In several places in the gospels, Jesus mentioned the word “cross”. This
didn’t refer to the wooden cross he bore for our sake at the end. In fact
whenever he mentioned the word cross it was referring to the cross that we,
as his disciples, would bear. It is actually this very cross and the fact that we
bear it that marks us as His true disciples. Let’s see this from God’s Word:
Luke 14:25-33
“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto
them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife,
and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot
be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come
after me, cannot be my disciple. ….whosoever he be of you that forsaketh
not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
Matthew 16:23
“But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an
offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those
that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever
will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Matthew 10:33
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my
Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I
came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance
against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in
law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own
household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life
for my sake shall find it.”
2 Timothy 3:12
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Looking at the above we can see that following Christ may brings us at
odds with society, with those with whom we are familiar – even with our own
parents or children. As unpleasant as this may be, it is Christ we should
follow. In fact no man can be a disciple of Christ if he has not taken up his
cross, accepting and bearing the consequences of being a Christian.
It is especially important to heed at these words and to make a deep
decision in our hearts that we will follow Christ and God’s Word whatever the
circumstances may be. That we will believe the Word of God regardless of
what men and their philosophies and theories may say. It may not be pleasant
to the flesh to do this. We all may want to be acceptable by everybody, but
sometimes, when it cross the Word of God this may not be possible. We must
not step back and retreat but we must bear the cross holding to our faith.
What is stronger? What is more valid? Men, their theories and opinions or the
word of God? Men’s theories come and go, but God’s word remains. I’ll give
you an example: in our time and in our “Christian societies” almost everybody
that is not a Christian believes that the world came out of nothing and evolved
out of its own. Is this what the Word of God says? A tour in the first chapters
of Genesis shows that this is not so. It is God that created everything. Hebrews
summarizes it as follows:
Hebrews 11:3
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,
so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear.
What the world says (evolution) comes in stark opposition to what the
Word of God says. What do we as Christians do? Very simple: we believe the
Word of God! If God says something then we believe what God says! The key
word here is “believe”, “through faith” as Hebrews says. Seeing is not
believing. Instead by faith, by believing it is like we have seen it. Does God’s
Word says it? If yes we believe it, without caring about what people say. But
we may be ridiculed by the others. We may be laughed at and we may be called
with names by others that because of our faith considers us fools. Well, this is
our cross. As R. T. Kendal says:
1
R. T. Kendal, Believing God, Authentic classics, p.17
to believe it. Does the Word says it? If yes believe it, if not don’t believe it,
regardless of what others – we call them “experts” – may say. This is a child
like faith and this is what pleases the Father. A child like faith to what the
Father says.
Here are some more verses to help us see that being a disciple of Jesus
Christ does mean accepting the possibility of being persecuted (this may
meant physically persecuted in some countries and in some ages, and/or
ridiculed and made look fool, like in our time and in Western societies). They
also show us what we should do:
2 Timothy 3:12
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 4:2
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek.
John 17:14
“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
1 Corinthians 15:19
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
1 Thessalonians 3:3
“That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that
we are appointed thereunto.”
John 12:43
For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Mark 8:38
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be
ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Luke 12:8
“Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the
Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me
before men shall be denied before the angels of God”
Rom 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek.”
It is a sinful generation that NEED what you believe. Let’s not water
down the message of the gospel, the treasure we have, just to avoid the
consequences that go with it. Instead let’s take up the cross and follow the
Savior that was revealed to us.
Tassos Kioulachoglou.