We Have The Knowledge, So What Is The Problem?

Lack of knowledge is not our problem; lack of application is. We have more knowledge available to us now than at any other point in history. I am not speaking of the knowledge available to the elite of academia but of the general masses of people who occupy this planet. More information is available at our finger tips than can be found in the city library. But has it made us any wiser? Are we any better off because of it?

The same can be said of the Church and the general population of Christians. We have more teaching on the Word of God available to us than at any other time. More teaching videos, recorded sermons, blogs, books, dvds and blue rays, stuffed with incredible teaching and revelation. But it all amounts to nothing without application. The Word of God is not about acquired knowledge but holy living.

We have all the answers. We know what we need to do to be strong in the Lord and to be used by him. It is not new just unused. Our failure is not knowledge but wisdom. Our failure is the application of the knowledge we have gained. I know I am repeating myself but I am desperate for me to understand and apply this fact, and maybe you know what I mean:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

You know this. You have studied it. You have memorized it. You might even have it on a poster on your wall. But how many times have we failed to apply it and paid the price of sleepless nights because of it?

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (v. 6)

You have told other people to do this. You've sung about it. You have taken notes from countless sermons on this. But how many times have we failed to apply it?

We know that we can have an incredibly intimate relationship with Jesus. He desires it and has made it possible. We also know that the vehicles of such a relationship is prayer, Bible meditation, worship, service but do we apply this knowledge? Do we set aside the things that have no eternal worth to lay up treasures in heaven? Do we do everything we can on our part to cultivate an intimate relationship?

We can't blame Jesus. We know the blame lies with us. We know that we suffer because of our own neglect. We know we suffer because of our inaction. We know that he seems so far away and detached because that is what we have done. We have the knowledge. We know what to do. Is it important enough to us to apply it? To be wise? To take action? Lack of knowledge is not our problem; application is.

What Does It Mean To You To Follow Jesus?

The mistake that preachers and teachers like me make is in assuming that everyone is where we are in our understanding of the Word of God. We spend hours in prayer and in the Word every day, looking for the Spirit's revelation of the Word for us and for our people. We often forget that not everyone is even reading the Word let alone studying it, so some of the basics are not understood. We are preaching from a certain foundation but the students do not have that foundation and often do not understand our words.

It may not seem like a big deal that I am teaching from a foundation that you may not have but it means that I see the world one way and you see it another. It means you will not understand the things I am referring to. It means you will not understand when I say it is normal to suffer for Jesus. It's the difference between a farmer and a passerby.

I used to own a small apple orchard which I looked after with much affection and hard work. If you had visited me you would have seen a lot of trees. But when I looked on my small orchard I knew each of those trees intimately. I knew which ones were strong and which ones I was nursing back to health. I knew which branches had been pruned, which had open wounds, which were fighting off pests, which I had to defend recently. You would look for fruit but I would have been watching for pests. Two different perspectives. The same happens spiritually.

Due to the fact that so many people are neglecting the Word of God we are getting major differences in the perspective of life and the world. For far too many people, Jesus is more of a hobby on the side while they put their energy into their "real" life. But here is one of the basics for you that blows that perspective out of the water:

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  (Luke 9:23)

Jesus had just told his disciples that he was going to suffer, be rejected by the leaders of Israel, be killed and he would rise on the third day. Then he says, the same is going to happen to you. Now before you dismiss this as applying to the disciples I want you to note that it says, "The he said to them all". In other words, he turned from his disciples and addressed the multitude, which includes you and me.

If any of us want to follow Jesus we first have to recognize that it is no longer about us. It is not about the benefits of being a disciples. It's not about the great blessings because we are only stewards of those blessings which are suppose to be distributed by us. We have to disown ourselves. We have to let go of our own interests, in fact, we have to completely lose sight of ourselves. Just like Jesus, we have to set our own interests aside in order to lay down our lives for the lost, to continue on with the mission. What other words can I use to try to emphasize this point?

Does that describe us? Can we say that this is our perspective of things, that we are mere servants, not looking out for ourselves, denying ourselves so that we can serve wholeheartedly with nothing held back? If we are honest with ourselves we would have to say no. We are distracted and seduced by all the pleasures of this world. We are more interested in protecting our rights, our interests than we are in sacrificing ourselves for others. There is a whole lot of repenting that needs to go on in the Body of Christ.

What about this cross thing? Jesus was heading into a period of suffering and warned us that we would have to face the same thing. His cross was his privileged duty and there was a lot of suffering associated with it and those who follow, follow in like manner. Jesus told us not to avoid it. In fact, he said that if we try to avoid it, if we are ashamed of it, that he would be ashamed of us upon his return. He said that those who would follow him must take up their cross daily.

Again, does that describe us? Most of us avoid any form of suffering associated with the mission of Jesus. If we do happen to face it we complain and whine and go on about it. Some of us are actually surprised by it. Jesus told us to stand up in it, to love our enemies, to pray for those who do persecute us, to turn the cheek. We have to stop seeing it as people coming against our "rights" and act like the apostles who rejoiced in the privilege of suffering for the Name. With everything that is coming our way we had better ask the Spirit to change our attitude or we are not going to get very far. In fact, many of us will turn back from the flames and deny Jesus instead of denying themselves. Let's not be among them.

It isn't about following a certain pastor or teacher. It isn't about being a member of a certain church. It isn't about attending certain Bible Colleges. Then again, it isn't about your financial or career success either. It isn't about the size of your house or the car that you drive. It isn't about fame or glory. It is about Jesus. It is about following Jesus. It is about him being the reason, motivation and purpose of your life. It is about you giving up the control and allowing Jesus to lead.

Does this describe us? Does this describe you? Jesus is not a hobby, he is everything or he is nothing. No half measures. We can't be in love with worship, or our studies, or the ministry, or our church, or our pastor. Jesus must be our first and greatest love from which everything else flows. If this is the case then we will have no problem walking in his footsteps, suffering daily for the sake of the mission, in obedience to the Holy Spirit. May we all lean on the Spirit to strengthen us in faithfulness until Jesus calls us home.

Passion Week: The Cross

... he walked alone beneath his burden.

Simon was just trying to conclude his business here so he could start his journey home. He realized he didn't have much time. All business would be put on hold at sun set.

Tomorrow was the Passover celebration. Maybe at any other time he would be thrilled to be in Jerusalem at this time of the year but he had been a long time from home. He just wanted to be done with business so first thing next week he could strike out for home.

Now he had this crowd to get around. Apparently they had finally been able to put an end to this prophet that had everyone so excited. He had seen the Prophet once. He was in another town doing business. He actually saw him give sight back to a blind man. Pretty amazing. Too bad he had to cross the Pharisees like he did. It was bound to end poorly.

There! An opening in the crowd. He could cut through there and save a couple of minutes.

As he stepped through the crowd he froze in mid-step. As his eyes fell on the figure kneeling in the middle of the road, bent beneath the weight of a cross beam, his blood ran cold.

What had they done to him? Could this be the same man he saw in that town so long ago? Could this be the Prophet who gave sight to the blind?

Blood soaked his clothing and pooled on the ground where he knelt. Flesh hung loosely from his back. His hair was matted with blood. Blood covered his face and seemed to cloud his eyes. Well, at least they looked like eyes. It was hard to tell what that was beneath his swollen face. He looked more animal than man.

He should have just kept going but the sight had him transfixed. What could this poor man have done to deserve this?

Then a soldier on a horse called out to him, penetrating the back of his awareness and slowly exploded in on his reality. He looked to the soldier and to his horror realized that he had suddenly become a participant in this sideshow of death.

Before he knew it they had the cross beam tied on to him. He couldn't believe this. He should have avoided the crowd. Why hadn't he taken the longer route?

But as they were pressed to move on his thoughts turned from himself to the Prophet who staggered beside him. How could he go on like this? Why would he go on like this? Why not just refuse to move and let them kill him here instead of on the cross?

As weak as he was the Prophet seemed determined to do this.

The crowd was mixed. Some hurled insults at him, along with stones. Others stood and wept silently. Still others were shouting out words of support. What was it about this man that could provoke such reaction?

The walk was hard under this weight. It seemed to take forever. Any hope that there was of concluding his business was quickly slipping away. But for some reason it seemed to be less important. This Prophet was heading to his death and all he was concerned about was getting his business finished with? When had he lost his humanity? His compassion?

When they arrived at the designated spot he was exhausted. How could they have hoped that this man could have carried this thing in his condition?

They had it off his back soon enough and he was prepared to rush off to see what he could get done, but something stopped him. Something kept him fixed on this man who even now seemed like no other man he had ever encountered.

He stepped back into the first row of onlookers just as they threw the Prophet down onto the cross piece. As his back hit the ground he arched in pain. With no thought at all the soldiers grabbed his arms, tying him down and then nailed him in place, as if they were bored with the whole thing. The sound of the nails going through flesh and bone was sickening but he could not turn away.

Besides the weeping that came from some of the women near by a hush had fallen over the crowd. That's the only way it was possible to hear his words. And everyone heard them. Everyone seemed shocked, even disturbed by them. There he was, half beaten to death, laid out on the ground, being nailed to a cross beam and everyone heard him say:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

What? Who was this man?

With that they hoisted him up, fixing him in place. Above his head they nailed a sign that referred to him as the king of the Jews. Was it possible? Is that why they had killed him? With that the wailing began in earnest.

Simon melted into the crowd with the image of the Prophet forever burned into his memory. As he broke free he began to run. He couldn't explain why he ran, he just did. He wanted to be as far from that cursed place as quickly as he could.

What had they just done? ...

Sometimes Life Sucks. For A Reason

One of the hard things for Christians to understand is when we face difficult times. If Yahweh is as loving as he says he is why is it that we go through some of the tings we go through? Why does he let my heart get broken? Why can't I find a job? Why can't I seem to pay my bills? Why does everything always seem to be so hard? Sometimes we would rather see Yahweh as a Santa Claus than as a father.

Father's have the responsibility to raise their children by training them for life and eternity. We are not babysitters who just have to entertain the kids until someone else takes them off our hands. We have to train them the best we can so that when they move out on their own they are as prepared as possible to deal with the world. It means we cannot raise spoiled children and there is a lot of hard lessons in the training. But it is better to learn those lessons in the protection of a loving family than alone in a cruel world. Our heavenly Father has the same responsibility, only his preparation and training is for our eternity.

Hebrews 12 has a lot to say on this subject:

 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7-8)

Our fathers here disciplined us as best they knew how, not because they were cruel, but so that we would grow up right and ready for the world. How much better is our heavenly Father's discipline:

They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (vs. 10-11)

We see a perfect example of Yahweh's correcting and training techniques with Israel, when he brought them out of Egypt. Everything they went through was arranged and it was for their benefit even though it seemed like hardship at the time:

 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

The purpose was to humble them, making them dependent on him, and to test them, to see if they would obey because obedience would be important for the centuries ahead. And this is how he trained them and how he provided:

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. (vs. 3-5)

They faced some hard lessons but the generation that left the desert was the most powerful, obedient, and dedicated generation of Israelites who ever lived. Those hardships brought them into an incredible relationship with Yahweh that allowed them to have confidence to defeat nations through their obedience, living by every word that proceeded from the mouth of the LORD. This is exactly where the LORD wants us to be: dependent, obedient and powerful. But it takes training and discipline.

Yahweh has a purpose for everything we face and those things that we have caused by our own foolishness he will use for our benefit as well. Our part in everything we face is to face it in the joy of the Lord, with confidence, hope and trust. Our part is to listen and obey in love. No matter what it is you are in the midst of right now, be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Calm Under Pressure

They say that the ability to remain calm under pressure is a sign of a good leader. It usually means the person is someone of experience who is able to put the situation at hand in proper perspective. Unfortunately too many of us allow the present moment to become the only moment, blocking out everything else we know as a fact. This is the reason a person can go from professing faith in Jesus one moment to panic and despair in the next. We allow the moment at hand to eclipse what we know and have experienced with Jesus.

Calm under pressure is not only a quality of a good leader but it is also the measure of a mature follower of Jesus Christ. Maturity means we have gained a good grasp of the big picture so that daily moments are kept in their proper perspective. Maturity means that we trust that what God has done in the past he will also do today and tomorrow. Maturity means that we understand the true source of all good things and we have come to trust his promises. Maturity means that we never allow our response to the pressures of life to rob Jesus of his glory.

Apostle Paul was all too familiar with the pressures of life. You probably know of all the things he went through, the many times we was put in jail, the stoning, the shipwrecks  and the fact he never gave up, he never packed, he never ran away. But were you aware that in his last months in captivity much of the church in Asia Minor turned away from him? Other teachers came in and started to distort the truth of the gospel. This is what Paul was writing to Timothy when he told him to be aware that people would turn away from sound doctrine. He told Timothy that during these days he must keep his head:

They will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories. But you must stay calm and be willing to suffer. You must work hard to tell the good news and to do your job well. (2 Timothy 4:4-5)

Interesting: stay calm and be willing to suffer. He isn't saying he must be willing to suffer disease or any such thing but willing to suffer for teaching the truth. Timothy must be willing to stand in the face of popular opposition and not turn back for the sake of popularity. It is easy to fill a church; just preach what people want to hear. But when you bring the truth of Jesus Christ there will be suffering as popularity turns its ugly head on you. Stay calm. Don't complain about the cost of preaching the truth. Just consider those who went before you, like Paul, Peter, Stephen or even Jesus who was crucified for what he taught.

Work hard and do your job well. Have you ever consider presenting Jesus to people as your job? Jesus considers it that way. Just look at the parables he told. How many were about the master and the servant and the expectations on the servant? We are that servant and we have a job to do. Jesus told us to be found faithfully doing it on his return, no matter the cost.

Stay Calm. Be willing to suffer. Work hard. Do your job. Do we measure up?

The Gospel For Which I Suffer

Have you figured out your belief system yet? I get to meet people every day who are without Jesus but who have a belief system. We may call it a philosophy for living or any number of things but it comes down to the belief by which you live your life. If you believe that "what goes around comes around" you will make sure that you are giving out good stuff to receive good stuff. If you believe that purpose is found in how many toys you buy in life, then your life will be up and down according to what you can afford. If you believe that Jesus Christ died so that you could have life then your life is going to be based on serving Jesus.

The problem is that what we believe is not always what we live. I hear that every day as well. I hear people rationalizing why it is okay to steal from the government. But if you believe in "what goes around comes around" then you should expect to suffer the consequences for theft. Funny how people aren't willing to take their believes that far. Unfortunately either are many Christians.

Paul wrote to Timothy :

"This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal." (2 Timothy 2:8-9)

Paul lived by the conviction and calling of the Holy Spirit. He preached what he was taught by the Spirit and he paid the price for it. He was beat, stoned, rejected, arrested and treated like "public enemy number one" by  Israel. But he wasn't surprised. Why would he be? Jesus told him this is exactly what would happen. He told us all. So why do we complain. In fact, why are we surprised? But that really isn't my question today.

Today I am asking why we don't live according to the belief we profess? Why don't we live by the example Jesus set for us? I don't mean the moral living but the Holy Spirit empowered life that Jesus showed us how to live. Yes, a life of grace, mercy and compassion but also a life filled with the power to see things happen. A life that will face whatever the cost in order to fulfill the belief that Jesus is truth.

"Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me."

We say it,we believe it but are we willing to live it beyond the suffering that it can provoke in our life? Christianity goes far beyond a code we live by and demands nothing less than our all, even if that all is the air we breathe. Anything less is not good enough. Jesus is not Gandhi. Jesus is not Buddha. He is not Mohammed. He is not a teacher of some philosophy or religion. Jesus is our life and we cannot deny that which gives us life. We stick with him no matter the cost because the life he has given is eternal. We could never bring ourselves to deny him, ever, for whatever reason.

There is a reason told us that if we are ashamed of him in front of men he will be ashamed of us in front of his Father. If we are ashamed of him it means we don't believe him. If we don't believe him why should we expect anything from him? Why would we expect to receive the promise of eternity with him? Yet, if we do believe him then our life should reflect that fact. Our life should be an example of faith, power and conviction.If our passion for him does not surpass the passion this world has for many things then we have not even begun to understand his love and our relationship with him.

So I ask you, is your belief enough to go all the way, no matter what it may cost? Understand, those are the followers Jesus will honour.

Suffering

If you want to generate an interesting conversation, ask people about suffering. There appears to be a lot of opinion on suffering, the Bible, Jesus and us. I may not know a lot but I do know there is a right and wrong suffering in the Word of God. Instead of looking at the wrong type of suffering I want to consider the suffering that honours and glorifies God.

Yes, there is a kind of suffering that brings glory to God. Some will dispute it. Some will say that God just wants to wrap us up in cotton balls, plant hedges around us and wants to protect us from all harm. Yet God has declared his children holy, enabled us to live holy lives and has told us to serve him in an unholy place. He has made us citizens of his Kingdom but has told us to serve him in a place that is hostile to his Kingdom. What we have been made into is in direct contrast to the character of this world.You don't think there will be suffering as a result?

The only type of suffering that glorifies God is the type that happens for doing what is right. When we suffering for doing good in the face of evil our God is pleased. It is Jesus who is glorified when we suffer for bearing his name. This is the suffering that the Word talks about. It is not suffering from the flu or cancer or any other disease. It is not suffering for doing wrong. How does that glorify Jesus? But when we suffer because we mentioned Jesus to someone, this glorifies Jesus.

Too many of us try to avoid suffering altogether, claiming it is not God's will yet the evidence from the Word is overwhelming. Were not obedient followers of God thrown into a furnace or a lion's den? Did David not have to flee from Saul? Were innocent prophets not hated and killed? Was Stephen not stoned? Did Moses not have to suffer under his calling? What was Paul's great reward on this earth:

And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. (2 Timothy 1:11-12)

There is suffering that we will face because of our obedience to Jesus. People do not like us. People think we are idiots and superstitious, lacking in intelligence. At best they think we are misguided. But that is okay because the only value we see in them is the fact God loves them. Their opinion, ideas, money, influence holds no value for us. Our perspective is different. Our source is different. Our longing and desire is different. We can face suffering and press on because we know the thing our God values the most is obedience and faithfulness.

Apostle Paul summed it up nicely for us:

That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. (v 12)

No matter what I face, no matter the cost, I have joy and peace because I know whom I have believed. The world can say what it wants but I am convinced. My treasure is not found in this place. I have given my life to Jesus, my heart, mind, and soul. I am convinced that what Jesus said is true and I act upon it. If it means I must face some suffering for standing on the truth then it is a small matter compared to what I have and will receive.

If we are convinced that Jesus is truth, we can face anything. And I don't mean face it with sack cloth and ashes but with great joy and peace. Suffering for the Name is a privilege. Suffering for our own stupidity is not God glorifying, but suffering because we follow Jesus is a thing we should expect and be glad to do.

Is Their A Place For Suffering?

The Western Church has a hard time with the concept of suffering, yet it is a natural character of a Christian. I am not referring to the miserable suffering that produces nothing but agony and complaints. That is what some of us have turned God's great intention into, an excuse to complain. We turn something beautiful into something ugly. Yet, God has used suffering for a long time to produce great things.

I am sure that Jonah considered his time in the belly of the fish to be suffering. Forty years wondering around in the desert would also fall in the column of suffering. There are lots of examples in the Hebrew Scriptures but we have plenty of examples in the New Testament as well. Obviously Jesus' beating and crucifixion would be placed in the category of suffering. So would the beating of the disciples, the stoning of Stephen, the great persecution of the Church, and Paul's many trials. But consider what God developed out of all of this, especially the cross.

I like the example of the 40 years in the desert simply because many of us can relate to it. For forty years God cut his people off from anything that would make them independent. He used this time to get rid of the bad seeds in this people he had called out as a nation. He made them completely dependent on him for food and water. He taught them obedience by moving them around; when he moved they moved. When they finally emerged from the desert they had become a strong nation in every sense; strong enough to move into the promised land. There was never another generation of Israelites that could compare to this valiant generation. There is always purpose in the "valley of the shadow of death" that God leads us through. Sometimes it is for our benefit and other times for the benefit of others.

Paul realized that much of what he went through was for the benefit of others:

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)

Paul recognized that the great suffering he and his comrades went through was for the purpose of the Church. Not many will suffer for the Body today. Not many will risk jail for preaching on the streets. Not many will turn their "castles" into hospitality centres  to invite people in and be generous with their supply. Not many will go the extra mile or give the shirt off their back to demonstrate the love of Jesus. But some do. Some give up their comforts of home, the joy of watching television or playing mindless games on FaceBook, to bring the Word to the streets and coffee shops of the city. They face rejection, beatings, and scorn.

There is also the suffering Church in many parts of the world, where being a Christian has a death sentence. There are many places where pastors risk jail or beatings or death for preaching the good news. There are many who would run from these great injustices but the ministers of the gospel must stand where God has placed them. They must face those beatings as others have done before them and they must even face death as others have done, to serve the Body and to present Jesus. We must do it with the same joy we see expressed in Paul because we know that something is being produced from these sacrifices that God has directed.

There are different kinds of suffering, most caused by the foolishness of our own actions. But I refer to a different type of suffering, one directed by God for his greater purpose and one we will understand and accept if we have the intimacy of friendship that we are suppose to have with God. God has never asked us to suffer blindly or needlessly but when we are intimate with him we know the mind of Christ, the will of God and we are able to walk in those shoes. Ours is always a relationship of trust with God, a place of dependence and even more so in times of suffering.

Live Large For Jesus!

You have to admit that our perspective is pretty messed up. The things we tend to put value on have no eternal value at all. The things we try to avoid are the things that are essential for our growth. We read and study the Bible and only hold on to the things that make us feel good. We like celebrating the victory without participating in the fight. We tell God to take our life and use us but when he does we fight him all the way. It's not meant to be this hard.

Something that should tell us that we don't quite get it is found in the book of Acts. It is the part where the apostles were arrested, questioned, beaten and then released. They did not come out of the prison shouting about their rights or demanding justice. They came out celebrating that they were considered worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. It doesn't mean we should go out looking to be beaten but it should tell us that our view of what is valuable is all wrong. It should tell us that our attitude is not exactly where God would want it to be.

When apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians he was writing from jail. This was likely his last letter written; this and 2 Timothy. He did not want them to be discouraged by his situation so in a paragraph he reminded them of who he had been and who he now was through Christ. Nothing had changed because of his circumstances. Just because he was in jail did not make him less of an apostle or unable to fulfil God's purpose for him. He summed it up with this:

I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. (Ephesians 3:13)

Paul was not in jail because he killed someone or because he was a thief. Paul was in jail because he lifted up Jesus Christ. He was suffering for the Name of Jesus and it was the glory of the Church. We seem to miss that in our living. Suffering for the Name should be celebrated not avoided.

I want to draw a distinct line here when it comes to suffering. Suffering for the Name is persecution, it is not putting up with poverty or cancer. We have been given authority over many things and disease is one of those things. Suffering for the Name is when we are carrying out the mission and trouble comes against us because of it. It is when you are sharing Jesus with someone and they spit in your face. It is when you get arrested for preaching on the street corner. It is when great men and women of learning call you an idiot and lost in the dark ages of superstition. It is when friends and family back away from you because you are too extreme in your faith.

How much do we really love Jesus? He said that if we love him we would obey him. Obedience is more than trying to live a good life. Obedience is to go because he told us to go and to do what he told us to do. "Make disciples", he said, not "build a life for yourself", "gain a reputation", "be well thought of". Live for me and the lost, is what Jesus said. Love as I have loved, Jesus said. Do greater things than I have done, Jesus said. Do not fear when the world hates you, it hated me first, Jesus said.

This life here is not about us. We occupying a dying vessel that is only meant for a temporary time. As clay vessels we only have a certain life span as we break easy, but we have been told to make the most of the opportunities we have. Live in complete freedom from this world with it's do's and don'ts and live with complete confidence in Jesus. Do not avoid suffering for the Name but instead learn to appreciate and celebrate it. Live in boldness and lift up the name of Jesus for the whole world to see. This is the glory of the Church, to live a life of unbridled love for Jesus and for the lost for whom he died. This is our life, so live it to it's fullest potential in Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour and King. Live large for Jesus!