“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service” (John 16:2).
TEXT — John 16:1-6
Message
Christian discipleship is a decision to walk in Christ’s ways, steadily and firmly, and then find that the way integrates all our interests, passions and gifts, our human needs, and eternal aspirations. It is the way of life we were created for. Discipleship entails total submission to Christ as Lord, a readiness to bear His reproaches, and a willingness to suffer to advance His glory.
Many professing believers perceive discipleship as a means of achieving selfish ends. They profess to be Jesus’s followers for goodies but shrink and casually deny Him when the going gets tough. Only those who graciously suffer with Him will reign eternally with Him. Today’s passage presages the cost of discipleship. Christ’s earthly ministry was getting to a close. Since He knew all things, He had to forewarn His disciples of the possible opposition and persecution they would face from religious fanatics after His departure. They might be ostracised from the synagogues and even killed on the pretext of service to God. He did not want them to be surprised at what would happen; therefore, He forewarned them.
Some Christians ignore that the cross precedes the crown and that trials are forerunners of trophies. As such, they easily get discouraged, and contemplate a return to the world. If Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith, had His sumptuous share of oppositions, persecutions, and rejections by envious religious leaders of His time, as well as a betrayal by one of His confidants, it is no strange thing if God’s will is that we undergo the light afflictions that may come our way as a result of our commitment to our Master.
The fourth stanza of Bart Millard’s hymn, Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, aptly captures the ideal disciples’ posture amid the hordes of challenges: “Stand up! Stand up for Jesus! The strife will not be long: This day the noise of battle, The next the victor’s song; To him that overcometh, A crown of life shall be; He with the King of glory Shall reign eternally.”
Only those who overcome the temptation to sin, slide back, and return to the world will reign with Christ. The laurels are meant for overcomers, never for those who back out. Our hands are laid on the plough; there is no looking back. His grace will sustain you.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
