ChosenRebel's Blog

Thursday is for Discipleship

Doing some research for this week’s message and ran across this in an old microfilm newspaper copy from World War II:

“Christianity has for its common symbol a cross, signifying the glory and divinity of a Life-laid down” for a cause. Selfish footprints all lead away from Calvary, and not toward it. Everyone who follows In the Way of Jesus, the Teacher of the laid-down life, is prepared to go with Him even to the cross-crowned heights of Golgotha. …

The first Christians out-lived, out-suffered, out-loved, out-served, out-died their pagan neighbors. They developed a passion and a capacity for enduring hardship for the sake of the Name. What no mortal would do for his own sake, they did for Christ’s dear sake. Like Him, they had something for which they were willing to die.”

William T. Ellis, “The Doctrine of Self Safety is Opposed by the Teaching of Scripture”
The Binghampton Press (England), Friday Evening, June 27, 1941 (page 8)

We need a new generation of Christians who will …

out-live,
out-suffer,
out-love,
out-serve,
out-die, …

… a decaying and rotting civilization for the glory of our King out of love for our King and our neighbors.

Our generation, the people living right now all around the world, needs a Christianity that is so enthralled with the person of Christ that no sacrifice for him and those he places around us is too high. Only when our neighbors see us laying down our lives for their good (rather than our own) will they believe the gospel we proclaim. Only when we lean on and into the Spirit of God to empower us, will such a lifestyle be entered. And only that lifestyle should expect to be blessed with the smile and help of God in such a time as this.

It is exciting to live in interesting times.