Greetings from us to you, dear friend. We are living at a time when being a young person and a Christian is almost impossible because of the pressures to conform to the standards of the world and to the pressure of post-modern life. Post modernity centres on self-fulfillment and living all for yourself and this is a temptation we all face every single day. Critically, while we are in such an imposing society, we should be constantly reminded of the radical statement that the Lord Jesus said, on which the whole scope of Christian discipleship hinges on which says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The call that our great Saviour makes here is one of “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless. Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost. In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests. Questions for us in our day would include: † Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends? † Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family? † Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation? † Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job? † Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life? Although we might not have to face these tough choices in a lifetime, the question is on our ‘willingness’ to commit to Christ regardless of what the situation demands. If there comes a point in your life where you are faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose? Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Jesus followed His call of death to self (“Take up your cross and follow Me”) with the gift of life in Christ: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25-26). It is our goal to bring young people to such a commitment where Jesus is supreme and can be chosen above the comforts of this world and hence we will be having the inaugural edition of The Cross March which will see as many young people as this city can gather coming together regardless of denomination to make a statement for their faith, and symbolically carry their cross and make an appeal for the Gospel in the city. DATE: 12/04/14 Contact us if you are interested individually and on behalf of your Youth group!
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:04:57 +0000
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