Saturday, July 1, 2023

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Serve Christ

 


    John 12:26
If anyone Serves Me, he must follow Me: and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, The Father will honor him. 

    To serve Christ is to follow Christ. To follow Christ is to know where He began His ministry and start from there. 
    The first place He went is to be baptized in the river-Matthew 3:13-17.
    Secondly, Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray for forty days, after which He was tempted by Satan three times-Matthew 4:1-10. 
    ThirdlyHe evangelized, preaching the gospel of the repentance of sins and living a changed life-"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
    Fourthly,  He encouraged people to join Him as He ministered to the people in the towns He traveled through-Matthew 4:19; John 1:35-51. He discipled men from various walks of life into the gospel of salvation-Matthew 10:4 (the disciples 12). 
    Fifthly, He ministered to the needs of the people everywhere The Father sent Him. All required forgiveness. Many required healings. Some were raised from the dead. As The Father spoke, The Son obeyed-John 5:19; 12:50. 
    Sixthly, He was arrested for treason and tried in a mockery of a trial; forced to carry His cross after being tortured, the weight of which He could not bear alone. He hung on this cross He had to carry and was buried in a borrowed tomb.
    Seventhly, He rose from the dead, having conquered death, hell and the grave. He received a new body in which He was unrecognizable to everyone who knew Him until He spoke or their eyes were opened to who was speaking with them.
    Ultimately, He ascended into the eternal presence of His heavenly Father. 
    Throughout His earthly ministry Christ retreated several times from the public eye to pray, to speak with His Father in private. To receive strength and instruction and loving devotion. Having Him thus as our example, we, too, should desire to get apart from the madding crowd and seek alone time with our heavenly Father. 
    We see that to serve Christ is to follow Christ. Come, let us serve Him together. 
I Will Wait For You - Shane & Shane
Spirit Break Out/Not By Might - Sean Feucht & Kim Walker-Smith
Belong To You - Here Be Lions
Strength of My Life - Vertical Worship
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me - CityAlight
I Will Serve The Lord - Carman
Not My Will - Kim Walker-Smith
Where You Go, I'll Go - Jesus Culture