A More Excellent Way!

I actually got an opportunity to watch some t.v. the other day. As I was flipping through the channels I came to a Christian television station which was airing a commercial that caught my attention. The advertisement paraded image after image of children in third world countries living in desperate and poverty stricken circumstances. As this pictorial procession marched by before my eyes, I heard a woman’s voice petitioning me for money to help save these starving children. In a compelling and compassionate voice she told me that giving money to their ministry was a “safe, and simple way of making a difference in the world.” The more I thought about her words, the more I understood the brilliance of the marketing executives who wrote that dialogue. Yes, that one line is a stroke of genius. The executives understand “western Christianity”. You see, many Christians (particularly those living in the U.S.) value comfort and simplicity over sacrifice and mission. We in the west want to know that “we’re doing our part to make the world a better place.” Of course, we don’t really want it to cost us anything. Rather than being a missionary we would prefer to send money. Rather than complicating our lives and inconveniencing ourselves for Christ we prefer to keep things simple. We don’t REALLY want to sacrifice. I mean, if we had to make Jesus’ mission a priority then he might ask us to do something crazy like change vocation, and that might mean I won’t be able to afford that huge S.U.V. that costs about $300/day to gas up. It means that we might not be able to buy our “dream house”; you know the one… with the white picket fence. Oh my goodness, Jesus might just ask us to drop our nets and come follow him. Imagine that! But Jesus, what about my health benefits? I can see it now, Jesus approaching Peter and Andrew as they’re fishing out on Galilee, “Hey guys, come follow me. I’ll make you fishers of men. By the way, don’t worry you’ll have a great 401k with a company match program and competitive pay. It’ll be simple, and safe. You guys will have a great time!” I don’t think so.

Whoever does not take up his cross and come after me may not be my disciple. –Luke 14:26

Jesus calls us to be disciples and to make disciples. The problem is that we have too many “Christians” and not enough disciples. Now, I’m not picking on ministries that support kids in third world countries. I have actually supported a little girl name Payel in India for a few years now. I am though criticizing the mindset that says, “I would rather be comfortable than to advance to gospel.” Jesus is radical. He’s more than just a proposition, He’s a person. He is the express image of God. He has revealed the heart of God to us in his personhood. Jesus has shown us that God is a missionary and so are we. In fact, the centerpiece of God’s strategic plan for the advancement of His Kingdom is the person of Jesus Christ. If we are in Christ (as we should be) then we are NECESSARILY on mission with him! The bottom line: A loving and true commitment to Christ and His Kingdom requires humility, servitude, and obedience all of which demand sacrifice.