Sacrifice is not a word we hear too often in Christian life. I wonder how many sermons we have heard throughout our church life focused on suffering and sacrifice. Yet every New Testament book from the Gospels right through to the Book of Revelation talks about suffering and a life of sacrifice as a normal part of a Christian’s life. We may even say that the New Testament seems preoccupied with seeking to encourage and strengthen the reader in the midst of trials, tribulations and suffering. It is as if the writers of the New Testament assumed a life of suffering and sacrifice was part and parcel of the Christian life. A quick look at early church history and we can see why this was so.
In this day and age, the only group of people that seem to be prepared for a life of sacrifice are those enlisting in the armed forces. Military personnel are trained and prepared for a life of hardship, suffering and sacrifice. They and their families are indeed a very special breed of people. Some countries honour their military folk better than others. The United States for instance takes great care in honouring members of their defence force. Airlines in the US single out military personnel and give them priority boarding as a gesture of honour and appreciation. It is very common to see Americans walking up to a uniformed personnel and thanking them for their service.
Sacrifice is a good word. In fact sacrifice used to be a common word in Christendom. Just as with military service, sacrifice was something the early church expected of every Christian. Without sacrifice it was impossible to follow Jesus. In fact Jesus spoke about counting the cost of being His followers in Luke 14:25-33.
(NLT) And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. “But don’t begin until you count the cost…So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
We have sugar coated Christianity to a point that speaking about a life of sacrifice has become unpopular to say the least. In some quarters we may be accused of preaching another gospel or the gospel of “ungrace”. The reality however is that anyone who signs up to be a Christian will face times of testing, trials and tribulation. Jesus spoke of coming to Him as if it was enlisting in a life of service and sacrifice. This is how He put it:
Luke 9:23 (NLT) Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
No sugar coating. Just the raw facts. Not very popular and definitely not mega church sermon material. Here is Christ’s pre-interview checklist.
Pre-interview Checklist prior to becoming a follower of Christ
You want to be a Christ follower?
√ Are you ready to give up your own way?
√ Are you prepared to take up your cross daily?
√ Are you willing to follow Jesus?
FIRST ITEM IN THE CHECKLIST – Give up your own way
The first step to becoming a disciple of Jesus is the willingness to give up all of your ways.
“All of my ways?” Yes all of your ways.
“How about I give up Sunday morning and tithe regularly to my church? Can we start with that and see how we go?”
The reality is that most church leaders will be really happy if you just gave up your Sunday morning and tithed regularly. “We can work with that. That will keep the institution we call church afloat.” So if it’s “church-ianity” you are looking for, then just a few adjustments to your lifestyle will be more than enough. But if you are looking to be a follower of Christ, then be prepared to give up your own way.
It get’s worse as you read on the later verses of chapter 9 of Luke’s gospel
Luke 9:57-62 (NLT) As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Sounds a little harsh doesn’t it? Why can’t we throw the guy a bone? Let’s ease the guy into commitment. It’s the modern church way. Let’s get them through the door first, then prepare them for the tough stuff. That’s not the Jesus way. He made it crystal clear right from the onset – there’s a price to pay to be a follower of Christ – are you ready to give up your own way?
SECOND ITEM IN THE CHECKLIST – ARE YOU PREPARED TO TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY?
It is worth keeping in mind that Jesus hadn’t died on the cross yet. So when the crowds heard him say take up your cross – how would they have understood it? The cross was one of the most heinous punishments the Romans had for criminals. Crucifixion was so inhumane that Roman citizens were exempted from this punishment. The criminal facing crucifixion carries his own cross and walks towards a certain destiny – imminent death. Wonder what’s going through his mind? Do you think he was fixated on how offensive his neighbour was the other day? Do you think he was preoccupied about how his wife burnt dinner last night? Of course not. Everything becomes trivial in light of his impending torture and death. The cross he is carrying reminds him, every step he takes, that his life is already over.
Paul’s life of carrying the cross looked like this.
Galatians 2:19-20 (NLT) For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
For the apostle Paul, the Christian life mandated crucifying the old self. Living the present life with the constant awareness that he was dead but Christ lived in him. And living everyday required him to trust in Jesus – who loved him and did the crucified life for him.
So back to the pre-interview checklist. You still want to be a follower of Christ?
√ Are you ready to give up your own way?
√ Are you prepared to take up your cross daily?
√ And the final item in the checklist – Are you willing to follow Jesus?
THIRD ITEM IN THE CHECKLIST – MAKING ROOM FOR THE OTHER
During the times of Jesus on earth, what would it have meant to the listeners to follow Jesus on a daily basis?
– The woman at the well (John 4): Society thought him to stay away from those Samaritans. What does Jesus do? John chapter four says “he had to go through Samaria”. Why? Cos he had to talk to the woman at the well. He had to make room for her so it required him to deviate from societal norms. If you wanted to follow him, you had to be prepared to go against the grain.
– Blind man Bartimaeus (Mark 10) – Crowds throng the great healer, hoping to receive a blessing. No one gave blind Bartimaeus the time of day. In fact his cry for help was an annoyance to them. “Shut up, the holy man has no time for a sinner like you.” But to their amazement Jesus stops. Calls him and asks him an intimate question – “What do you want me to do for you?”. If you were following Jesus, you had to be prepared to make room for the least of those in society.
– Zacchaeus (Luke 19) – Another day, another mindset to be shattered. This time you face a wealthy chief tax collector. Everyone hates him. One of those concessions made by society. Some people are just scums of the earth. Pariahs, who deserve public scorn. Zacchaeus however is used to the social distancing practices around him. It doesn’t stop him from making his way through the crowd, up a tree to see Jesus. Isn’t it sad how many hurdles people have to clear to get to Jesus? Again Jesus stops. Makes room for Zacchaeus. “I must stay in your house today.” Following Jesus can sometimes mean hanging out with people your church peers might not approve of. Note what the crowds said about Jesus – “All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.””
This is why it is hard to follow Jesus. He goes to unpopular places, hangs out with unpopular people, and does unpopular things. You still want to be a follower of Jesus? Are you prepared to follow him to the point you make room for the “other” – the one that is different, the one that doesn’t belong, the one that doesn’t fit the norm. The one who is weak. The straggler, the struggling, the vulnerable and the one in need.
The only way you will survive enlisting as a follower of Jesus:
√ GIVE UP YOUR OWN WAY
√ TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY
√ SO YOU CAN MAKE ROOM FOR THE OTHER EVERYDAY
So you’ve enlisted as a follower of Christ have you? That’s great. So have I. Then the word sacrifice won’t be an issue for you. But if you are anything like me, I have to remind myself of this checklist daily.
√ Give up my own way – I give up the need to please myself
√ Take up my cross daily – I remind myself daily I am dead, Christ now lives in me
√ Why do I do this? Cos I want to follow Jesus. And to follow Jesus I must make room for the other everyday.
So I invite you to do the same. Let’s not kid ourselves. Following Jesus does require sacrifice. But don’t let that stop you. The rewards that come with knowing Him outweighs the cost. Compared to a life without Him – it’s no sacrifice.