Mark 8:34, “And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, ‘Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Dearly Beloved,
Last week’s Basic Bible Class lesson was on the lesson of Discipleship or Following Jesus. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, I shared what was to follow Christ to an old friend in NUH having third stage liver cancer. The words of Christ in the passage are not casual words but a weighty and solemn saying. It was meant to correct His disciples for having the wrong idea of the nature of His kingdom. But today, the passage is frequently used by Christians such as ourselves to tell others of the unconditional surrender of their lives if they should come to Christ, to be His disciples. Salvation is all of grace, freely offered through the Gospel without price but the price of discipleship is not without a cost. Are we ready to give up all things and everything including our lives, for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ? By carrying the cross after Christ is the evidence and the reality of our saving faith. The world may ridicule and laugh at us, that we are too strict and over-righteous but we should never be deterred from serving Christ. Does Christianity cost us anything? Does it necessitate any sacrifice? If it costs God nothing to save us, Christianity is worth nothing. For my friend whose condition may worsen and his life to be taken away, it would be everlasting regret to live the short life without knowing Christ. In this world, people are saved or lost, it is either one or the other. Hebrews 2:3 tells us, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him”
Why is salvation so great?
1. Because of Jesus Christ-Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
2. Because of His ability- 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
3. Because of its availability- Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
4. Because of its reliability – John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
To have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, may come across as a simple thing but God’s Word has made it clear that it is a covenant sealed with blood and in the blood of His Son to be an everlasting covenant to the glory of God. With this, it is my prayer and hope that you may join the evangelistic band on the 3 December 2011 (Sat) to be bearers of the Good News, and to invite friends and relatives for our English Gospel meeting on the 18 December 2011 (Sun).
Elder Douglas Ho