Disciples of the Cross!
If someone asked you to describe a church or what a church is, what would you say? Often people’s image of the church is largely cultural rather than Biblical. Our view can be based on our limited life experiences rather than on the richness of what we find in Scripture. Many times, people will describe a building when asked what a church is, and church buildings can look quite different. The churches we read about in the New Testament did not meet in buildings like we do today, they met at different houses. It is particularly strange that the early church concentrated their efforts and energy on people, unlike the modern-day church which concentrates its efforts and energy on buildings, lighting, instruments and smoke machines. This is how far we have gone from what Christ introduced, to what we experience today that is introduced by man!
Philippians 3:10 “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
Our text today resonates with the message of the early church, their passion, love, desire and unity, all fixed on what this verse said. They were willing to live for Christ and Christ alone to the extent that they would die for Him if that was required. Almost all the disciples of Jesus died tragic deaths simply because they would not denounce Him before men. They chose to die for the sake of Christ rather to live this life without Him. They knew and experienced something that was worth dying for. Compare the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Christians in the world today, most would denounce Christ so that they would be left alone to live. The message and reality of the of Jesus in these days seem to be watered down, candy coated, and manufactured to what people want to hear instead of telling them what they need to hear. Many do this so that they can have their churches packed to full capacity.
The sad reality about this is that those packed in those churches are also going to be packed into hell. Living their best life now actually puts it into perfect context. Where they are going is not going to be good at all. They might as well live their best life now! But those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb, filled with the Spirit of God and living by the Word of God, have nothing to be concerned about, because God is preparing you by shaping and molding you into the person that is going to be ruling and reigning with Him forevermore. Only those who allow God’s Word to shape them into all that God requires of them, will be seated with Him in the Kingdom that is to come. This is a clear and direct warning to everyone who reads this message.
Take stock of who you are in Christ Jesus. Don’t be followers of men, rather be followers of Christ. Be prepared to be accused, ridiculed, alienated, and put out to dry, because you stand for the truth and are prepared to live for the Lord. Scripture tells us that they will persecute us because they persecuted Christ. They will hate us because they hated Him. Now, let’s be clear, the hate, slander, hypocrisy and cunning came from the Chief Priests, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious leaders and those within the leadership of the Temple. It did not come from the Roman authorities and the unbelievers. He came to His own and his own received Him not! That is the message that resonates with us today. It is the very churches around us that would lead one astray instead of bringing the lost and the needy to the King to be received by Him! ?