Christian. Christ follower. Disciple. The people of The Way. In Acts 17:6 whereas Jason and others were chided to be, “these who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” So what defines a Christian? A prayer? As the late Keith Green said, every religion prays. A church or denomination? Every sect, denomination, movement, and cult have buildings and people—some fueled by passion and others fueled by family devotion or tradition. A sacrifice…yea, even a sacrifice of life? Perhaps to this end we may have the answer. But the issue isn’t will a follower lay down their life for their leader (whether God, god, prophet, or guru). It comes down will the leader lay down their life to give of life so that others may have life? Will that leader lay down their life to provide a way…correction THE WAY? Will that leader lay down their life not for a subjective truth but THE TRUTH? And it was not a sacrifice of five minutes or five dollars…it was a sacrifice of all. It was a sacrifice of everything. Nothing to remain; all to Jesus. Why? Because it was never ours to begin with.
The early church—which originally started with Jesus and the twelve and then 120 in the upper room and then to thousands from various nations whose lives were converted to Christ—needed something radical to happen in the heart of the followers. Although almost always used in the context of financial giving, there is a small phrase or question that I would like to lift from this passage of Acts 5 with a question I’d like to pose. Acts 5:1-4 (emphasis added), “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’” To be a Christian—a Follower, The Way, etc.—meant that you made a decision that you were not your own. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says (emphasis added), “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” So is our life His or is it still our own?
And to God there are many areas where will give/profess to God our all. But with God the Father and Christ His Son as our examples (the measuring stick, the standard, the ruler, the plumbline), where do we measure? When Jesus noted the widow who gave her all—two minas—what do we give accordingly in church? When Jesus gave His disciples a final lesson by washing their feet—a servant-leader heart—what have we done? When Jesus challenged His men to understand that the world will know that they are His disciples when they have/show love, do we love? And added to that, do we love only those who love us…if so, what does it profit us as Jesus asked (Matthew 5:46-47)?
We sing songs with lyrics “I give myself away”, “I surrender all”, and the like but we are always in the comfort of our church knowing that in about an hour we will leave to the comfort of our home and will go to the comfort of our job the next day and throughout all that time will be in the comfort of our family and/or friends. Did we, while at church, sit and calculate how much we have remaining to affect our heart’s desire to give in the offering plate? We all can look in our closets to see an assortment of clothes, some to half we hardly or never wear. We choose to eat out after church or eat a choice of food in our home. In all this, is it not still our own?
So what compels us? What propels us? What sets our jaw firm and our gaze like flint? Is it a peptalk? Is it a rebuke? Is it when we like the rich man in Luke 16:19 fared sumptuously because we have no lack or little lack that brings discomfort to our lives so a level sacrifice/commitment means so little? To borrow from the bridge of a song The Goodness of God, “With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give You everything”, but why? What should compel us to give all, surrender all, pour out our lives (like Daniel Nelson and his family did and a host of others)? Because of “the goodness of God”. And only because what we have is tied to Jesus based on what Jesus said in John 15:5 AMP (emphasis added), “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off form vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” Contrastingly we love to parade our resume. We talk of sermons preached, lives touched, money given, outreaches walked, people prayed for, ministries served…but often there is a singular note or commonality: the past, often years in the past that many these feats were done. We may still serve now. We may give now. But what was sacrificed then? When we gave our all then, is it sufficient or more than sufficient to cover or to minimize what is ours now?
CT Studd said, “Christ’s call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and cathedrals at home in which to tock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from the Devil’s clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus Christ.” CT Studd also quipped the following poem (shortened):
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last…
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has burned out for Thee.
Dr. Alexander Duff, the great missionary to India, returned to Scotland to die after years of devoted and faithful service to spread Jesus to India. But before he died, he stood before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, he made his appeal, but there was no response. In the midst of his appeal, he fainted and was carried off the platform. As the doctor bent over him to examine his heart, Alexander opened his eyes. “Where am I?” he cried. “Where am I?” “Lie still,” said the doctor. “Your heart is very weak.” “But,” exclaimed the old warrior, “I must finish my appeal. Take me back. Take me back. I haven’t finished my appeal yet.” “Lie still,” said the doctor again, “you are too weak to go back.” But the aged missionary struggled to his feet; his determination overcoming his weakness. And with the doctor on one side and the moderator on the other side, the old white-haired warrior was led again to the platform. As he mounted the pulpit steps, the entire Assembly rose to do him honor. Then he continued his appeal. “When Queen Victoria calls for volunteer for India,” he exclaimed, “hundreds of young men respond; but when King Jesus calls, no one goes.” Then he paused. “Very well,” he concluded, “If Scotland has no more young men to send to India, then, old and decrepit though I am, I will go back. And even though I cannot preach, I can lie down on the shores of the Ganges and die in order to let the people of India know that there is at least one man in Scotland who cares enough for their souls to give his life for them.”
I truly love and applaud those who have gone. I truly love and applaud those who are gone. With tear stains on my cheeks, I very eagerly await my time to be about my Father's work. But we cheer for others who say, “I will go” and yet sit in our comfortable chairs with our pressed clothes. We may also say, “I will give” while our minds drift during sermons to our meal at Taco Bell or Texas Roadhouse. Emotion fades. We forget the appeal because it doesn’t affect us directly. Flag waving ceases. Decisions made in comfort seem to give way to other priorities. Why? As Peter asked Ananias, was it still not your own? Is our response to give or go a lie then? Is it made in haste with regret and bitterness later? Is it made in the moment of emotion and impassioned by an eloquent speaker when challenged, but later when we look around us with what we have, is it now too much to sacrifice? I cannot help but think of Adoniram Judson and his wife Emily when in Calcutta or even prior to then while aboard the Caravan leaving from Salem, Massachusetts when it began to really hit her that the fine comforts of Boston or even while momentarily enjoyed by William Carey’s hospitality would give way to a life of lack and discomfort. But is what our life is now all there is? Do we erect palaces of comfort when the words of CT Studd echo the clarion call from God, “Only one life ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last” or (Luke 12:20), “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”. Is our comfort and life still our own? Is our career our own? Is our children or grandchildren our own? Or is the goodness of God sufficient to give everything?
Who will stand in (insert your city’s name) to not only declare His Word but to also live it out for others to see, like Dr. Duff a man/woman who cares enough for their souls to give his/her life for them? Who will ask for King Jesus to light our lives like a lamp so others can see us burn…yea to burn out for Thee (as CT Studd said)? Who will go to the lost and hurting (insert another city’s name)? Who will go to the broken? Who will go to St. Jospeh (Missouri)? Who will go to Council Bluffs (Iowa)? Who will go to Liberty or Kearney (Missouri)? Who will go to Lincoln (Nebraska)? Who will go to Montpelier or Burlington (Vermont)? Who will go to Portland (Maine)? Who will go to Dandong (China)? Who will go to Pyongyang (North Korea)? Who will go to Nuuk (Greenland)? Who will go to Kabul (Afghanistan)? Who will got to Tehran (Iran) or Khartoum (Sudan) or Port au Prince (Haiti) or Copenhagen (Denmark) or a host of other countries? Who will say that learning a people or language or culture or find local events (as places to evangelize for Jesus) is a small price to pay? Who will say that I will get myself out of debt, get my finances in order, get my heart set on the things above to be prepared and available to go (or even to give so others may go)? Will our past victories be sufficient or will our lives be spent in current victories for Christ? Who will depart from their children or grandchildren to (perhaps) a one-way trip into destiny in another city/nation so those people may know Christ as you know Him? Will the price paid by others while we only cheer for them and do no more be sufficient? Who will be the people of The Way? Or sadly, as I return to Peter’s question again, “Is it still not your own” be the testimony of our life?