“Everyone who would follow Christ, who would be His real disciple, must not only deny himself but also take up his cross. A cross is anything contrary to our will, anything displeasing to our nature. So that taking up our cross goes a little further then denying ourselves. It rises a little higher and is a more difficult task to our natures – it being easier to forgo pleasure than to embrace pain. Now, in running the race that is set before us according to the will of God, there is often a cross lying in our way, something which is not only no joyous but grievous. Something which is contrary to our will, displeasing to our nature. What then is to be done? the choice is plain. Either we take up the cross, or we must turn aside from the way of God. In order to the healing of that corruption, that evil disease which everyone of us brings into the world, it is often needful to pluck out, as it were, a right eye, to cut off a right hand. When the desire or affection is deeply rooted in the soul, the tearing away is often like the piercing of a sword. The Lord then sits upon the soul as a refiner’s fire to burn up all the dross. This is a cross indeed, essentially painful in its very nature. The soul cannot pass through the fire without pain.” ~ John Wesley
Archive for March, 2009
Embrace the Cross
The Love of God
Here is something I have been thinking about. Jesus tells us in John 14:23 “He that loves me keeps my commandments.” I, and I think other Christians, have always thought that if we did what Christ commanded us to do, we would love God. I now do not think this is a correct interpretation. I John 4:10 plainly tells us that we did not love God. And we know that Christ commanded His love toward us while we were yet sinners. Yet even after we are saved, why does it seem that we do not always love God as we should. What is love? It is hard to describe. It is the very nature of God. It is not an attribute, but who God is. Romans 5:4-6 says, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us.” The essence of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It seems then that we through faith can ask God for His love in our hearts, so that we can keep His commandments. John 14 seems to indicate if we are keeping His commandments we love Him in our hearts. It is an indication we love God, not the other way around. The law was trying to keep the commandments without love. On a final note, can we expect to teach our children in Sunday School to be kind to Susie – aka their neighbor- if they have not experienced the love of God in their hearts yet? Seems like putting the cart before the horse to me.
The Message of the Cross
For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [[a]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. 2 Cor. 5:21 Amplified Bible
The message of the Cross has been so misaligned that it is hard to clarify what salvation is. This verse gets at the core of what the Cross was about. Was the suffering of Jesus, the price to be paid for sin? NO. Christ knew no sin. O sure, He saw the effects of sin around Him, but He had not tasted of it. He never felt carnal anger, hatred toward fellow man, or selfish desires. He had only known the Father’s love. Now He would know the anguish of sin. What did that mean? Jesus said that He always did the will of the Father. But on that tree, when the Father turned His back on Jesus, He was faced with total separation from the Father. When God turned His back every hope, every help, every shred of goodness was lost to Jesus’ disposal. At that moment was Jesus still aware of the Father’s presence however? I’m not totally sure, but I believe for the lost sinner, hell will be hell because of God’s presence, not the lack of it. God will be separated from him, but the Psalmist tells us that if he made his bed in hell, even God would be there. I believe that the awareness of God, but forever separated from His mercy will torment those in hell. Frankly, what the sinner wants in this life is separation from God’s intervention, but not then. Perhaps that is what Jesus was experiencing. Not that God was not there, for God is everywhere, but that He had no connection with the Father. Is this what He feared in the Garden? You see then what salvation means. We cannot be saved because we ask Jesus to come into our hearts. God places this righteousness in our hearts (being born again) transforming us into children of God. We can place ourselves in place for this to happen, but humbling ourselves in repentance. Then by faith in and through Christ, we might actually be infused withe the life and righteousness of God. That is what the message of the Cross is all about.
He Died!!!
Evangelism or seclusion?
I was reading a great post over at Phil Cooke’s website. He had a post called Monasteries vs. Crusades. He talks about how the church took two different positions back in the Middle Ages. One decided to seclude themselves in Monasteries and the other side went on crusades to propagate Christianity even by sword if necessary. He makes the point about how Christians have taken the same approaches today. One side mostly builds Christian ivory castles, and the other segment of Christians tries to ram Jesus down others throats, sometimes even with hatred and anger. Which approach is the “cross angle” way? I think neither is. The Bible tells us that Jesus was full of truth and grace. That is what is missing in some many Christians lives. Jesus always presented the truth without compromise, and yet did it in a way that was saturated with grace. Often He did this by asking questions. I think the approach we need to have is an inward monastery, where we can pray and be filled with the Spirit of God, and then be out among the crowds spreading the truth. That was Jesus’ way. He went apart to pray and spoke to the crowds by day. What do you think???
Peter Chelcicky
Here is a quote from Peter Chelcicky who lived in the 1400′s.
“They prepare Christ as a sweet sauce for the world, so that the world may not have to shape its course after Him and His heavy Cross, but that they may conform to the world; and they make Him softer than oil, so that every wound my be soothed, and the violent, theives, murders, and adulterers may have an easy entrance into heaven.
From an article in The Remnant magazine.
Are you of this world?
“We are in the world, but not of the world, and Christ takes us out of the world to send us right back into the world to pull others out of the world and that is all the business we have in this world” ~ Vance Havner
Welcome to Cross Angle!
Welcome to Crossangle! I am creating this site to encourage and strengthen growth in the life of Christian believers. I am alarmed at the lack of progress, and the stunted growth of many in the church today. Some things on this blog may challenge you, and perhaps many will encourage you to “get out of the crip”. Stop by often for a look at things the “Cross Angle” way.
