingdom until we let go of all that we hold dear; we must drop everything until all we have left is Jesus and His power.

By surrendering to Him and admitting that we are powerless without Him, we will begin to live the life we were intended to live. Let us seek His power to first change ourselves and then let His glory shine through so that we might demonstrate His love to everyone and positively affect change in our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our state, our country and ultimately our world. It all begins when we surrender our own lives to Him. From that small choice, that one conscious decision, we begin to fulfill our mission. Through His power we will change the world.

How Desperate Are You?

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It’s easy to get caught up in everything that we do throughout our day. The demands of our friends, families and jobs leave little room for us to breathe. Days blur into weeks, weeks into months and before we know it the years are passing us by. What do we have to show for our time so far? Are we accomplishing all we dreamt and becoming the person we determined ourselves to be? How are we measuring our days to determine what, if any, legacy we are leaving behind?

For me, living in America, it is easy to lose myself in my job and my career. My culture pushes me to work long hours and achieve ever greater levels of financial success. If only we dress and act the part, sooner or later we will achieve the success that society tells us we deserve. Day after day we strive to achieve greatness in our pursuit of the American dream. We are busier now than at any point in history. Our lives are spent connected to technology and awash in cell phones, emails and caffeine. At the edges, we try and fit in the other aspects of our life, yet never seem to have time for it all. On the outside of everything stands Jesus, our Lord and our King. This is the same Jesus to whom we pledged our entire lives. We said we’d follow Him anywhere, but now there simply isn’t time.

If you truly love Him, then you remember moments in your life when you were thirsty to drink of His Spirit. There were times when you simply couldn’t get enough. Your soul ached as you begged for more and more of Jesus, His holiness, and His grace. How long has it been since you felt this way? In our dogged self-reliance, when was the last time we were truly desperate for Him? When was the last time you were so desperate that you were completely undone, that you realized you could not do a single thing apart from His power? When was the last time you were undone, desperate beyond words and on your knees before the God of the universe? When was the last time you slowed down long enough to realize that this world is not about you, but rather about what you can do for Jesus? How long has it been since you put aside your own agenda to be the help for someone in need? I have found it far too easy to see people as distractions and annoyances rather than as deeply valued, wholly loved, co-citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. If we are not desperate for Him, than we are finished; we have no hope outside of Jesus Christ. Only He can save us from the wickedness of our world and of ourselves.

Nothing matters apart from Jesus; not your family, not your friends and not your job. All else, every single thing in the universe, pales in comparison to Jesus Christ. Anything but Him is useless. We cannot live without Him; we cannot show the world their need for Jesus, until we get the need in our own heart settled. We must reject everything that is not Him. He demands all that we have, so we owe every second of our lives to Him. We must recognize that we are nothing, He is everything and we need Him. He is all that we have, and He is more than enough.

This world will never change until we change ourselves. As long as we insist on leading a life that consists of what society tells us we should do, we will never be able to fully participate in the Kingdom of God here on earth. God doesn’t want our lip service; you can’t fool Him. God wants everything. We must come to the point in our lives where we no longer hold to anything but Jesus. We must drink fully of His Spirit, all the while realizing that we could never drink enough. It’s time to get serious about our faith and put away the things of this world. We are a peculiar people, so why try to be normal? Surrender everything to Him; let it all go. Empty yourself of every thought except for Jesus. Stop striving for success in this world and work for the Kingdom to come. Pray and realize how much you need God; cry out to Him.

Are you living for the praise of man or the praise of God? Everything you so desperately seek on this earth may be yours temporarily, but in the end it will all be taken from you. Only one thing matters now and in the future: Jesus. Do you thirst for Him? Will you forsake everything for Him? How much do you long to be filled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ? How desperate are you?

Are You Ready To Die?

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This past week I have been praying for the country of Oman. This is a country where it is illegal to evangelize others for Christ, and it is illegal for Christians to hold meetings. Followers of Jesus are not allowed to come together to encourage each other, nor are they allowed to tell anyone else about Him. It breaks my heart as I ponder how these people will ever hear the message of the Gospel. How will they ever know how much God loves them, and where will they find their hope? This isn’t a country where we can just write a check to a ministry serving there; to my knowledge there are no ministries serving there other than small covert networks. Having read Shane Claiborne’s excellent book, “Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers” earlier this year, I began asking how I might be able to facilitate getting the Gospel into the hands of the Omani people. It was during this time of prayer that I again came face to face with the realization that following Jesus is a dangerous proposition.

As I have read through the book of Acts recently, I was reminded how much persecution the early church faced on a constant basis. This same persecution continues today outside the confines of our comfortable Western society. If you have not done so in a while, take a moment to praise and thank God that you live in a place that allows you the freedom to worship Him and to gather with other Christians whenever you wish. Then remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who live each day in fear of imprisonment and torture. Most of us cannot fathom living life as they do. Pray that they would be encouraged and that their love for Jesus would grow daily and shine brightly in this dark world.

Another book I read recently was “Radical”, by David Platt. In the book, the author talks about his visit to a Bible seminary in Indonesia where, in order to graduate, each student must plant a church with 30 new converts in a Muslim community. When Mr. Platt spoke at their commencement ceremony, all twenty five of the students had successfully planted these churches. Two had died in the process. I am inspired and awed by the faith and courage of these people.

If you’ve ever read the biography of Jim Elliot (“Shadow of the Almighty”), you know the story of a young man wholly committed to bringing the Gospel to some of the most hostile places on earth. Jim was determined to reach those who had never heard the Gospel. He felt compelled to be a missionary to a tribe that was notorious for killing any outsiders who came into their region. I encourage you to read the story for yourself, but Jim was killed very soon after arriving to share the love of Jesus to this people group. Despite the tragedy, because of Jim’s effort, most of the Waodani tribe came to know Christ.

The call to follow Jesus is not one to be accepted lightly. Jesus told the people of His day that if they would follow Him, they must be willing to die. This wasn’t simply a metaphor for dying to self; it was the reality of dying a physical death. The martyrs through the ages prove that Christians often die horrific deaths. Yet they faced their death with joy, knowing that they had obeyed what Christ told them to do and they would soon see Him face to face. The faith of those who have gone before us should serve as both an inspiration and an encouragement as we live out our faith each day.

Most of us will never have to die for our faith as long as we maintain the status quo. America and most Western countries provide safety for the body of Christ. Yet for those living in other countries, death is an everyday reality. Some of us will venture into those places to help bring the light of Christ to others. All of us must pray for our brothers and sisters and for one another. All of us must realize that the call to die is not for a select few, but for every follower of Jesus. Do not pray for your safety, but rather pray for the effectiveness of your witness. Do not pray for comfort, but beg for boldness to speak the name of Jesus. As long as we have breath, we must be willing to lose it for the name of Jesus Christ. All we do should be done in honor of, and to glorify, God. If we love Him, we must do so with such intensity that we are indeed willing to die for Him. There may come a time when you must choose between your life and your love for Jesus. If that day should come, would you be willing to lose it all for the sake of Christ? Would you be willing to die for Him as He was for you? Live a life that reflects Jesus in every way; diligently follow Him wherever He might lead. We cannot know what situations may face us down the road. Stand fast in Jesus, take up your cross each day, and be ready to die.

Finding God’s Will for Your Life

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Determining what God wants you to do with your life is a very Western question. God made his will for us very plain in the Scriptures. Jesus told us to love God with all of our strength, all of our heart and all of our minds. He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He told us to give the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink and to clothe those who were poor. He told us to visit the sick and those who are in prison. The apostles continued the mission of Christ and told us to care for the widows and the orphans, to look after those in need and to keep ourselves free from the trappings of the world. All of the above is the will of God for your life. You can stop trying to find your specific calling, because that’s it! There is not a specific call for your life other than to be part of the corporate call that He has given to all of us.

The implementation of the call of Jesus is where we start to get into specifics. God has uniquely gifted each one of us so that we might manifest His calling in our lives. The way we express the mission of Jesus to the world is distinct to each of us. However, we shouldn’t get caught up and stress over whether we should be an entertainer, a plumber, a pilot or a biologist. Those are details on the periphery. No matter what we choose to do in life, as long as we are doing the things Christ commanded us to do, we are living out our calling. There’s no secret formula to determining your place in the world. Simply use what God has given you to reach out in love to the world around you. Finding God’s will for your life is as simple as studying the Scriptures and learning to live a life that reflects and radiates Jesus.

Followers of Jesus in countries outside of the West, particularly the more poor or war ravaged regions, do not waken each day trying to determine what God wants them to be when they grow up. Rather they are simply thankful for their meager provisions and for living through another night so that they might have the opportunity to tell someone else about Jesus. They understand what the will of God is for their lives. They get the fact that the entire reason they are alive is to teach others about Jesus and to come alongside those who are hurting. I don’t believe a Christian genocide survivor in a refugee camp laments over whether they should be a doctor or a lawyer. They simply want to share Jesus with someone and invest in the lives of others. Our Western preoccupation with trying to determine our exact fit into the Kingdom has caused our true mission to be pushed aside. We are no longer solely focused on bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to those who desperately need Him; instead we are focused on what career path would bring us the most comfort while “serving” God.

God is a relational God, and relationships are never an exact science. Relationships are grown and nourished through constant communication and striving together toward a common goal. Relationships are messy and hard to define. There are a few guidelines but not a lot of rules. He clearly defined our mission. He has left the details of how that mission gets carried out in the hands of the free agents He created to go into the entire world displaying His light and glory. It’s time we stop seeking the perfect place in the Kingdom for ourselves or landing on the exact spot God created for us. The only spot created specifically for us is the one on which we now stand. Serve Jesus right where you are. Look around you; in what way could you carry out the mission of Christ right now?

Finding the will of God for your life is a very easy task. He has clearly revealed to us through Scripture everything He wants us to do. It’s time to throw off the excuse of “I’m trying to determine God’s will for my life”. You already know it. Now we must move forward in faith, fully trusting that He will take our imperfect efforts of living out our calling and turn them into something Beautiful for Him.