James Harnish has recently written these words: A friend of mine was leaving the theater after seeing the movie The Pas-sion of the Christ, when he noticed a man in tears, standing on the sidewalk , saying to no one in particular and to everyone in general, “Jesus suffered, so I don’t have to.” It struck my friend that the apostle Paul would have never said, “Jesus suffered, so I don’t have to.” Paul wrote, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3: 10-11)
When it comes to faith many people believe that only “good things are supposed to come” and that Christians live a charmed life. Some believe that the Gospel is always supposed to address satisfying “my needs,” securing “my nation,” protecting “my lifestyle,” and ensuring “my temporal and eternal happiness.” That is a far cry from the one who said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.”
Some folks use the Gospel in ways that make it nothing more than a self-help program for everything from getting rid of excess weight to getting rich on the stock market, (Mark 8: 34-35) (James Harnish, Living with the Mind of Christ, page 24). To be certain, God loves us and desires for our lives to be abundant. Abundant life, however, comes through what we “give” to the faith rather than what we “get” from it. Sacrifice is an important aspect of our relationship with God. Jesus exemplified this type of sacrifice, not only through the giving of his life on the cross, but in the way he gave of himself daily to people in need.
That’s why it’s good to have groups working for the good of others. It is in so doing that we follow our Lord’s example of helping people. He said, “The poor will always be with you.” It is not a situation that will be solved…only helped. To sacrifice a part of self to empower and bless another person who lives in misfortune is a Christ action. It requires sacrifice on our part. I am making our theme for 2017 “The Year of Submission.” I pray we can all bring ourselves into submission to Christ in such a way that people in our town will notice.
To come into submission to Jesus I believe we must seek substance rather than style. Some churches enjoy their style and ways. Our church is open to all who desire to come and find a relationship with Jesus. That simply means we have no dress codes or style codes to enforce. It is whosoever will may come. In the Year of Submission let it be our aim to grow in Christ that surrendering ourselves to his mercy is more important than any self-help we could get. The best self-help the Gospel offers is through teaching us that “we must decrease and Christ must increase.” What piece of us can we offer each week? “If we can’t bear the cross, then we can’t wear the crown.”
Ken