Four Invitations From Christ
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua
“Jesus said to her,
“I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me,
though he die, yet shall he live…”
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
The Christian life is full of paradoxes, chief among which is the notion that when you die, then, you will truly live. It is true for this present life as well as for eternity.
Our Lord Jesus is a paragon of this idea. He died for humanity. He died so that we might live.
Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Before resurrection is death. Jesus was scourged and put to death by crucifixion on a cross. The cross is an instrument of extreme cruelty. Death by crucifixion was painfully slow, and torturous.
God saw it fit that the sin sacrifice of the Lamb would be carried out on the cross. It is a grim reminder of the ugliness of sin and the price of redemption.
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Jesus’ work of redemption is finished.
Now, He invites us to share and participate
in His death and life.
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Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection three days later are the cornerstone events of Christianity. The fundamentals of the Christian faith are rooted in the death and resurrection of Christ.
In this article, I want to share four thoughts, which are drawn from my reflection on the cross and the empty grave. Jesus’ work of redemption is finished. Now, He invites us to share and participate in His death and life.
Participation in the Cross
Jesus embraced the cross for our sake, and He invites us to take up the cross and follow Him.
The prospect of the cross was terrifying even for Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane hours before His impending crucifixion, Jesus agonized, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” But He knew His mission. He ended His prayer with these words – “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
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Jesus embraced the cross for our sake,
and He invites us to take up the cross and follow Him.
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Jesus always knew His mission. During the three and half years of His public ministry, Jesus spoke about the cross and His death, sometimes in veiled terms, and sometimes openly.
He eluded His persecutors, who sought His death, on numerous occasions. However, “when the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Jesus was determined to die on the cross and fulfil His mission.
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The cross represents death to self.
Taking up the cross means
death to self-will, self-trust, and self-assertions.
We crucify our ego and give up our rights.
We deny ourselves and live for God.
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Jesus wants us to follow His example. He invites us to take up our cross and follow Him.
We are familiar with this saying of Jesus - “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24). This is an open invitation to everyone who wishes to follow Jesus. It is not optional. Either you take up the cross or you are not following Jesus.
The cross represents death to self. Taking up the cross means death to self-will, self-trust, and self-assertions. We crucify our ego and give up our rights. We deny ourselves and live for God.
As the chorus of an old Christian song goes, “I have decided to follow Jesus… The world behind me, the cross before me… No turning back, no turning back.”
Jesus’ invitation to take up the cross and follow Him is a narrow way and uneasy path. But it leads to a flourishing life in this world and an everlasting life in eternity.
Participation in Sharing
Jesus died vicariously for sinful humanity, and He invites us to lay down our lives for others.
Jesus did not need to die. He was God, and in His humanity, He was without sin. Yet, He willingly gave His life for us.
God was motivated by love - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16).
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Jesus died vicariously for sinful humanity,
and He invites us to lay down our lives for others.
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Likewise, Jesus desires for us to give of ourselves to serve others out of love for God and people. He invites us to share our lives and all that He has blessed us with others.
Do not merely take care of our own interests but look around you to see how you can do good and bless the people around you.
Jesus saves us to be a blessing to both the church and the world. He summed up all the commandments in the Scripture to loving God and loving our neighbours. This is how we ought to live.
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Let us be good ambassadors for Christ
by emulating His selfless service and sacrificial love.
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In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminded them of their calling. They were “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). The role of an ambassador is to represent his country with dignity and discharge their duties conscientiously.
In the same way, let us be good ambassadors for Christ by emulating His selfless service and sacrificial love.
Participation in Christ’s Suffering
Jesus suffered en route to the cross, and He invites us to share in His suffering.
Are you shocked to hear this? You should not. Jesus spoke plainly about suffering for those who chose to follow Him. Following Christ entails denying oneself, taking up one’s cross, and losing one’s life for His sake (Mathew 16:25).
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Jesus suffered en route to the cross,
and He invites us to share in His suffering.
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Many Christians misconstrue this statement from Jesus to be a challenge for discipleship as if there is a choice to be either a mere believer or a disciple. They are mistaken. Jesus put this demand to anyone who desired to follow Him. The same condition applies today as it did two thousand years ago. Jesus has not dropped His standard.
Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus warned His disciples of persecution. The world would hate Christians because they hated Him. Jesus was prescient in His prediction. Throughout history until today, believers suffer for their belief in Christ.
The Christian life is never easy. Those who disagree most likely have not professed or practised their Christian faith publicly with integrity. Anyone who upholds and live by biblical truths without compromise would experience some kinds of resistance and pushbacks, if not opposition and persecution. It is a given.
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This is the reality of the Christian faith:
when Jesus invites you to believe in Him,
He is also inviting you to suffer with Him.
It is an uncomfortable but undeniable truth.
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The world does not look kindly on biblical truths and values. Looking at the present cultural landscape, we should expect rising hostility toward Christianity in the near future.
We should not be surprised. Jesus said, “’A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20).
This is the reality of the Christian faith: when Jesus invites you to believe in Him, He is also inviting you to suffer with Him. It is an uncomfortable but undeniable truth.
Participation in Christ’s Victory
The cross is a symbol of victory. But it seems like defeat when Jesus was crucified. It did not look like good news until He rose from the grave three days later. Jesus conquered death with His resurrection. Death was defeated and it lost its sting. It has no power over believers of Christ.
Jesus invites you to suffer and die with Him, and He also invites you to share in His victory.
We are in Christ and Christ is in us. Therefore, we share in Christ’s victory over the power of sin and death. We can live victoriously in the face of trials and temptations.
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Jesus invites you to suffer and die with Him,
and He also invites you to share in His victory.
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Know this important truth: not only are you saved from your sins and their consequences, but sin also has no dominion over you (Romans 6:14).
Many believers are not aware of this liberating truth. They live in constant defeat, struggling endlessly with sins and temptations. Even minor trials could easily derail them.
The Scripture paints a different picture of how Christian life looks like. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God is an overcomer (1 John 5:5). We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Romans 8:37). This is how we ought to live, as overcomers and more-than-conquerors.
Know this truth. Believe it and live it out by faith.
Our Lord Jesus invites you to share and participate in His victory. You can live victoriously. Begin living victoriously today!