This brings us to the third and final component. We must go beyond the blood and the Gospel to see this cosmic backdrop playing out behind this present darkness. We must not love our own life, even unto death. Now there is a seeker-unfriendly message! I guess you will never hear that preached! Instead you can buy the latest mega-church pastor's book on this being your best life now or how you are destined to reign. You can listen each week to the bless me theology sermons for a God who is just dying to throw open the windows of heaven and shower you with money, and fame, and wealth. You will not hear how Jesus had already taught that we must give up this life to carry our cross if we intend to follow Him. As Gill points out here that we should not value this life but the one to come. That we should make no account of this life. That we were not anxious about preserving this life. That we chose to lose these lives for the cause of the Gospel. Cheerfully laying them down! That we should hate our very lives in comparison to He who has redeemed us out from them. Remember beloved, Scripture always confirms Scripture:
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. -- Acts 20: 24 (ESV)
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. -- Luke 14: 26 (ESV)
That we would have the strength to finish our course with joy, refuse to dabble with false gospels and teachings, and be a living testimony to the all saving blood and the all saving Gospel. By dying to self in favor of Christ, we find the conquering of Satan complete. That we would recognize that by denying the truths of Scripture and His Gospel that we are actually ceding conquest to the enemy. That by loving our lives we in fact deny Christ and give Satan the triumph. Rather by dying in the cause of Christ, and for it, that we would attain victory over the devil.
That is true power beloved. To transcend this life. To surpass this world. That no matter what might happen during our time here that we always remember who we serve. His all saving blood and Gospel. That we would deem that as worthy more than our lives here. It is the church that should be the primary vehicle for this message. If we want to understand how the great apostasy is already underway we should start here. The church has abandoned the true power of God and exchanged it for a cheap knock off to sell the trinkets of this world. To lead people to the promise of an oasis for their parched souls only to discover when they got there that it is still the desert of this world. Then they make them drink the sand and sing hallelujah. God have mercy.
Reverend Anthony Wade -- February 27, 2017
