“But what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ.”
Philippians 3:7
In our day of gain, privilege and seeking the approval of others we have lost the fundamental power of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. To spend a brief moment considering the above scripture, one can only imagine the depths to which the love of Christ had wrought in Paul a singularity of purpose, how his entire will was bent in one desperate pursuit of Christ alone. Only the love of God can so overcome the inherent love of self to such depths of abandonment.
How the Church of Jesus Christ suffers in our day at the hands of those in whom power, advantage and self-exaltation rise to places of prominence. May the God of all mercy bring us again to the self-effacing Love of Jesus.
The early Church had no teachings of her own, no buildings to glory in and no “ministries” and organizations to promote. The early Church had ministers who constantly exalted Jesus, and made themselves of no reputation apart from Christ. They spent their lives to see the ONE Church walk in the unity of the faith.
They lived what they preached and none of them died a natural death. The power of God was in them, they were carried about in vessels of clay, pressed in Spirit, poured out in love, and ever living to make Christ known.
The Abandoned Life is the fruit of a life captured by the Love of God.
“Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away?
“Lord, to whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life.”
John 6:67-68
Related Article: Abandonment
“Self-denial is the result of a calm, deliberate, invincible attachment to the highest good, flowing forth in the voluntary renunciation of every thing that is inconsistent with the glory of God or the good of our fellow men.”
— Gardiner Spring
Brian Troxel
Amen! What beautiful and wise words! My gains? Everything is loss,…but what I have for Christ. I’ve been in many different churches and denominations. Strangely, I don’t “fit” in some modern churches, my friend. I cling to the truth of Christ, the wisdom and truth in the Bible, and I don’t respond well to prosperity preaching, but to that of true humility–the complete indwelling of the Spirit so fierce so that the humility is a haze that is only made more beautiful by the presence of the Holy Spirit. “Good works”??–the work of God in YOU and THROUGH you–the work of God (John 6:29). Isn’t it liberating to not feel any desire to seek the approval of man? But that anything we do has its origin in Jesus Christ! “Whatever you do (no matter what it is) in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon HIS person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17. I’m a mess, BT! I’m so thankful to Christ–his love, mercy, and grace keep me declaring his glory despite ME. God bless you!
““Whatever you do (no matter what it is) in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon HIS person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” Love the quote and thank you for stopping by. I think I live just North of you (in Canada). I think of you from time to time concerning your health. I hope all is well
Blessings to you and your family
BT
Thank you, BT. It’s my blessing to be here. You’ve always supported and prayed on your visits; I thank you so much!
Your area is very beautiful; although I’ve only seen it by pics. Several of us readers here are in the deep freeze (not like my friends The Fultz family up in Minnesota).
I’ll return to the National Cancer Institute March 2-5th. I have good support from palliative care now~ even more so, Christ gives me comfort. He has me here for a reason so I’ll keep on keeping on! Many blessings and gratitude! Thank you!
What Has The Church Become?
I had a dream the morning of 09/26/2013 . In the dream I was inside a church although not a part of the church, I was just inside observing. I saw 2 sets of pews that were full of people on both sides with an aisle separating the pews. Then I saw, towards the front of the church, a large cross and it was laying with the top corner of the cross and foot of the cross positioned in such a way as for someone to stoop down and get underneath the cross and carry it. The cross was positioned with the foot of the cross towards the pulpit and the top was facing the doors of the church. It was as if it were placed there for anyone willing to stoop down and pick it up. What I found significant is the fact that in every church I have ever been in, the cross was always standing, usually on the platform where the preacher preaches his sermon but here it was not, instead, it was among the people The people in either side of the pews paid no attention to it as they were engaged in worship getting their Holy Spirit buzz. Then I saw a young man get out of the pew, walk towards the cross,stoop down, pick it up, and then proceed to walk out of the church. I remember people laughing at him as he did this. Sound familiar? The young man was undeterred and carried the cross, now his cross out of the church. “He carried his own cross and went out of the city to a location called The Skull. (In Hebrew this place is called Golgotha.)That is why Jesus suffered outside the gates of Jerusalem. He suffered to make the people holy with his own blood. So we must go to him outside the camp and endure the insults he endured.
(Heb 13:12-13)
(Joh 19:17)
Whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me doesn’t deserve to be my disciple. (Mat 10:38)
The cross is an object of scorn. shame, ridicule, and finally death
“The people in either side of the pews paid no attention to it as they were engaged in worship getting their Holy Spirit buzz.”
Were any of these precious persons worshiping in spirit and in truth? Were they if, as the Holy Spirit’s perfect workmanship, His work in perfecting progress, thereby receptive and responsive to Him? Almost overly obvious is that the latter question is rhetorical.
Richly relevant to this dream is that not even a single one of us ever deserves whatsoever anything at all good from the Father of undeserved mercies and the God of unearned grace, including that of being Jesus’ disciple, and such is so exceedingly extravagantly to the everlasting praise and thanksgiving of His infinitely meritorious, eternally expanding, awe-striking glory. To truly love the One Beautiful God in any measure for even a millisecond in the individuality of our lives takes our Creator’s sole initiative, His sovereign intervention, His supreme involvement.
The foregoing is the forever immutable, imputed, redemptive reality of the Christocentricity and crux of the cross from righteous rebirth to heaven hereafter.
Galatians 2:20 CJB
When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me.
Romans 8:30 AMP
And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity].
Titus 3:5 NOG
he saved us, but not because of anything we had done to gain his approval. Instead, because of his mercy he saved us through the washing in which the Holy Spirit gives us new birth and renewal.
Amen