Return to Chapter 6: Counting the Cost
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28 (1)
In order to better unpack this for you I have attempted to reduce the major points of the messages in this book to an acronym- S.L.A.V.E. My hope is that this will enable you to think about the major topics we have discussed here regularly and to aide you in your implementation of this practice. As we have seen Jesus willingly humbled Himself, even unto a cursed death on the cross, so that you and I could be united with our Father in Heaven. This is something He did freely. This is something He did knowing full well there was no way we’d ever be able to repay Him. This is something He did because He was more interested in pleasing the Father than He was in pleasing Himself. Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38) (2)
I can’t help but wonder, will the same be said of me? Will the same be said of you? If you now believe as I do that for too long I have sat idly while the armies of Satan have ravaged this world. If you now believe as I do that for too long I have slumbered in indifference while loved ones, friends, and even strangers have left this world headed for Hell. If you now believe as I do that for too long I have rested in my peaceful confines and feasted on gluttonous desires while others have searched vainly in me for some difference that would allow them to see the work of Christ in me, then I invite you to join me.
I invite you to join me in the titanic struggle of a lifetime. I invite you to join me in the only battle that really matters, the battle for souls. Jude writes, “I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (v.3) (3) And again, “they feast with you without fear, serving only them- selves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (v12-13) (4)
Jude also gives us marching orders, “beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (v20-23) (5)
If God’s Army operated under the same command and auspices as our national Army, we would be found AWOL- Absent With Out Leave! God’s Army has become cannibalistic, feeding on itself, afraid to venture out into the bad, bad world for fear of rebuke. And rebuke by whom we must ask ourselves, rebuke of a world that disdains the word of God. For not much has changed over the centuries, God’s people are forever persecuted, just as Jesus told us John 15:20, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.’ (6) Unless of course we keep our mouths shut, and our actions can’t be disseminated from the rest of the world! Unless we are more afraid of them than we are of Him who can destroy both soul and body (Matthew 10:28)!
Church it is far past time to act. We have been asleep at the wheel for far too long. The Church was placed into this World to fulfill a mission, to carry on the work of the Risen Christ. Has the world gotten better since the Church was instituted? If your answer is ‘No’ then make no mistake, the blame lies at the feet of the church which takes every opportunity to shirk its responsibilities and lay the blame elsewhere. Then also make no mistake that ‘WE” are the church! (1 Peter 2:5) The church is not a building, it’s an assembling, an assembling of the faithful. A people who are still believing, faithful, and working toward the original mission we were given. Have you forgotten?
The words of Paul the Apostle written for a 1st Century audience, are no less applicable today than they were almost 2,000 years ago. May it spur you to action as it has so many a cloud of witnesses before you.
I can’t help but wonder, will the same be said of me? Will the same be said of you? If you now believe as I do that for too long I have sat idly while the armies of Satan have ravaged this world. If you now believe as I do that for too long I have slumbered in indifference while loved ones, friends, and even strangers have left this world headed for Hell. If you now believe as I do that for too long I have rested in my peaceful confines and feasted on gluttonous desires while others have searched vainly in me for some difference that would allow them to see the work of Christ in me, then I invite you to join me.
I invite you to join me in the titanic struggle of a lifetime. I invite you to join me in the only battle that really matters, the battle for souls. Jude writes, “I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (v.3) (3) And again, “they feast with you without fear, serving only them- selves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (v12-13) (4)
Jude also gives us marching orders, “beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (v20-23) (5)
If God’s Army operated under the same command and auspices as our national Army, we would be found AWOL- Absent With Out Leave! God’s Army has become cannibalistic, feeding on itself, afraid to venture out into the bad, bad world for fear of rebuke. And rebuke by whom we must ask ourselves, rebuke of a world that disdains the word of God. For not much has changed over the centuries, God’s people are forever persecuted, just as Jesus told us John 15:20, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.’ (6) Unless of course we keep our mouths shut, and our actions can’t be disseminated from the rest of the world! Unless we are more afraid of them than we are of Him who can destroy both soul and body (Matthew 10:28)!
Church it is far past time to act. We have been asleep at the wheel for far too long. The Church was placed into this World to fulfill a mission, to carry on the work of the Risen Christ. Has the world gotten better since the Church was instituted? If your answer is ‘No’ then make no mistake, the blame lies at the feet of the church which takes every opportunity to shirk its responsibilities and lay the blame elsewhere. Then also make no mistake that ‘WE” are the church! (1 Peter 2:5) The church is not a building, it’s an assembling, an assembling of the faithful. A people who are still believing, faithful, and working toward the original mission we were given. Have you forgotten?
The words of Paul the Apostle written for a 1st Century audience, are no less applicable today than they were almost 2,000 years ago. May it spur you to action as it has so many a cloud of witnesses before you.
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Romans 13:11-14 (7)
Sacrifice
We are commanded to Sacrifice. We are commanded to sacrifice our wants and desires for His wants and desires. We are commanded to sacrifice this life for the future to come. We are commanded to sacrifice this life’s comforts for the all knowing peace of the Son of the Living God.To see the extent with which we are to sacrifice you only have to go back to the beginning of this book and re-read Romans 12:1. A sister verse is located in Ephesians 5:2, which encourages us to follow Christ’s example of sacrifice. Paul spoke of the Philippians sacrifice which he describes as a ‘sweet smelling aroma,” and “well pleasing to God (Phillipians 4:18).
In Hebrews 13:15 we read of the “sacrifice of praise,” which in Western thought is probably a little hard to get our minds around. Praise is typically seen as a mode of worship, typically not a sacrifice; however the Hebrews writer tells us to do this “continually.” Right there in the text he actually clarifies what a “sacrifice of praise to God” is, he says “the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Put into this context the meaning might be made clearer. Imagine you wish to share the love of Christ with someone close to you, a mother, father, aunt, uncle, or grandparent, or maybe even a close friend. We feel strongly this is what God is asking us to do however there we stand, frozen, unable to speak, afraid to speak a kind word regarding the Savior of the world for fear of how that person may react. It is in just this instance that a “sacrifice of praise” is required!
Reading on through to verse 16 the writer urges us to “not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (8) As I read my homepage for today on the internet I see several headlines like, “How to Retire Rich,” “Go Ahead, Get That New Car, You Know You Deserve It,” and last but certainly not least, “Diamonds to Die For!” It appears to me that we are spending way too much money on ourselves and far too less “doing good and sharing.”
As I have mentioned before, there is a disease running absolutely rampant among Christians today. It is selfishness, envy, and pride. We are selfish when we hold on tightly to that which we cannot take with us to heaven. We envy the lifestyles and worldly possessions of our neighbors, friends, and even family members. We take pride in everything from our homes, to our cars, our computers, and even cell phones are status makers today! The antidote is sacrifice and servant hood as Jesus practiced it. A wholesale turning away of what this entire world has to offer. Jesus told the rich young man to give away all he had if he wished to be complete, and then he would have treasure in heaven. Jesus told his very own disciples that the Christian life was one of sacri- fice. Place yourselves last he said, so that you can serve all! The bar has not been lowered since Jesus spoke these words. They are just as relevant to us today as they were to His 1st Century audience.
Love
We are commanded to Love. Only in the Christian worldview are we even commanded to love our enemies, to love those who hate us, and to pray for those (out of love) who persecute us.
Consider that when Jesus was asked by the scribe which was the greatest commandment He responded with Love! First and foremost, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) (11) Jesus then went on to say, “The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12-31) (12)
If we follow these two commandments you have followed the intent of the Ten Commandments. We tend to view the commandments as a list of not to’s, however Christ paints a different picture here. In His view they become a list of enabling guidelines for loving God and one another. To love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength is to love God with our desire, purpose, thought, self, being, passion, emotion, force, might, in totality.
If you think the above list seems to intimate that we are also to demonstrate love, you are correct. Jesus says, “do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” (Matthew 5:39-42) (13)
Jesus also ties love to obedience.
I have heard it said that there are those who continue in sin knowing their God will forgive them. I wonder here though if that person’s willingness to continue in sin in direct disobedience to Jesus says anything about that person’s love for Him. The point to be made here is that we are willingly obedient to Him out of our love for Him and in so doing He will continue to reveal and manifest Himself to us in real and tangible ways.
Again, in John 15:10 we read, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (15) Our love for Him is shown through our action. It is not nearly enough to whisper to God in prayer that we love Him. Our love for Him should spill over into our actions making it readily apparent to all the love that abides in us.
Most of us have a skewed vision of love. John says, (in 1 John 4:8) “God is love,” not “Love is God.” Our world, with its shallow and selfish view of love, has turned these words around and contaminated our understanding of love. The world thinks love is what makes a person feel good and that it is alright to sacrifice moral principles and others’ rights in order to obtain such “love.” But that isn’t real love; it is the exact opposite- selfishness. And God is not that kind of “love.” Real love is like God, who is holy, just, and perfect. If we truly know God, we will love as he does. (16)
Finally, when we read Phillipians 2:5-12 we see the love of Christ. To have the same love means to show the same love to others that the Lord has shown to us, a love that did not count the cost. (17) Love in the Christian worldview is not just a feeling, an emotion; it is that which enables us to point towards Christ as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
Act
We are commanded to Act. “Faith without works is dead.”(James 2:20) Indeed an entire book of the Bible is titled Acts! What does this historical narrative teach us? Nothing less than the very Acts of the Apostles.
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Matthew 5:44-45 (9)
“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
Luke 6:35 (10)
Consider that when Jesus was asked by the scribe which was the greatest commandment He responded with Love! First and foremost, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) (11) Jesus then went on to say, “The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12-31) (12)
If we follow these two commandments you have followed the intent of the Ten Commandments. We tend to view the commandments as a list of not to’s, however Christ paints a different picture here. In His view they become a list of enabling guidelines for loving God and one another. To love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength is to love God with our desire, purpose, thought, self, being, passion, emotion, force, might, in totality.
If you think the above list seems to intimate that we are also to demonstrate love, you are correct. Jesus says, “do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” (Matthew 5:39-42) (13)
Jesus also ties love to obedience.
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
John 14:21 (14)
I have heard it said that there are those who continue in sin knowing their God will forgive them. I wonder here though if that person’s willingness to continue in sin in direct disobedience to Jesus says anything about that person’s love for Him. The point to be made here is that we are willingly obedient to Him out of our love for Him and in so doing He will continue to reveal and manifest Himself to us in real and tangible ways.
Again, in John 15:10 we read, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (15) Our love for Him is shown through our action. It is not nearly enough to whisper to God in prayer that we love Him. Our love for Him should spill over into our actions making it readily apparent to all the love that abides in us.
Most of us have a skewed vision of love. John says, (in 1 John 4:8) “God is love,” not “Love is God.” Our world, with its shallow and selfish view of love, has turned these words around and contaminated our understanding of love. The world thinks love is what makes a person feel good and that it is alright to sacrifice moral principles and others’ rights in order to obtain such “love.” But that isn’t real love; it is the exact opposite- selfishness. And God is not that kind of “love.” Real love is like God, who is holy, just, and perfect. If we truly know God, we will love as he does. (16)
Finally, when we read Phillipians 2:5-12 we see the love of Christ. To have the same love means to show the same love to others that the Lord has shown to us, a love that did not count the cost. (17) Love in the Christian worldview is not just a feeling, an emotion; it is that which enables us to point towards Christ as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
Act
We are commanded to Act. “Faith without works is dead.”(James 2:20) Indeed an entire book of the Bible is titled Acts! What does this historical narrative teach us? Nothing less than the very Acts of the Apostles.
In fact look at how the book of Acts begins and ends. The very first verse reads, “...The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,” and the last verse reads similarly, “preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” I ask you, is it coincidence? I highly doubt it. I ask you, can your life be defined as one who teaches and preaches the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence? And now, after reading that this is our ‘reasonable duty,’ can you in good conscience continue not doing it any further?
James also says, But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18) (18). It seems that many Christians today have become expert at walking the red carpeted aisle to accept their “Get Out of Jail Free Card” but somewhere along the way lose sight of the fact that while it may have been “free” for them, it costs our Lord and Savior everything!
James book is particularly useful articulating this position because it appears he was battling just such an apostasy in his time. It appears there were many saying all the right things, but there were few who were putting their faith into action. There are many that are good at making issue of the poor, destitute, and homeless, but what are they doing to alleviate the problem? It is easy to point the finger, write sympathetic diatribes on injustice, make embold- ened speeches about the have’s and the have not’s, but I’m tired of being told and would like to be shown! I’d like to see those same people making an effort themselves. I’d like to see a little sacrifice for the common man, and a little less show. I’d like to see Christians take the mantle again for the care of orphans, widows, the poor, the homeless and quit subjugating the responsibility to the federal and local governments.
The issue was so important to James that he wanted to make sure his metaphor was taken as seriously as possible.
We all know what physical death looks like. While our soul goes on before us our bodies lie motionless and decaying. James says the same can be said of faith without works, our faith lies dormant, motionless, and decaying. Jesus did not simply sit up in heaven and say, “boy Dad, I sure do love those guys down there, oh well there’s nothing to be done, I reckon they’ll get what they deserve!” Jesus’ love for us sparked an action, an action for which we’ll spend eternity thanking Him. Our love for Him should spur us toward action.
Let us also not forget that we will not be judged by our words, faith, or anything else, we will be judged by our works!
Victory
We are commanded to live Victoriously. But wait a minute, what does that look like? Again, only in the Christian worldview is victory snatched out of the jowls of defeat. Only in Christianity do we hold One up who seemingly lost the battle, as a Victor. Jesus was found guilty by His own people and suffered fatal torment and ultimately the death of one considered to be cursed.
Can you imagine for a moment another example of a people pointing victoriously to a rough hewn cross made ostensibly for the purpose of torment, torture, and death as victory? You might point to their birth and the miraculous events surrounding it. You might point to the miracles, the throngs of people that followed, or even some great accomplish- ments, but you would never point to the instrument of their death. You may remember, if the person died heroically in battle, how the person’s sacrifice and heroism saved lives, but you would never dig the bullet out of their chest or clean the knife they were stabbed with and claim victory! Yet, this is exactly how Jesus asked the disciples to remember Him.
Christ could have had His disciples, and follower’s centuries ahead, remember His birthday, or the day He raised Lazarus from the dead, perhaps even His baptism, or the day He fed 5,000, but He didn’t. The day He asked them to remember is the day following, the day He spread His arms wide on a cross and whispered into the heart and soul of every human being, “I love you this much!” We are asked to take the Lord’s Supper and remember the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ as we eat of the communion wafer. We are asked to take the wine in remembrance of the blood shed on that day for our justification. We are asked not to remember in sorrow and agony over what might have been, but in victory and joy over what was accomplished on Calvary. We are to proclaim the Lord’s death!
Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Corinthian church. Apparently there were those taking the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner. Paul encour- ages them, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26) (22)
The Lord’s supper is an act of worship taking the form of a ceremonial meal, in which Christ’s servants share bread and wine to commemorate Christ’s death and to celebrate the new covenant relationship they enjoy with God. (23)
Ironic isn’t it that at a time when Satan may have been celebrating his victory over the Son of God, we look back and see the victory of Christ over sin, and that indeed is something to celebrate!
John sums up the victory we have in Jesus Christ in one verse.
Many Christians today have forgotten that the world is at war with God. (James 5:4) They are opposing forces. People of the world cannot be people of God. People of the world spend all their time thinking about the world. Think it, feel it, do it is the triune god of this world. People of the world are completely taken with the things, feelings, senses, experiences, materials, and all this world has to offer. How do we defeat the world and its temptations? We do it through the power of our faith.
I have written in the front of my Bible a quote that I’d like you to consider writing in the front of yours. It’s simple but profound message has served to encourage and challenge my thinking over the years. Whenever I sense that I am faltering in my race I only need to realize that it usually begins with what I spend the majority of my time thinking about.
“It is quite natural and inevitable that if we spend sixteen hours daily of our waking lives in thinking about the affairs of the world and five minutes in thinking about God and our souls, this world will seem two hundred times more real to us than God.” William Randolf Inge
Paul sums it up best when he says in his first letter to the Corinthians, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:57-58) (25)
Victorious people are not tied to that which is at enmity with God. Victorious people are not swayed by public opinion, persecution, scorn, torture, or temptation. A victorious people are “steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord!”
Evangelize
The final letter in the S.L.A.V.E. acronym is represented by the word Evangelize. We are commanded to evangelize. We are commanded to tell everyone we can the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. This means people in your family, people in your neighborhood, people in your workplace, people you run into in town from the grocery clerk to the Mayor. Sadly most Christians are more likely to give a great restaurant referral than they are to introduce someone to the risen Christ.
Many people wrongly assume that the Great Commission handed out in Matthew 28: 18-20 is all that missions are about. They believe that if they “haven’t been called” to China, Guatemala, or Africa that the Great Commission must not apply to them, however nothing could be further from the truth.
To see that the Great Commission does apply to every Christian today I would ask you to read the last part of verse 20, it simply states at what point in time this mission will be accomplished, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This task will continue and be the main mission of the church until the return of Christ. To say one has not been called into missions is to blatantly deny the fact that Christ has called us all to this very task. Now, if we want to get truthful and say we don’t want to go on a missionary journey to some third world country, there are still opportunities for you to fulfill your mission.
First, let’s start with being a good witness in society. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” (26)
Paul’s singular purpose in life was to share the gospel. He did this not only by preaching, but also by how he lived. He didn’t get caught up in political correctness or sidetracked by petty theological discus- sions, Paul simply lived a believable witness and shared the gospel. Being a good witness in your home, workplace, and community is central to the Christian life. For more on Paul’s witness read Acts 20:34-35, 1 Cor. 4:12, 2 Cor. 11:9, 1 Thes. 2:9, and 2 Thes. 3:8-9.
Furthermore, Jesus tells us that everyone can play a part in evangelism.
Matthew Henry has well said of this verse, “be duly affected with the necessities of the souls of men, which called for their help. They must look about, and see how great the harvest was, what abundance of people there were that wanted to have the gospel preached to them and were willing to receive it, nay, that had at this time their expectations raised of the coming of the Messiah and of his kingdom. There was corn ready to shed and be lost for want of hands to gather it in...apply themselves to their work under a deep concern for precious souls, looking upon them as the riches of this world, which ought to be secured for Christ.” (28)
Has our deep concern for lost souls been lost? It appears that a need for those to share the gospel was so great in His day that God Himself asked others to pray to send more. The lost should have a place in our prayer lives, our working lives, our playing lives, and our family and friends lives. We must never tire of sharing the gospel.
Finally, all Christians are called to do works of mercy and compassion. Relying on God’s command- ment to love our neighbor, Christians should respond with generosity and compassion to all forms of human need (Matt. 25:34-40, Luke 10:25-37, Rom. 12: 50-21). Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, and taught the ignorant (Matt. 15:32, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 10:1), and those who are new creatures in Christ must practice the same compassion. In doing so they make credible the gospel they preach, about a Savior whose love transforms sinners into those who love God and other people (Matt. 5:16, 1 Peter 2:11-12). (29)
James says in Chapter 4 verse 10 to humble ourselves and He will lift us up. If our sights are kept on the Lord then there is no need to lift ourselves up in arrogance and self aggrandizement, no matter how much we think we need to pick ourselves up or sell ourselves to others. To stay humble is the spirit of the Christian.
James also says, But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18) (18). It seems that many Christians today have become expert at walking the red carpeted aisle to accept their “Get Out of Jail Free Card” but somewhere along the way lose sight of the fact that while it may have been “free” for them, it costs our Lord and Savior everything!
James book is particularly useful articulating this position because it appears he was battling just such an apostasy in his time. It appears there were many saying all the right things, but there were few who were putting their faith into action. There are many that are good at making issue of the poor, destitute, and homeless, but what are they doing to alleviate the problem? It is easy to point the finger, write sympathetic diatribes on injustice, make embold- ened speeches about the have’s and the have not’s, but I’m tired of being told and would like to be shown! I’d like to see those same people making an effort themselves. I’d like to see a little sacrifice for the common man, and a little less show. I’d like to see Christians take the mantle again for the care of orphans, widows, the poor, the homeless and quit subjugating the responsibility to the federal and local governments.
The issue was so important to James that he wanted to make sure his metaphor was taken as seriously as possible.
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
James 2:26 (19)
We all know what physical death looks like. While our soul goes on before us our bodies lie motionless and decaying. James says the same can be said of faith without works, our faith lies dormant, motionless, and decaying. Jesus did not simply sit up in heaven and say, “boy Dad, I sure do love those guys down there, oh well there’s nothing to be done, I reckon they’ll get what they deserve!” Jesus’ love for us sparked an action, an action for which we’ll spend eternity thanking Him. Our love for Him should spur us toward action.
Let us also not forget that we will not be judged by our words, faith, or anything else, we will be judged by our works!
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:11-12 (20)
Victory
We are commanded to live Victoriously. But wait a minute, what does that look like? Again, only in the Christian worldview is victory snatched out of the jowls of defeat. Only in Christianity do we hold One up who seemingly lost the battle, as a Victor. Jesus was found guilty by His own people and suffered fatal torment and ultimately the death of one considered to be cursed.
Can you imagine for a moment another example of a people pointing victoriously to a rough hewn cross made ostensibly for the purpose of torment, torture, and death as victory? You might point to their birth and the miraculous events surrounding it. You might point to the miracles, the throngs of people that followed, or even some great accomplish- ments, but you would never point to the instrument of their death. You may remember, if the person died heroically in battle, how the person’s sacrifice and heroism saved lives, but you would never dig the bullet out of their chest or clean the knife they were stabbed with and claim victory! Yet, this is exactly how Jesus asked the disciples to remember Him.
When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Luke 22: 14-19 (21)
Christ could have had His disciples, and follower’s centuries ahead, remember His birthday, or the day He raised Lazarus from the dead, perhaps even His baptism, or the day He fed 5,000, but He didn’t. The day He asked them to remember is the day following, the day He spread His arms wide on a cross and whispered into the heart and soul of every human being, “I love you this much!” We are asked to take the Lord’s Supper and remember the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ as we eat of the communion wafer. We are asked to take the wine in remembrance of the blood shed on that day for our justification. We are asked not to remember in sorrow and agony over what might have been, but in victory and joy over what was accomplished on Calvary. We are to proclaim the Lord’s death!
Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Corinthian church. Apparently there were those taking the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner. Paul encour- ages them, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26) (22)
The Lord’s supper is an act of worship taking the form of a ceremonial meal, in which Christ’s servants share bread and wine to commemorate Christ’s death and to celebrate the new covenant relationship they enjoy with God. (23)
Ironic isn’t it that at a time when Satan may have been celebrating his victory over the Son of God, we look back and see the victory of Christ over sin, and that indeed is something to celebrate!
John sums up the victory we have in Jesus Christ in one verse.
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
1 John 5:4 (24)
Many Christians today have forgotten that the world is at war with God. (James 5:4) They are opposing forces. People of the world cannot be people of God. People of the world spend all their time thinking about the world. Think it, feel it, do it is the triune god of this world. People of the world are completely taken with the things, feelings, senses, experiences, materials, and all this world has to offer. How do we defeat the world and its temptations? We do it through the power of our faith.
I have written in the front of my Bible a quote that I’d like you to consider writing in the front of yours. It’s simple but profound message has served to encourage and challenge my thinking over the years. Whenever I sense that I am faltering in my race I only need to realize that it usually begins with what I spend the majority of my time thinking about.
“It is quite natural and inevitable that if we spend sixteen hours daily of our waking lives in thinking about the affairs of the world and five minutes in thinking about God and our souls, this world will seem two hundred times more real to us than God.” William Randolf Inge
Paul sums it up best when he says in his first letter to the Corinthians, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:57-58) (25)
Victorious people are not tied to that which is at enmity with God. Victorious people are not swayed by public opinion, persecution, scorn, torture, or temptation. A victorious people are “steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord!”
Evangelize
The final letter in the S.L.A.V.E. acronym is represented by the word Evangelize. We are commanded to evangelize. We are commanded to tell everyone we can the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. This means people in your family, people in your neighborhood, people in your workplace, people you run into in town from the grocery clerk to the Mayor. Sadly most Christians are more likely to give a great restaurant referral than they are to introduce someone to the risen Christ.
Many people wrongly assume that the Great Commission handed out in Matthew 28: 18-20 is all that missions are about. They believe that if they “haven’t been called” to China, Guatemala, or Africa that the Great Commission must not apply to them, however nothing could be further from the truth.
To see that the Great Commission does apply to every Christian today I would ask you to read the last part of verse 20, it simply states at what point in time this mission will be accomplished, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This task will continue and be the main mission of the church until the return of Christ. To say one has not been called into missions is to blatantly deny the fact that Christ has called us all to this very task. Now, if we want to get truthful and say we don’t want to go on a missionary journey to some third world country, there are still opportunities for you to fulfill your mission.
First, let’s start with being a good witness in society. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” (26)
Paul’s singular purpose in life was to share the gospel. He did this not only by preaching, but also by how he lived. He didn’t get caught up in political correctness or sidetracked by petty theological discus- sions, Paul simply lived a believable witness and shared the gospel. Being a good witness in your home, workplace, and community is central to the Christian life. For more on Paul’s witness read Acts 20:34-35, 1 Cor. 4:12, 2 Cor. 11:9, 1 Thes. 2:9, and 2 Thes. 3:8-9.
Furthermore, Jesus tells us that everyone can play a part in evangelism.
“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Luke 10:2 (27)
Matthew Henry has well said of this verse, “be duly affected with the necessities of the souls of men, which called for their help. They must look about, and see how great the harvest was, what abundance of people there were that wanted to have the gospel preached to them and were willing to receive it, nay, that had at this time their expectations raised of the coming of the Messiah and of his kingdom. There was corn ready to shed and be lost for want of hands to gather it in...apply themselves to their work under a deep concern for precious souls, looking upon them as the riches of this world, which ought to be secured for Christ.” (28)
Has our deep concern for lost souls been lost? It appears that a need for those to share the gospel was so great in His day that God Himself asked others to pray to send more. The lost should have a place in our prayer lives, our working lives, our playing lives, and our family and friends lives. We must never tire of sharing the gospel.
Finally, all Christians are called to do works of mercy and compassion. Relying on God’s command- ment to love our neighbor, Christians should respond with generosity and compassion to all forms of human need (Matt. 25:34-40, Luke 10:25-37, Rom. 12: 50-21). Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, and taught the ignorant (Matt. 15:32, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 10:1), and those who are new creatures in Christ must practice the same compassion. In doing so they make credible the gospel they preach, about a Savior whose love transforms sinners into those who love God and other people (Matt. 5:16, 1 Peter 2:11-12). (29)
James says in Chapter 4 verse 10 to humble ourselves and He will lift us up. If our sights are kept on the Lord then there is no need to lift ourselves up in arrogance and self aggrandizement, no matter how much we think we need to pick ourselves up or sell ourselves to others. To stay humble is the spirit of the Christian.
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She is called the “Queen of American Hymn Writers,” and the “Mother of Congregational Singing in America.” During her ninety five years, Fanny Crosby wrote over eight thousand hymns. In addition, she was one of the three most prominent evangelical leaders in America during the last part of the 1800’s, the others being D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey. She was one of America’s most popular preachers and lecturers; in many cases lines of people would circle the block where she was scheduled to speak, hoping to get a seat.
When she traveled, it was usually by train; and she was fiercely independent, insisting on traveling alone, despite her blindness, until she was up in her eighties. Fanny lived in the rundown tenements of lower Manhattan so she’d be nearer her beloved Rescue Missions, where she worked with the home- less and addicted.
Ira Sankey, in his autobiography gives us the story behind this particular hymn: “Fanny Crosby was visiting Mr. W.H. Doane, in his home in Cincinnati, OH. They were talking together about the nearness of God, as the sun was setting and evening shadows were gathering around them. The subject so impressed the well-known hymn writer, that before retiring she had written the words to this hymn, which has become one of the most useful she has ever written.”
I am thine O Lord,
I have heard Thy voice,
When she traveled, it was usually by train; and she was fiercely independent, insisting on traveling alone, despite her blindness, until she was up in her eighties. Fanny lived in the rundown tenements of lower Manhattan so she’d be nearer her beloved Rescue Missions, where she worked with the home- less and addicted.
Ira Sankey, in his autobiography gives us the story behind this particular hymn: “Fanny Crosby was visiting Mr. W.H. Doane, in his home in Cincinnati, OH. They were talking together about the nearness of God, as the sun was setting and evening shadows were gathering around them. The subject so impressed the well-known hymn writer, that before retiring she had written the words to this hymn, which has become one of the most useful she has ever written.”
I am thine O Lord,
I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me,
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord,
Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord,
By the power of grace divine,
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost to Thine.
O the pure delight of a single hour,
O the pure delight of a single hour,
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer,
When I kneel in prayer,
and with Thee my God,
Notes
1. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
2. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
3. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
4. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
5. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
6. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
7. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
8. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
9. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
10. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
11. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962, 1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
12. (Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy- right 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved)
13. (Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy- right 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved)
14. (Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved)
15. (Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved)
16. (Life Application Study Bible, New American Standard Bible- Updated Edition; Copyright 2000 by The Zondervan Corporation. All Rights Reserved)
17. (Believers Bible Commentary; © 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989 by William MacDonald. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America)
18. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
19. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
20. (King James Version)
21. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962, 1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
22. (Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved)
23. (The Reformation Study Bible; Copyright 2005 by Ligonier Ministries; All Rights Reserved)
24. (Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy- right 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved)
25. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
26. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962, 1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
27. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
28. (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible; Copyright © 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN)
29. (The Reformation Study Bible; Copyright 2005 by Ligonier Ministries; All Rights Reserved)
30. (Then Sings My Soul; Copyright © 2003 by Robert J. Morgan)
1. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
2. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
3. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
4. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
5. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
6. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
7. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
8. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
9. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
10. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
11. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962, 1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
12. (Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy- right 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved)
13. (Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy- right 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved)
14. (Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved)
15. (Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved)
16. (Life Application Study Bible, New American Standard Bible- Updated Edition; Copyright 2000 by The Zondervan Corporation. All Rights Reserved)
17. (Believers Bible Commentary; © 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989 by William MacDonald. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America)
18. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
19. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
20. (King James Version)
21. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962, 1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
22. (Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved)
23. (The Reformation Study Bible; Copyright 2005 by Ligonier Ministries; All Rights Reserved)
24. (Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy- right 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved)
25. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
26. (Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962, 1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission)
27. (Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved)
28. (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible; Copyright © 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN)
29. (The Reformation Study Bible; Copyright 2005 by Ligonier Ministries; All Rights Reserved)
30. (Then Sings My Soul; Copyright © 2003 by Robert J. Morgan)
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