Let me ask you a question.
If Christ, the Christ, came to you personally and asked you if you were willing to die for His sake what would you say?
Imagine the sound of His voice saying, “Are you willing to be martyred for Me?”
mar·tyr
noun
a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.
"saints, martyrs, and witnesses to the faith"
verb
kill (someone) because of their beliefs.
"she was martyred for her faith"
For those of you that are still with me, let me fill you in on a secret. You are being asked to die for your Lord.
We know the scriptures about dying to our sins, our desires, our will. Are we doing it? What if He also asked you for your literal life. Do we have the kind of boldness that would die for our King? Is He our King?
See I’m not here for the many today. I’m here for the few. The chosen. The ones that are crying out “Set our hearts ablaze!” I’m going past the message of humility, of boldness, of faith, of His glory in our lives. We should already have these things.
I’m going straight for the jugular.
Are you willing to die for Christ?
I don’t mean the simple, the mundane, the if only I could stop watching TV for a day. Are you willing to give it ALL for your King? IS HE YOUR KING?
Let me encourage you with this today. To die is gain. To live is Christ. Right?
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
Phillipians 1:21-24
What even is Paul talking about? Oh my goodness don’t we know this man truly laid his life down for Christ? This apostle who without his dark imprisonment we might not have the New Testament as we know it today.
Let that settle for a minute.
Without Paul’s unfortunate circumstances we might not have ever heard the gospel! He wrote so many of these letters from prison. A prison he was in for SPEAKING THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRIST.
Who got their feelings hurt about someone not liking something they said today? This man was imprisoned for exactly that. For Paul, Jesus WAS SUPREME.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Hold on. We like to read verse 19. What about verse 20. FOR THE LORD IS YOUR LIFE.
Is He? Is He what you eat, breathe, seek, abide and move in? Are you motivated by your schedule, your commitments, or the FATHER! For all things are subject to Him and He has placed all things under the feet of Christ our King.
Today I’m not here for the many.
Today I am here for the few.
I’m here for the chosen ones who REFUSE to let the devil advance on you. Stand your ground. For He is the Lord and the Whole Earth is Yours Holy Father.
So what if you were called to die for the cause of Christ? Yes, to die to yourself. But I mean to DIE. A martyr.
And we get our feelings hurt. We get afraid to say anything that might not be heard.
Church. You’re not going to be heard. The world ISN’T LISTENING. Turn on the TV. Devils aren’t even hiding. In fact, they’re often not even hiding in the Church! And we have people who are HURTING who are crying out in DESPERATION. THE LOST that we are CALLED TO.
And we get our feelings hurt.
Look. I’m not saying anything to you that I don’t have to deal with myself. Anyone who has walked alongside me in my life KNOWS this has been something I have WRESTLED with. I am not here to shame you.
I am here to CLAIM YOU.
If you are living on the hamster wheel of life I’m not saying quit your 9-5 job and throw away all your savings on anything not guided by the Father.
But WHAT IF He asked you to give it all away and become a missionary in a country without running water? Do you know how far the American dollar goes in impoverished countries?
DO YOU KNOW how many addicts on the street JUST NEED TO BE HEARD. Just need to be TOLD there is HOPE.
And WHAT IF HE – I speak of the ONE TRUE KING JESUS THE CHRIST – What if He asked you to lay it all down. Be bold. And accept that you just may be martyred for the cross He has asked you to daily bear.
Stop hiding in the pews Church. The world is going to hate you. Get over it. We have a Christ to serve! Love them anyway. Feed them anyway. Put your fear away.
Jesus Christ is returning ANY DAY!
Choose LIFE but let me tell you something. Life in Christ is the ONLY LIFE dead or alive on this earth! #thisworldISNOTMYHOME #onassignment #allofmeforALLOFYOUMYLORD #andALLforYOURglory
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]
John 16:33
…He says to disciples that would later be martyred.
WHERE’S YOUR FAITH AT CHURCH?
#wakeup #riseup #GETUP #weareintheLASTDAYS
We are truly on the #eveofgenesis
May He find us faithfully full of oil, laboring in His fields, watching for His great return!
To die is gain. It is eternal Life with Him. To live is Christ. And the only Life IS IN CHRIST. #deadoralive
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.