Let Go Or Leave... And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62 KJV) Friends, I will never stop calling our attention to what we are and called to do in Christ Jesus. Jesus did not come to give us a religion. He is not the founder of Christianity aka Christian religion. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is not the founder of any religion in the whole wide world. > Following Jesus is not like dressing up to go for church service on any particular day(s) in a week. • Jesus says that following Him is like ploughing. To plough/plow to breaking up soil and cutting furrows in preparation for sowing. And Jesus says that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62 AMP) > The things behind are material things every human need in this world; things like house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands(properties) (Mark 10:29). Everyone that met with Jesus or called or desired to follow Jesus has two options: let go everything behind and follow Him or leave Him. You cant follow Jesus and still attached to the things behind. + For the first disciples; when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. (Luke 5:11 NKJV) + For Matthew he left all, rose up, and followed Him. (Luke 5:28 NKJV) + For Paul: what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:7-14 NKJV) It must cost us all things to be true disciples of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Following Jesus is dead to the world, which is foolishness to every reasonable human being. For Jesus, His relations said He is out of His mind- Mk 3:21. > One day Peter began to say to Jesus, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:28-31 NKJV) • Friends, people who knew you will call you crazy if you make up your mind to follow the Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There are many Jesus people are preaching today, but theres one and only Jesus Christ of Nazareth. > We have to come to the point we say what Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:68-69 NKJV) • Jesus wants our all, not 10% or 50% or 99.9% but 100%. > Let us learn from the encounter of the young rich man with Jesus. He had all he need religiously, psychologically, physically and financially. He was willing to know what he must do to be rich spiritually too, which would made him perfect. Then Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21 NKJV) Jesus showed him three things he must do to be perfect: 1. Sell what(all) you have; some rich men can dare to sell all they have so long they keep some change out of the sales. But the second said, 2. Give it all to the poor; still some rich can do that so long they are recognized as philanthropists by others. Then the third one came, 3. Come, follow Me; its hard to find a rich man that will do this. Following a poor Jesus of Nazareth after selling everything and relinquishing them all to the poor, you want him to follow a man who dont have any plan for business in this world? Indeed it was a hard saying to the young rich man that the bible said, when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:22 NKJV) + You must let go of things behind, come and follow Jesus or you leave Him; and when you leave Him like the young rich man did, you joined those who sell the Word/Anointing of God (Read Matt 25:6-13). • Friends, I am also challenging myself to do what Jesus says, Come, follow Me. > Many things there are thats pulling us back from following the Jesus Christ of Nazareth. + Personally, I have made up my mind to follow Him since 1993 He saved me from sin and called me into the ministry. I have played church like many are doing today but within my heart I know its not like that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went (not building place of worship) about doing good and healing all (not some) who were oppressed by the devil (free of charge without collecting tithes and offerings), for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38 NKJV) • That same God that was with Jesus is with me. As a pastor of a local church, I have prayed for a member whose husband rushed to my house in midnight because she was stricken with mental problem and she was healed. Today they live in Enugu and they love me dearly. I have seen real miracles that I dont doubt about the power in the name of Jesus. But theres this pull from cares and pressures to be like the churches people know today. Still God gives me deep revelations of the truth that it takes the mind of Christ to grasp. I know He know me more than I know myself and He will perfect that which concerned me in life and ministry. I went for missionary work last year October to Nigeria according to His calling upon my life to reach out to the people in interior villages, and I came back this year March. Everyone that know me know that I believe so much in the faith, and God has proved Himself to me to be faithful and caring. I never lacked any good things I need except when I think about my parents, siblings and relations. I hate to see the poor in need, I want to see their need meet. > We all need to study again about the Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and check ourselves to know if we truly following Him. * Are you not tired of all this church thing people are playing? Where is that faith, hope and love that was among the early church? The bible says that with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, (Acts 4:33-34 NKJV) > They werent collecting tithes and offerings like many churches today, yet there was no needy person among them. They really experienced the hundredfold Jesus promised those that will let go of things behind and follow Him. + Im asking us this question: Are you ready to let go of things behind and follow Jesus or you leave Him to follow those that sell? + Jesus is saying to us, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62 AMP) Friends, may you be found worthy to be His disciple and fit for the kingdom of God in Jesus Name! Amen! You shall plow like Jesus and not perish like Lots wife! (1Cor 15:10)
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 02:19:57 +0000
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