WE DIE, DAILY

 " OUR HEAVENLY FATHER PURPOSE AND WILL IS, THAT THE VERY LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST, WOULD BE MANIFESTED IN THE BODY OF CHRIST, HIS CHURCHES. "

Biblical Truth Time With, Your Serving National And Global Nations Social Media, Apostle James R, Winfree, Sr.

Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean. Many religious people and lukewarm leaders, interpret the cross as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a hard difficult job, a physical illness.

With self-fleshly weak pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Him.” When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.

Three thousand years later, Christ's disciples and followers view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.

Therefore, Receive the Lord God Jesus Christ, And Allow His Life To Be Live Out In You, As God's Sons And Daughters, means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus, and to be open and honest we are already dead, we died with Jesus gave His life on His cross.

This is called “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 Him will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his or her very soul?” ( Luke 9:24-25 ). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless my spiritual heavenly Kingdom family.

Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was, and what He would do was distorted. They thought Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman masters.

Even Christ’s own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon ( Luke 19:11 ). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile leaders ( Luke 9:22 ), His popularity went downhill. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His, just like so many of today's religious leaders and ministers along with their massive followers.

Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus Christ assured us that trials will come to His followers ( John 16:33 ). Discipleship demands sacrifice and Jesus never hid that cost, dying of self.

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.

Therefore, Jesus appeared to dissuade them. How different from the typical Gospel presentation! How many people would respond to the death of self, its time and long overdue to leave our tweaked evil sinful flesh dead on our cross, “And come follow Jesus, and you will face the loss of relatives, religious family, worldly friends, reputation, career, and possibly even your life and the lost of lukewarm leaderships”.

The number of false converts would likely decrease! Such a call is what Jesus Christ meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions my brothers and sisters:
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing many 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?, And the cold dead religious religions putting you out of their groups and fellowships?

Right here at home in America and so many places around our world, this very t thing is happening, these consequences are reality. But notice the questions are phrased, “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but are you willing to take up your cross? If there comes a point in your life where you are faced with a choice, Jesus Christ or the comforts of this life, which will you choose, yes you?

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 Him not me or them”) with the gift of life in Christ: “For whoever wants to save his or her life will lose it, but whoever loses his or her life for the blessed Lord Jesus Christ will find it” ( Matthew 16:25-26 ). Are you who is reading this, you All in? ninety-nine in a half just won't do, you gotta make a hundred and our holy blessed Savior in our Hundred. Amen.

Lovingly, Truthfully, Respectfully, Straight Out Of God's Living Word.

Given By, Apostle James R, Winfree, Sr.

( J.B.W.M. ).