To carry their cross

“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)

 

When you listen to Jesus, might sometimes think that He is too cold. Because Jesus said that nobody can become the disciple unless one hates own parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even one’s own life. Then, is really there anyone who can become a disciple of Jesus? Just as building a watchtower requires calculating the cost in advance, and establishing a strategy for winning in order to fight the enemy, solid thoughts and determination are essential to become Jesus’ disciple. There would be some people who do wishing to live their faith roughly with a moderate taste of this and that, but those people cannot be true disciples of the Lord.

 

One problem with modern Christian theology is the ideas of syncretism. For an example, in the matter of believing in Jesus, some recognize the Savior Jesus as a being of personality, and others understand by incorporating the concept of salvation into the symbolic name Jesus. According to the latter, Jesus can be different existences in several sences, accordingly various forms of Jesus will be able to emerge. Most of those who dislike the dogmatism of theology will be willing positively to go along with the idea. If it is done, the traditional Jesus of conservative doctrine would disappear, at the same time pure Christianity would become not exist. Isn’t that a situation in which Jesus’ words in Luke 18:8, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” are proven exactly?

God, that is, Jesus Christ as the Lord of Faith who makes a man integrity, we do not deny that He is the Absolute. So if He wants to, we have to accept everything with saying ‘Amen!’. And parents, wives and children, brothers and sisters, and moreover, own life are the precious subjects for us to protect in the world. Here if the interests of both collide, it is a main question of who should avoid and which to choose. The theoretical answer is simple, so there would be no one not to be able to answer according to reason’s judgment. However, there is placed a condition called ‘faith’ between those who know the answer and those who do not. Of course, those who don’t have a normal faith shall be considered to belong to the side of those who don’t have faith.

Jesus’ words are not heartless, but merely expressions as if like cold to convey the exact meaning. A half done expressions can temporarily make you feel better, but because of uncertainty, they may not convey the core of meaning. In cases where the subjective opinion is not clear, people often use a half done expressions so, but there are many side effects caused by it. Because of saying it requires calculation and determination for the right faith, there would be also people expressing doubts, saying “Belief is made of a spiritual inspiration by the Holy Spirit,”. But for believing in Jesus, we require more solid thought and determination than anything else. The reason why people who had been enthusiastic before stopped going to church at present is because they had roughly been in church living without the right thoughts and resolutions in the past. Please keep in mind that Satan has a strong technique and ability to seduce people, so if they do not refine their will and judgment in the Holy Spirit, they are likely to be fallen as Satan’s sacrifice.

Christ’s disciple is the spiritual soldier for Christ. Bible says, in Ephesians 6:11~18, the Spiritual War is a battle against the spirits of evil, and for this fight, you must wear the full armor of God. The present battle field of our fight is the life itself we live in today where Satan is active. If we lead our life to spiritual victory, we could stand upright in front of God's court the last judgment later. The tools necessary for this fight are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and the prayers and requests. If a life of praying to the Lord is maintained in peace in the Holy Spirit after being saved through the word of truth, Satan will not make dare fall over me.

 

If carry one’s own cross and follow the Lord, we could well act as salt to prevent corruption in the world. For own cross is my duties given from the Lord for my blessing. When white blood cells do their job, the body’s health is maintained by blocking germs, but if you get sepsis, blood rots and soon dies. If Christians don’t try to take their cross, both themselves and the world will be ruined all. The cross given by the Lord is not a heavy burden, but an original fountain of ability to save oneself and the world. Let’s try to save the world by playing the role of salt as a disciple of Christ.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Dec 11th 2022)