“Tell me, where are the ones with the heart for warfare -- the ones that died to say, “This is the price you pay”? Step up! There is no glory without death. Step up. Who will answer the call? Death is glory!”
(Lyrics from Phoenix by For Today)
Do we understand the meaning in these words? These words do not glorify physical death but death to self; the voluntary laying down of ones right to self-determination and selfishness. Do we understand that death to self is not the final goal of the Christian life but the beginning? How far have we fallen back from the original call of Christ and made it an invitation to “a relationship”?
Look at the words Jesus used with His disciples and early followers:
-- If anyone would follow me he must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Matt10:38; Luke 14:27)
-- Whoever comes to me and does not hate ... even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26; Matt 10:37)
The disciples dropped everything, left their fathers with the nets, left their tax collector tables, and followed Him.
Even a casual reading of Romans chapter 6 gives us a tremendous look at what Watchman Nee called “The Normal Christian Life”.
Why was it so easy for the early believers to leave everything and follow Jesus and yet it is so hard for us to do the same? Has human nature changed that much? Has society changed so drastically? Is Western culture really that influential on our modern day? Any number of these could be true and yet in the end does it really matter? Circumstances and times have changed but the call has not changed. We all have to deal with the realities of the call of the Gospel. We have to come to grips with the fact of our choice regarding discipleship and the inevitable surrender of the will. The question is not ‘am I willing to die for Christ’, although this is a valid question we all should give careful thought to. The question is whether I will die to myself and live for Christ and Christ alone!
The first lines of this post are a sample of the lyrics of a song by a Christian hardcore band called For Today. They are a group of ex-drug addicts who have been saved from the brink of destruction are now devoted to preaching the Gospel to whoever will listen. Their message is hard hitting and relevant to the times. Having had a good opportunity to study Wesleyan Holiness and finding the message to be something today’s Christian desperately needs I find myself drawn to authors and musicians that have a no compromise message. They are a continual reminder to me that (# 1) I have not arrived yet and that (#2) not achieving #1 yet should empower me to strive harder to achieve that goal instead of using it as an excuse for a lack of self-discipline or lack of commitment. I have to agree with Paul, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
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