Even If i Walk Alone

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

mission

Being On Mission for Christ

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It has often been stated both here and elsewhere that one of the primary challenges facing Christianity today is that we are known less for what we are for than for what we are against. Certainly there are things from which we who follow Christ must refrain. We should not engage in activities that do not mirror the love, beauty and glory of God. We were created and called to reflect Him, so any time we spend doing things that are antithetical to God, we are living outside of His will for our lives. Being a positive sort of guy, I’d like to concentrate more on the things for which we should be known. Frequent readers will recognize that we have covered much of this before, but each of us needs to constantly remind ourselves of why we are here. If we could keep our mission in the forefront of our mind, we would not waste so many hours asking questions like, “Why am I here?”, and “What should I do with my life?”

The reason we are on this earth is to glorify God by doing the things He told us to do (these are the things for which Christians should be known) in a way that reflects His love by serving others. We must all be seeking ways each day to help out someone in need, whether that means offering a helping hand, a kind word or some hard-earned cash. All of us have something to offer in service to another, and it is our duty to give what we have. There are no exemptions in life for those who are committed to following Jesus.

There are attributes we must model as individuals to reflect the glory of God. We are told to be humble, gentle and patient (Ephesians 4:2). Our lives should be marked by truthfulness and dignity (Ephesians 4:25, 28). Any words that come from our lips should be uplifting and positive, spoken to help strengthen and encourage others (Ephesians 4:29, 31-32). Christ modeled each of these traits even under intense persecution; we certainly should do no less within our comfortable lives.

Then there are the things we must do among our fellow believers. We should always be focused on keeping unity within the Church (Ephesians 4:3). Our lives should be marked by peace and not strife, because we all serve the same God (Ephesians 4:3-6). We have enough trials being thrust upon us by those who do not share our beliefs; we don’t need to add insult to injury by piling on from within our own body. Petty arguments have no place among followers of Jesus. We must remain focused on the mission and not allow ourselves to get caught up in things that have no eternal value.

Finally we are instructed to move outside of ourselves and our inner circles and serve the world around us. We are to give from our excess so that none goes without food, shelter or clothing. A special emphasis is required towards orphans and widows (James 1:27) which implies those who are most vulnerable and cannot help themselves. We have enough resources within the Western church to totally eliminate hunger from this world. We have the resources to make certain that everyone has access to clean drinking water. Yet the statistics do not lie; we simply are not choosing to get it done.

Let’s begin to change the perception of Christianity throughout our world. Let’s make the argument based on what we stand for rather than on what we stand against. Every one of us has a vital role to play in this endeavor. If each of us were to start doing the things for which Christ created and commanded us to do, we would quickly revolutionize our societies. If we would simply carry on the mission of Jesus, the one to whom we all claim to be committed, we would turn our cities upside down. We are the called and chosen. We are the ones who have sworn allegiance to the King. Will we now take up our crosses, follow Him, and change the world?

The Face of Poverty

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Coming face to face with poverty is a sobering experience. Looking into the hollow eyes and empty souls of those who live on the fringes of our society I am reminded of Isaiah 58. In this passage, God very clearly articulates what he expects of us. These are words and commands for every one of us, not just the super-spiritual. If you want to be a true follower of Jesus, then you are going to have to do the things the Father expects us to do. Don’t fast to deprive yourself of something; fast to provide something for someone in need. No one is more in need than those who simply do not have the money to survive. We must work to restore their respect and dignity.

So much evil permeates those in poverty. The results of poor decisions triggered by drugs, alcohol or simply living for the moment, span generations and reverberate throughout communities. Satan delights in feeding the frustration with spirits of laziness and sickness. Once wickedness has permeated a community, it is nearly impossible to kick it out. Fortunately, impossible is not a word in the vocabulary of God. All things are possible through Him. Since we know that with His strength we can root out the evil from our communities, it becomes our responsibility to take action. Whether that means advocating for the people or actually moving to live among them will depend on the situation. What we must remain cognizant of is the commandment of God that says we should be breaking the chains of wickedness. Share a smile, lend a hand, and give them your heart; take the light of Jesus into the dark and broken places of our world.

Poverty is a form of slavery. Many of those who are underemployed work long hours and receive little pay. They will never get ahead, yet they must keep working in order to feed their families. They are trapped in a system that is designed to make them fail. We can help. America is the most affluent nation the world has ever known. The Western Church has been blessed in ways unlike any other time in history. We have the means to redeem people from the slavery of poverty. We have the programs and the know-how. We simply lack the will to give up our own comfort in sacrifice for another. As Keith Green so aptly said years ago, “Jesus rose from the dead and you can’t even get out of bed”. It should be our honor to lend a hand to someone in need so that they too can begin to enjoy freedom.

We are to share our food with the poor. There is not a single Christ follower who has the right to live in excess while there are people in this world without food. It is contrary to everything Jesus taught. We are commanded to bring the homeless into our homes, but instead we have empty beds in guest rooms that we keep locked tightly behind home alarm systems. We go to great lengths to keep out the very ones we are told to bring in. The type of life God desires is one that would see us clothing the naked when we see them. There are children living in garbage dumps in this world wearing little to no clothing. We don’t often see these pictures on the evening news because it is far too inconvenient to be bothered with images such as these. Besides, if we became more aware, we might begin to feel somewhat obligated to do something. Meanwhile our closets grow daily as we strive to live in ignorance to the world around us.

Finally, Isaiah 58 teaches us that we must not neglect our own flesh and blood. Despite the apparent trend of modern times, families were meant to live relationally with one another. If anyone in your family is in need and you do not reach out to help them, you are disobeying what God has told us to do. We are to look after and care for our family, regardless of our own feelings. We must care for them out of love and respect for our common lineage.

I encourage you to read Isaiah, chapter 58. It is foundational for a life that reflects the glory of God. We are called to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 58 is the blueprint; it tells us all we need to know in order to live a life that shines brightly for Christ. Don’t get caught up in useless traditions that do nothing to truly impact the souls of the ones who hear. Instead, immerse yourself in Isaiah 58 and pray to discover how you might be able to become one who follows the battle plan. Don’t make it harder than it is; we each have our marching orders. Get out there and change the world.

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?