Stay on Mission – 19th March 2018

Discipleship 2 – ‘Surrender’
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. Matthew 16:23-27
If we are to join Jesus in His mission it must begin with obedience to Him! But this obedience is not a ‘one-off’ moment that secures our salvation and then leaves us free to live the rest of our lives following our own wants, dreams and desires. This act of obedience should be the first step in a life that is now continually surrendered to Jesus as Lord.
The Apostle Paul puts it like this:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20
It is tempting to read a scripture like this and attempt to explain it away by saying something like “well that was the Apostle Paul, and he was a really important Christian who God used in remarkable ways”. As plausible as this may sound, especially if it helps us to feel that the same deep commitment is not required from us, the words that Jesus spoke in the passage from Matthew make it clear that this life of obedience, serving a new master, is not just for ‘Super-Christians’.
Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.
The first word in this statement takes away our hiding place and leaves us exposed to the call of Jesus to ‘whoever’ wants to be His disciple!
It could not be more plain! Every person who wants to be Jesus’ disciples must deny self, take up their cross and follow Him.
Joining Jesus in His Mission requires a life of surrender to Jesus because, put at its simplest, it is often easier to ‘not follow Him’ when things get a little tough.
We are all surrounded by people who need to hear about Jesus but, it is much easier for us not to witness!
We are all surrounded by people who need to be loved and served, but it is much more convenient for us not to serve.
I confess that as I write these words I am deeply challenged by them myself. So, I ask both me and you: As opportunities arise to join Jesus in His mission this week will we deny self and be prepared to ‘die to our desire for comfort and ease’ so that others may come to know more about the one who loved us and gave Himself for us?
Dennis