LUKE NINE TWENTY THREE
This scripture is a very clear word from the lips of Jesus to the crowd that was following after Him, just after telling His disciples about the death He was soon to suffer, to die, and be raised again three days later. Check it out by reading from verse twenty one to twenty seven. What do you think He meant by telling these people that "you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follower me"? This sounds very much like a command that He meant to be followed, in order to qualify as being a "committed follower of Jesus"! But when did you ever hear that stressed at the close of an evangelistic meeting? I have been to many such meetings but have never heard that sort of an "invitation" given. It is usually something like "come forward and repeat this prayer after me, and if you really mean it, you will be saved and spend eternity in heaven with Jesus". A prayer similar to that is called "the sinners prayer", and many people have repeated such a prayer at the close of a meeting when their emotions have perhaps been stirred by something they were told by the preacher, and they followed his instructions. But my question is—is that the same thing as Jesus is telling this crowd that were following Him that day? Just a question, that I have been caused to ask myself a few weeks or months or even years after such a "decision" was made by such a person, when they are still involved in the same old sinful lifestyle they lived before they made their decision. Something is definitely wrong with that picture in my opinion.
I don't consider myself as being critical, but merely being an observer of seeing many people in church circles that I have been part of over the years. My common sense would tell me that if there is no "changed life" visible after their "conversion", then they are not really a true believer in Jesus. And I would hazard a guess that a high percentage of the members in a typical "church" are in this position, but only God knows for sure because He alone knows the heart of everyone. There is so much deception that has entered the church scene lately, through "false teachers" spreading their "unbiblical doctrines", that many people are being deceived. Part of this problem is caused by even true "born again" believers who don't read their Bibles regularly, and many are not filled with the Spirit as Paul commands us to be in (Eph 5:18-20), we can only know these things by studying the scriptures. Even scriptures like the portion we are looking at today from the Gospel of Luke can easily be skimmed over without realizing the importance of the meaning of the words of Jesus, who clearly declared in (John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". This is a very important scripture to know, that I would suggest should be memorized along with many others like (John 3:16-17). Once you memorize a scripture it is always there in your mind when you need it to quote to our common enemy Satan when he comes to tempt us, as he did our first parents in the Garden of Eden!!
Sincerely submitted.
Dave Jamer 18/11/13
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