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Patience
wins the race. Perseverance is the cost of discipleship. Tenacity is a
virtue. There are many more things one
can say when you own up to Christ Jesus as the center of your life empowering
you to humbly live: “I can do all things
through Him who strengthens me!”
We
are all called by God and for God—this is the genesis of the journey! Long before the people-and-the-steeple; there
was fellowship, prayer, worship and the study of God’s Word... We hear about its beginnings in this tiny
snippet from the book of Acts. This is a
bird’s eye, third person narration of gathering truly and simply for Christ’s
sake to begin both an individual and a corporate spiritual journey of faith.
When
the door slams shut by human hands, God gives us the strength and encouragement
to pry it open and move forward, Thanks BE truly to God! Amen. This is the bright light of the Gospel
burning in our hearts to turn that blind corner to step out on faith—to walk
the talk—LIVE it! It’s beyond us but
built by Christ Jesus as the TRUE center—guiding force in your obedient,
accountable life of faith. A life of
faith realized through GRACE. That 5
letter Word the Old Adam and the Old Eve can’t really understand...
Realizing
the resurrection and the power of Jesus in your life is another kind of
Genesis. It’s a new beginning
spiritually—it is the reality check for the Christian. We are propelled and encouraged by, through
and with Christ as the Holy Spirit challenging us. Challenging us in the face of condemnation,
negativity, control, persecution and death...
Do we allow Satan’s stumbling blocks to win and push Christ aside?
Years
of study, closed doors, glass ceilings later broken—NO it doesn’t have to be at
all! Whatsoever! The seat of your person
is the soul—it is that place where you as your own, unique person is built,
shaped and lived from. It’s not just
spiritual warfare we are daily going to battle from within but from human vice
from our own frailty, susceptibility to evil!
Even in the Body, we must lance this out of our path and focus upon the
goal, center, gate and TRUE prize:
Christ Jesus Himself!
There’s
a wonderful statement of faith that a now martyred Zimbabwe pastor composed
addressing his perseverance, strength and willingness to suffer for the greater
cause: Christ. Here it is in its
entirety—
The Disciple’s Creed (Based on a young Zimbabwe pastor)
ALL: I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been
made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back
away, or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is
secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning,
smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living,
and dwarfed goals. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power. My face is set. My gait is
fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions
few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I will not be bought,
compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not
flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I
will not negotiate at the table of the enemy. I won't give up, shut up, or let
up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for
the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all
know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no
problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!
The
blessing of having had used this on occasion in some bulletins I have created
for worship is the response from congregants.
“Wow, this man’s faith was amazing!” “What a powerful statement of
commitment!” And so on... It’s not
typical but it IS creedal in another way.
Here is this man’s fully honest, humble realization of what he feels he
must DO to truly, TRUTHFULLY follow Christ!
These are by no means softened Words...
But
neither are Jesus’ Words to the disciples in today’s Gospel softened by any
means! To paraphrase he’s saying—Ok guys,
this is the deal—I AM the way, I AM the gate, I AM the leader period and if you
are truly ready to be/ become accountable and obedient to my mission and will
for the world you have to follow me.
Maybe however, our sinful side or Old Nature really doesn’t want to hear
that, yet alone live into it!
We
especially don’t want to hear that when we’ve built a mighty fortress of
doctrine, control, worldly power and agenda above and around Christ Jesus...
Though we even put these stumbling blocks forth using His Name (In vain!)! Why some would declare the Good Shepherd to
be merely a soft-serve ice cream vendor of pious platitudes, cheap grace and
the “warm-fuzzies” of transactional faith! Then Christ died in vain for a bunch
of intellectual idolaters and ingrates! What a tragedy of grave proportions
indeed!
The
author of 1st Peter addresses the truthful reality of walkin’ the
talk TRUTHFULLY: “19For it is a credit to you if, being aware of
God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20If you endure when
you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you
do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21For to this
you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an
example, so that you should follow in his steps.”
The
author of 1st Peter needed to encourage a mixed community of
persecuted Christians to hold fast to Christ as their strength and guide. The Greek in all of today’s scriptures is
wonderful in how it lends itself for us to hear clearly and deeply that
perseverance, tenacity, patience, staying the course, hanging tight is not only
worth it but required.
In an
age where Satan has successfully circumvented the church of Christ with
division, cynicism, politics and agenda... The faithful are encouraged alone by
God to have to press on! The disciple
has to press on and forward without the designer labels of a man-made
perspective or religion. They must
battle being thrown into the “sorting machine” of finding the “perfected”
leader...
From
Luther’s own lips we hear— Trust in God? Or in your own goodness: “It is the Holy Spirit alone who attains to
certainty of faith in Christ without any doubting. The adherents of the sects always utter some
words from which their doubting spirit becomes manifest: “I hope, I’m godly, I
hope, I’m righteous...” The (true) Christian, on the other hand says—“I do what
I can FOR Christ.” What I don’t get done
the suffering of Christ will pay for me.
I’m saved in Christ. No body
shall take this confidence from me.
Jesus is my Savior. There is
nothing else by which our God and our conscience may be put at rest. Those who put their trust not in Christ but
in their own righteousness are always in doubt.”
If
Christ is “not really” our shepherd anymore, yet alone who we truly and
TRUTHFULLY are obedient to claiming to be His disciples and servant leaders... Then who do you follow? What are you leading,
where are you going?
Listen
to Jesus repeat to his disciples what they could not understand: “, “Very
truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before
me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I
am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out
and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
To
be/ become a true Pastor for Christ Jesus is to be able to guard, encourage, and
humbly empower the flock to stay the course of the Gospel. This Gospel is beyond
the-steeple-and-the-people creation of faith; it is a Spiritual Genesis of
faith lived obediently, TRUTHFULLY starting within the heart—soul—identity of
the child of God built by and FOR God alone.
Built by and FOR God alone to love and serve God and neighbor in TRUE
unity and shalom.
AMEN
May 11th, 2014; 4th
Sunday of Easter; Year A; SOLA Lectionary
Nicole Collins
Psalm 23; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter
2:19-25; John 10:1-10
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