The Destiny of Adam
Part 1 / Section 7
PICK UP YOUR CROSS
Concerning Him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:11-14.
Indeed, Christian maturity involves (1) time, vs.12 (2) growth in the knowledge of the Word of God vs.13, and (3) experience in the use of the Word in discerning between good and evil. vs 13 - 14.
Again, Christian maturity involves (1) growth in the knowledge of the Word of God; knowledge that salvation is to be had upon gospel terms only and no other. (2) experience in the use of the Word in discerning between good and evil, through strict discipline, and (3) this is to happen over time.
The keys, spoken of previously, were offered to ministers who'd derive authority from Christ, and all their spiritual power was and is to be used in His name. The growth is expected when there is building of the body in the unity of the Faith with the bond of peace. Now, this is a two way street, growth of ministers and each member in the church, but, it is imperative that it begin with the leadership. Without this unity of spiritual power within the leadership, binding together to become more Christ like and desiring to enhance the growth of each member, spiritual growth is stunted and divisions will be apparent.
It is required of the ministers of the church to instruct and teach as Jesus taught. ""As the Father has sent Me, I also send you". John 20:21. It is also important to remember who Jesus taught. Jesus taught His disciples, those that desired to follow after Him, His followers. The root word for disciple in the Greek meant a learner or to learn; indicating thought accompanied by endeavor, hence it denotes one who follows ones' teachings. A disciple was not only a pupil, but an adherent; an imitator of their teacher. With this information, therefore, it must be recognized that His disciples desired to be taught, they desired to grow in the knowledge of God, and Jesus taught with authority. Likewise, the church frequenter in this modern society must desire to grow in the knowledge of God. Additionally, the minister in this modern society must not succumb to the modern church, but must teach and instruct with authority.
Jesus taught His disciples saying, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. Matthew 16:24. Also He taught, "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me". Matthew 10:38. This reference to a cross needed no explanation in those days, for people had seen thousands of their countrymen crucified by the Romans. Thus, Jesus was saying, he who does not keep allegiance to Me, even unto death is not worthy of Me. In this context He was referring to them loosing their reward. In Luke 9:23, Jesus taught, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow after Me". Remember, the cross was well-known as an instrument of death, and in this context here, it represented the death or separation from the old life that must mark a disciple. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple". Luke 14:27. In both instances Jesus taught with authority. First, My disciples must be fully committed to Me, even unto death. Second, those who do not separate from the old life and die unto self are unable to follow after Me and cannot be My disciple.
As has been spoken of in previous chapters, Jesus said that He would build His church on Faith. Faith to confess and profess that He was the son of the living God. With this faith comes power, divine power, spiritual power from heaven. Thus, having this power, the true believer has all he needs to, deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow after Me, if anyone wishes. Now, if one does not pick up his cross, it is because he does not wish to. If he does not wish to, he won't. If he doesn't, he cannot be a disciple, he is not a disciple and he is unable to follow after the son of the living God. If one has confessed and professed, he will be denying self, picking up his own cross and following after Jesus. To confess means to have such a deep conviction of the facts and to declare openly, that is freely speak out these facts or the effect of them in public. This conviction entails having knowledge of the Son of God, ie: (believing ON HIM ) and a deeper awareness of His purpose, ( believing IN HIM ). Having thus truly confessed and professed, one has all they need to deny self, pick up thy cross, daily, and follow after Me, if they are willing.
Why then are there so many, nay, hundreds of thousands that at one time received Faith, they confessed and professed, yet, they have not picked up their own cross and followed after their leader, the Messiah, Jesus Christ ?
Jesus said, I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, yet, after reaching up and taking hold of them, ministers have left them on a ring in the chest to rust.
As it is a two way street, it would be correct to say that, likewise, the church frequenter has not brought his keys to church, for he also has rusty keys in his key chest.
At this point, and under these conditions, it can quickly be determined that it has been found to be unimportant to use these keys of authority. If this be so, then what must be done about it ?
Now, in the human world, or let’s say the intellectual world, one may not agree that the keys or authority are not being used. One may agree that there is somewhat of a problem but that there are extenuating circumstances.
Others may agree or disagree through their reasoning or intellectual power. But in any case, we now have a debate. We now have criterion used by one different than that criterion used by another. We now have a watered down standard, an ineffective standard or in plain English, a disregarded foundational truth.
Jesus taught, as the Father sent Me, I also send you, to teach and instruct with all authority. If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow after Me. He who does not take up his cross and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me. He who does not keep allegiance to Me, even unto death is not worthy of Me. He who is not fully committed to Me and does not separate himself from the old life and die unto self, daily, is unable to follow after Me, and cannot be My disciple.
In the spiritual world a standard is a standard. In the heavenly, a foundational truth is a foundational truth. Jesus Christ is both the founder and the foundation of the church. He draws souls, and draws them to Himself; to Him they are united, and on Him they rest and have a constant dependence. Take away the faith and confession of this foundational truth from any particular church, and it ceases to be a part of Christ’s' church, and relapses to the state and character of disobedience and infidelity. In the spiritual world, Jesus Christ is the standard.
One will find it very difficult, nay, impossible to die to self and pick up his own cross without the help and guidance of Gods' spirit. One must desire to gain knowledge of Gods' word in order to pick up his own cross. One must put the desire to gain this knowledge to work and seek Gods' face. Then, will he hear from heaven and know how to be obedient to Gods' word. Then will he begin to become reconciled to God. Then will he start learning to pick up his cross, in obedience, in following after Him. Then will he experience the true desire to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Then will he know the joy of suffering for Him.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh--- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8: 2,5,8,9,12,13.
When one becomes a brand new believer, a babe in the Lord, they seek out a church in order to associate with like believers. They know that God touched their life. They know that they were dead to sin at that very moment. They may not have known exactly what it meant, but they know that they were cleansed. They know that something, God, changed their life, that something had happened to them and that their life was changed at that very moment. They know they have a new lease on life and know that they should start going to church. Therefore, they enter a church with the desire to associate with like believers, as they remember what they felt like; and desire to grow and obtain more knowledge of God, for they knew how different they felt.
Well, we do have ingredients to begin the process of becoming reconciled to God. The desire to acquire more knowledge. The desire to be obedient, for they did take the effort to find and go to a church. The desire to follow after Him and the willingness to pick up their own cross. Yet, with all of this, hundreds of thousands never proceed past this level or stage. Why ?
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed, which amounts to idolatry. Col.3:5.
Idolatry abounds in the modern day church.
But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Rev. 2:20.
The root words defining immorality are as follows, wrong, wicked, lying, stealing, evil, unable to tell the difference between a right and wrong standard, and not capable of understanding good conduct, all being immoral. Most people today would relate immorality to some form of sexual misconduct, but as you can see it means more than just that. Now, knowing the full definition, look around, does the church not abound in idolatry ? Is there constant bickering ? or what is correct or incorrect conduct ? or there may not be any bickering, just all the other improprieties. These immoral actions are ignored to such a depth, that, (1) the church carries on its operation as if nothing was wrong, (2) the immoral actions having been observed and ignored for so long that they are no longer considered to be immoral actions, probably due to some extenuating circumstances, (3) confusion abounds and true seeking believers get frustrated and leave the church.
When any form of idolatry is allowed to remain in the church, without being checked, the faith is diminished, the conviction subsided, the truth no longer is the pillar and support of the Christian faith and the church is in a state of infidelity.
It is no wonder that the modern Christian cannot or does not pick up his own cross. The people of today’s modern day church are being fed non-digestible food. They are unable to understand and absorb mentally and to make part of ones thoughts. What the word says and what is transpiring is two different things. What is condemned in the scriptures is condoned in the church. When the question of authority is raised by the new believer, he is given a rhetorical answer. When he raises a question on the rhetorical answer he then becomes and is labeled a trouble maker who questions the authority of the church. Today leadership is more concerned with numbers in attendance than the quality of the believer. When this all began to take place is very difficult to determine. I believe it has to do with the fact that many peoples threshold of pain is very limited. How often do parents give in or lighten up on discipline to their children as their children complain to them. Well, so it has gone with the church, as the people complained about discipline, leadership has wearied and weakened their authority. As discipline subsided, immorality increased and became part of the norm. Doctrine, which is instruction and teaching of the truth, went from detail to summarization, and the balance, from lack of sound doctrine and discipline, is now maintained by mans intellect.
The proof of a well church is one that is maturing due to sound doctrine, is obedient to God's word due to strict discipline, with members dying to self daily, that is, knowing how and why they are to respond to PICK UP YOUR CROSS.