COMMITMENT & SELF~DENIAL PTL!

SR.PASTOR MARVIN W. WILLS AND THE BABIES OF THE CHURCH

  



Our LORD and MASTER said, "if any man desires to come after ME let him deny himself , take up his cross and follow ME" (Mat 16:24). These are some very profound words coming from JESUS, for it is HIS standard, it is HIS bottom line for us who claim to love HIM; on how we are to follow him!

We live in a world where self-indulgence is an acceptable attitude. While many people admire those who live to serve others they rarely follow the same example preferring rather to be apart of the "me generation."

   It is sad to say that this low-down, egocentric attitude has crept into the churches. We see it on the television, we hear it on the radio and we read it in some of the news letters we receive; "buy this blue prayer cloth for 19.99$ and you'll get all your prayers answered, however if you buy the red prayer cloth that makes you a V.I.P.  and personal member of our ministry, which we will anoint personally with our hands for 49.99$ you'll receive beyond and above what you asked for." We at NBCMC staunchly believe that the ministry that we're steward over is the one that we were appointed over to further JESUS ministry PTL! Beloved a lot of ministries and churches are stylizing GOD as a doting FATHER waiting to pour wealth and health on HIS self-centered followers. This is not the Christianity of the Bible. JESUS plainly called HIS disciples to a life of self-denial and service to others. HE knew that a man's heart is bent on selfishness, that is why HE pointed those who followed HIM to a cross. "Now behold, one came and said to HIM, Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?...JESUS said to him, if you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow ME...And he who does not take his cross and follow after ME is not worthy of ME." (Mat 19:16,21; 10:38).

   What is the cross? It is an upright wooden stake or post which people were executed. It was common in the biblical period for decapitated bodies of executed persons to be publicly displayed by impaling them on stakes to discourage civil disobedience and to mock defeated military foes (Gen 40:19; 1Sam31:8-13). It eventually came to be fitted with crossbeams as an instruments of humiliation, torture, and execution for enemies of the state and for civil criminals. Those sentenced to death on the cross  in the Roman period (the period of JESUS) were usually beaten with leather lashes-a procedure that often resulted in sever loss of blood. Victims were then generally forced to carry the upper crossbeam to the execution site, where the central stake was already set up. The over all method of death was the suffocation of the victim.

   Well we know that a cross is the instrument of death but for you it is to be the means of crucifying self so that JESUS may reign supreme in your heart, once HE is enthroned there HE will work through you in marvelous ways (Phil 2:13).

   (A) HE will use you as a sort of a guide to point the way of life to those who are headed on the road straight to to eternal damnation (HELL) (Mrk 16:15-18).

   (B) You will become a channel of compassion to a hurting world and...(Mat 5:16).

   (C) You will come to know the joy only known to those of us who have already laid their life down for the purpose of the cross which GOD created us for (Eph 2:8-10).

   Yet, for you to know this beloved, you must be willing to daily take up your cross; which means commitment while you're here on earth as a pilgrim heading towards your heavenly kingdom, and in your church home. Is it gonna be easy? By no means dear heart! Death to self is never a painless process. I call it the pruning process, but be assured that having done so you will never regret it. JESUS said in (Jh 15:1-2), "I AM the true vine and MY FATHER  is the vine-dresser, every branch in ME that does not bare fruit HE takes away , but every branch in ME that bares fruit HE prunes so that it can bare more fruit." 

   Now pruning isn't at all that nice because it involves You and a sniping away, a cutting off a limb. You see, what the vine dresser prunes is what is called a sucker branch, in other words it's a branch that looks oh so nice and pretty but doesn't  produce fruit and so sucks away nutrients from other branches in order to stay looking good. For us these sucker branches come in the from of our fleshy desires such as smoking, spending, drinking, lying, fright, overeating, ect. Now this word for pruning in its original Greek language is quite clear in its meaning- kathairo which means: to cleanse, to purify, and to make without stain. The pruning that GOD does is to make us worthy of HIS calling so that HE may glorify HIMSELF through us HIS new creation in CHRIST JESUS.

    Look beloved, I just laid down this foundation specifically to say this; dedication is the foundation of commitment and we as believers are unable to offer GOD anything else. Paul explains this dedication process in (Rom 12:1-2AMP) he says, "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of GOD, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to GOD, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this  world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [ for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of GOD, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in HIS sight for you]." 

   Paul emphasizes three things here: 

   (1) It is our body that is to be dedicated as a living sacrifice (Jh 10:17-18) (Mat 27:20-44).

   (2) We are to avoid being transformed by the renewing of our mind; which can only be done through the cleansing agent known as the WORD of GOD. As GOD tells us in (Tit 3:5), "not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to HIS mercy HE saved us through the washing of water and the renewing of the HOLY SPIRIT." And (Eph 5:26), "that HE may sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the WORD." And;

   (3) You will come to know GOD's perfect will, HIS perfect purpose for your life. You were born by GOD's purpose and for GOD's purpose (Job10:12) (Col 3:9-10).

   Alright beloved, after we have dedicated our bodies what are we to commit?

•               We are to commit our salvation to HIM. As Paul told young Timothy in his last days (2 Tim 1:12), "for this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I believed, and am persuaded that HE is able to keep all that I committed to HIM until the Day." 

•               We should commit our work to the LORD. As the wisest man who ever lived (1Kg 2:6-13) said in (Pro 16:3), "commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established." If you commit your work to JESUS dear beloved then whose work does it become? The LORD's! So the precious HOLY SPIRIT that you have received -the moment you asked JESUS into your heart- will establish your thoughts to do HIS work, "for it is GOD who works in you both to will and do for HIS good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). You see my beautiful brothers and sisters, its a totally win-win situation.

•               We should commit our goals to GOD as Job said in (Job 5:8-9), "as for me I will seek GOD and to HIM I will commit my cause, who does great things, and wonderful, marvelous things without number." King David, which incidentally was a man after GOD's own heart, so eloquently wrote (Ps 37:4-5), "delight yourself in the LORD and HE will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in HIM and HE will make it come to pass." Again, we have a win-win situation here. We serve an awesome GOD that cares for us more than we can ever imagine or understand in the natural; why? Because HE is supernatural and what HE does is supernatural. HIS desire for each of us is for good and not for evil, "for I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the LORD, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome" (Jer 29:11).

•               Now beloved brothers and sisters this next one is something of a doozy because it means that we must get up off that funky pride we usually hold on to; our strength. As an experienced minister of men and women I have come to see a pattern and that is we like to go into ourselves, or look and lean more toward man rather than to GOD in the time that we should only be looking to HIM. We as Christians are to cast all our discontent, discouragement, despair, and suffering on the LORD, and trust HIM for knowing what HE's doing with our lives Peter tells us this in (1 Pet 5:7) "casting all your care upon HIM, for HE cares for you." This is very vital that when we are suffering that we commit to JESUS our suffering experiences (1 Pet 4:4-19) says, "therefore let him who suffers according to the will of GOD commit his soul to HIM as to a faithful CREATOR." JESUS did this very thing while HE was here on earth (1 Pet 1:23), "whom when HE was reviled against did not revile in return, when HE suffered did not threaten but committed HIMSELF to HIM who judges righteously."

•               This last point is far from the least. In our dying hour we could with great confidence commit our souls to HIM (Ps 31:5), "into YOUR hand I commit my spirit, YOU have redeemed me o LORD GOD of truth." JESUS, who is the head of the church and our example proved this when HE cried out, "FATHER, to THY hands I commit MY SPIRIT" (Lk 23:46).

   I will now say this:

   (A) commitment and self-denial is, to our great GOD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, very important, for this is HIS way, which HE has given to you and I, to prove our love and obedience to GOD. (Lk 16:11) states, "if therefore you have not proved yourselves honest in dealing with wealth tainted with dishonesty, who will commit to you the true good?" 

   (B) HE has entrusted/committed to us something very special and that is the Word of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:19Amp) "it was GOD [personally present] in CHRIST, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with HIMSELF, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of restoration to favor)."

   (C) Not only have we been bestowed with such a great charge, but we are to commit to others this Word (2 Tim 2:2), "and the things that you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses commit to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."

   With that in mind, and now that we know just a little bit more about commitment & self-denial, let us take heed to the precious HOLY SCRIPTURE found in (Jh 5:22), "moreover, the FATHER judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the SON."

  Look dear heart, the apostle Paul assures us that all such commitments will be accepted and honored by JESUS. So I will take my leave by saying this,  " Stay Committed while You're Here as a pilgrim on earth! The narrow road is filled with lots of ups, downs and crazy turn a rounds, but it is the kingdom road that you're on and it's the road that pleases our MASTER."
   (1 Cor 15:57-58) "Thanks be to GOD! HE has given us the victory through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, therefore, brethren, be steadfast, unmovable always abounding in the work of the LORD, knowing that your work is not in vain in the LORD." Amen. PTL!