Come... and DIE

Now that I’ve been home for almost two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to process and talk through some of the things that the Lord taught me. I want to share the praises, the prayers and the work that the Lord is doing in the South Asian communities of London. I am sure that this entry will be one a few about what happened while on mission.

First, I want to start with something that happened in one of our morning sessions.

We had the opportunity to ask the long term missionaries serving in London questions about their life, how the Lord called them to London, etc.

One of the women on our team asked an older, married mission couple: “What are your hopes and prayers for our generation?”

Her answer was simple and direct.

COME and DIE.

I thought about this the rest of our time there, and it’s been on my mind as I’ve walked back into life in D.C.

I’ve come to Jesus, but am I ready to die to Him? And what does it mean to die?

So far, I’ve been able to break about this idea of dying in two parts:

1) Jesus calls us to die and become a new creation in Him

2) Jesus calls us to literally be ready to lay down our lives for His glory.

1.) Dying and becoming a new creation in Him.

In Romans 12: 1-2, Paul writes for us to no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by renewing of our minds so that we can test and approve God’s will—and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God.

In 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21, Paul writes to the church of Corinth, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We are NEW creations with Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit actively lives within us.

Lastly, 2 Corinthians 5: 15, “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” It stands out to me that we no longer live for ourselves but for HIM. Oswald Chambers writes, “God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same.”

2) Lay down your life and glorify God.

“Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6) Jesus suffered and died—walking with Him involves being obedient.

And Jesus tells us in John 15:20, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”

Jesus calls us in Mark 8: 34, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Jesus. Three steps. Are you trying to follow Jesus without denying yourself? Are you trying to follow Jesus without taking up your cross?

Christy Nockels “Life Light Up” song sums it up….

I may live and I may die
Either way you’re glorified
Bless the day I give my life away

Jesus denied Himself by going to the cross and dying for us. Has anyone ever said, “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything that I haven’t already done myself?” That’s what Jesus tells us. Are you ready to follow Him even if it hurts?

Romans 8:16-17 tells us that the reward is GREAT..."if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory."