Death, The Only Way To Life
A solemn call for believers to crucify the flesh
These past weeks, I was benched by my Master, not because something was wrong, but because service to God can quickly become about production while intimacy less priotized.
I personally believe the Lord wanted to test if my routine had become more important to me than His leading.
May that day never come where the thing that was birthed by God's sovereignty becomes sustained by the flesh.
Like Paul said to the Galatians, how their faith started in the Spirit is now attempted to be sustained by the flesh.
"Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"
— Galatians 3:3 (NKJV)»
Before I was benched, I had a growing concern about how many believers seemingly start well, then veer off into darkness.
These believers I speak of are not lukewarm Christians as we know it.
I'm talking about speaking in tongues, moving in spiritual giftings, etc.
This conundrum led me to believe that the manifestation of gifts, as wonderful as they are, is not the mark nor the goal of true Christianity.
So I started seeking and asking the Holy Spirit to show me what the mark of true Christianity is and how to attain it.
Here's what I found.
The mark of true Christianity is transformation.
Not by increased morality or spirituality, but by increased humility and selflessness.
Through my searching, I was led to a teaching by Derek Prince titled “The Cross in My Life”. It’s a two-part sermon that clearly articulates the problem I see in the Body of Christ but had no words to describe.
I've always thought a believer is measured by how much knowledge he/she has of God or how long and fervently a person can pray.
If you are like me with a Pentecostal background, you'd know this is not uncommon: to see Christians who talk the talk but cannot walk the talk.
This problem is not peculiar to any denomination. It is a widespread issue in the Body of Christ.
How can this be?
In my observation, it's because we accept what the cross accomplished for us but reject the work the same cross is meant to accomplish in us.
The very symbol of a cross denotes sacrifice.
Sacrifice is synonymous with suffering, and there is no way suffering isn't painful.
So we opt out of the process designed by God to rid us of our flesh.
Why?
Because the flesh hates discipline, so we reject the work of the cross in us and maintain the status quo of our self-centeredness (which is the epitome of fleshliness).
Even though Jesus clearly tells us, whoever wants to be His disciple should take up their own cross and follow Him.
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’".
— Matthew 16:24–25 (NKJV)»
According to this verse, this is something WE have to do.
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It's not a gift.
Every believer has a choice whether or not to follow Jesus after receiving salvation.
We can confess our sins and believe in Christ, but that doesn't automatically make us a follower of Christ.
Followership of Christ is a decision to allow the cross to put to death our old man.
Until the old man (flesh) dies, we still have an allegiance to the world, and friendship with the world is enmity with God.
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
— James 4:4 (NKJV)
Sadly, there are many Christians who are in enmity with God because they refuse to detach from the world. Subscribing to the ideologies and behaviors of the world. But because they pray, fast, read their Bibles, and may teach the Bible, they think they are right with God.
That's not what Jesus says.
According to Jesus, He is only interested in those who do His Father's will.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."
— Matthew 7:21 (NKJV)
If words mean anything, then it's not by:
- how anointed you are,
- how many Bible verses you can quote,
- or even how much you can pray.
God is ONLY interested in how much we are conformed to the image of Christ.
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
— Romans 8:29 (NKJV)
The goal of Christianity is to be conformed to the image of Christ and to have His mind.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
— Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)
The mind of Christ is marked by humility, servitude, obedience, and absolute surrender to God's will.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
— Philippians 2:5–8 (NKJV)
After all is said and done, I am convinced that there are two types of Christians in the Body of Christ: believers and true believers. And the differentiator is the cross.
To what extent have we allowed the cross to work in us?
Transformation is the standard, and it is what we will all be measured by.
And transformation is achieved by permitting the crucifying of the flesh.
So who then is a true believer?
It is one who has accepted the complete transformative work of the cross, allowing it to put to death every work of the flesh in them, such as: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
— Galatians 5:19–21 (NKJV)
Until our paths cross again,
Remain in Him.
Jesus says; Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20
If you are reading this message, please do not harden your heart. You do not know the time or hour when Jesus Christ shall return or demand your human spirit.
