“Take up your cross and follow Me”

I have heard the verse (“Take up your cross and follow Me”) preached, many times in my life, and always, it was explained the same way. Which means to carry the hardship of daily life as a cross to follow Jesus. But this time when I heard the same verse preached as always, for the first time in my life, I felt it awkward. I thought, as a parent I would never expect my children to come across the hardship I faced in my life, instead I will let them be aware of it through advises or testimonies. Then I remembered how Jesus explained The Father’s love through Mathew 7:11, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him”.

Let me explain my point of view on this section (Mathew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Luke 9:23; Mark 8:34)).

What I did to explain myself on this verse was, I viewed The Cross in two angles. 1. Person in the first-century. 2. Jesus purpose on Crucifixion.

1. Person in the first century – For a person in the first-century, the crucifixion meant death by the most tortured, painful and humiliating means human beings could develop. So, people who still live in this century, understand this verse as ‘burden of their daily life’.

This is a traditional culture of teaching. The first teacher who might have gone through tribulations could have taught his students that these tribulations are part of the cross that people should carry to follow Jesus, and this teaching was exchanged to the next generation and so on. The students never tried to think beyond their teacher’s imagination. God gave human the ability to think and I believe the most important purpose of this is to find God. Nowadays churches argue each other on senseless and small issues creating enmity against each other. They have diminished into themselves as small assemblies or communities without knowing that the Savior is the same for all.

2. Jesus purpose on Crucifixion – It was a sacrifice decided by God himself to rescue human race from the bondage of Satan or sin for the resurrection of all human race who believe in His Son, Christ Jesus. (Colossians 3:4 – “⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”). Through this sacrifice God gave us the forgiveness of sin through His Son Jesus Christ by his love, grace and submission to The Father’s will.

On this 21^st century what I like to believe from Mathew 16:24 is to deny ourselves from our ego, pride, selfishness, greed etc, and to see each other through the eyes of Jesus. This is the cross that we are to carry to follow Jesus. This is not an easy task. To love someone as we love ourselves is not at all easy, unless Christ in us is fully revealed.

I do not think that Jesus want us to suffer our earthly burdens like poverty, pain, sickness, etc. Jesus always comforted the poor, sick, sinners and the evil spirit possessed, but hated the unbelievers. Jesus said, through him we can overcome the tribulation of the world and have peace. (John 16:33 – “³³I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”). “But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Which means, Jesus have overcome all the tribulations a human could come across in his life. So, through him, we too can overcome.

Let Jesus Handle

Colossians 1:13, 14 – ¹³ …. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

It doesn’t say that the Lord ‘will rescue us’ or ‘He is rescuing us’, but He has already ‘rescued us’ from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the son where we have redemption and forgiveness while we are still on earth. Where is the kingdom of Christ? It is at the right hand of GOD Himself (Colossians 3:1 – “……. Christ is seated at the right hand of God”. So, we are rescued and brought into his kingdom on resurrection as we died along with Him on the cross.

In this case, why worry about the sins and addictions? It is because we are taught to worry about it. We keep worrying and forget to look up to Christ and who we are in Him. In many traditional church preaching, sins and addictions are emphasized and taught so hardly that many are not able to receive Christ (as they have to get rid of sins first). What happens to such teaching is that, people who want to receive or believe in Christ, steps back, because they cannot resist their addictions or sinful habits with available knowledge or will power. I have tried many times to get rid of my addictions and it lasted for a year or half. Now I understand that I was looking in to my disability of being accepted by Christ.

Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” The teachers who teach us to be perfect accept that no one is perfect other than Jesus. So what kind of perfectness do they expect us to attain. Such teachers consider their ‘weaknesses or sins’ as ‘alright as human being’.

Verbal and written commands were there since Eden. Now, there are no commands, only love & belief. Christ completed everything in its fullness including the ‘WAR’ at the Calvary, taking all of us with him during the resurrection to His kingdom, hidden with Him in God. Colossians 2:20 – “…. you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belong to it, do you submit to its rule”. The ‘basic principles of the world’ is described on the next verses (Colossians 2:21) as “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” These are usually taught to babies. While we were young we were taught by our parents or guardians not to do many things like ‘do not touch, do not handle, do not eat (something unhygienic)’ and so on. We don’t need this teaching anymore as we are grown up and we know what to be touched, handled, eaten etc.

Since we are dead with Christ and risen with Him to His kingdom and are hidden with Christ in God this kind of basic principles are not necessary (Colossians 3:3 – “³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”), we now need to believe that Jesus is in us with all His knowledge and gifts. So, Colossians 2:2-4 “² …. They (We) may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they (We) may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they (We) may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ …. so that no one may deceive you (us) by fine-sounding arguments.” As Christ in us is full (which we need to believe), no darkness can persist at the brightness of the light of Christ. So we no longer have to worry about any curses, black magic or spells that once we thought (before the belief) were the cause of our failures.

Colossians 3: 2 – “² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”. So, let no one worry about anything earthly, other than the relation with God. But, understand it is not our strength or glory that relates us to God but the Christ in us, who is ‘in full’, long before we were born. As we believe this, we will appear along with him when he appears (Colossians 3:4 – “⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”)

Colossians 1:6 – “⁶  …..  All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth”.

Colossians 3:15-17 – “¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.

MUSTARD SEED OF LOVE

When we look at 1Corinthians chapter 12 to 14 we see that chapter 12 contains the list of the 9 spiritual gifts and chapter 14 explains the application of the spiritual gifts in the church. But in between, that is chapter 13, is the love chapter. This itself shows the importance of LOVE in spiritual gifts.

Chapter 13 starts with saying (Verses 1 & 2) “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Galatians 5:22&23 says “But the fruit of the spirit is love…..” if noticed we can see that the fruit of spirit (which is 9 in characters in this verses) is mentioned as singular, it is not the fruit(s) of spirit. Love is the one fruit of the spirit. The 8 characters that come after “….joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” are merely further descriptions of the fruit of the spirit. In other word Love is full of joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and so on.

Many have a weak concept of love as simply a feeling. But the following 3 verses make it clear that love is a decision:

1Thessalonians 5:8: “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, ……”

1Timothy6:11: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

2Timothy2:22: “Flee from evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Love is not only a choice that is made once, but it is a choice that is made daily. Love is a filter that all our words, attitudes and actions have to go through before we speak or act. 2John 1:6: “…, his command is that you walk in love.” Ephesians5:2 “….. live a life of love, …..” Jude 1:21: ”Keep yourself in God’s love ….. “ 1Corinthians 16:14: ”Do everything in love.”

Love also has a unique quality about it, it can cover sin: 1Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Love literally gives us back the eyes to see each other without the sin.

We are called to love each other deeply, and many have been hindered from doing that because sin has been left exposed. Sin needs to be repented of, forgiven and the record destroyed. Without love, we will still see each other through the lens of that past violation. Love literally gives us back the eyes to see each other without the sin.

Colossians 3:12, 14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Love is as powerful as two evil forces in the world, fear and death. Songs 8:6 says that love is as strong as death, and 1John says that there is no fear in love: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Love is literally a force in the spirit realm. But even faith does not function correctly without love. Galatians 5:6: “….. faith expressing itself through love.”

Speaking of faith, Jesus said (Mathew 17:20) “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Faith has power or force great enough to move a mountain; now consider the following truth: (1Corinthians 13:13) “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” This is an amazing statement: Love is a greater force than hope or even faith, but the ‘even greater power of love’ has not received much focus. If a mustard seed of faith can move a mountain or uproot and cast a tree in to the sea, then what kind of magnificent power dwells in love? What if we lived our life with even a mustard seed of love? It would be way beyond moving mountains. This is the realm that I believe God is calling us worldwide to step into.

Ephesians 3:17-19: “… And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Let us see the world through the eyes of JESUS.

IF YOU LOVE ME………..

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 : “So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the LORD your GOD and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grains, new wine and olive oil.”

God’s desire for us is that we would love Him with all our heart and all our soul.  Jesus reiterated this same verse in the New Testament in Matthew 22:36-38 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”

God is after relationship with us. He is not after our good works, our self-effort or our good intentions. All these are humanity for which we are created as human. He is after our love. If we fulfill His dream for us by loving Him back with the love that He first gave to us (1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us”.), then we will not have to worry about things like food, clothing, shelter or any other.

In Matthew 6:28-34 (“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be to you as well.”), Jesus encourages us to seek our Father’s kingdom first and everything that we need will be added unto us. It is that simple. If we love God with all our heart and keep our eyes on Him, He will look after the rest of the details in our life. Let each one of us ask and have a deeper revelation of God’s amazing love and simply respond by loving Him back!