Christ Before all Others: (Luke 14:26-27)

For the most part many of us keep our lives in compartments; we keep our work in one place, family in another and church at another.  We don’t really like for these things to mix, it’s ok if maybe once in a while they collide but for the most part we like to keep them apart.  But is this how God wants us as His followers to live for Him, come to church on Sunday then once we leave Church that’s it for God?  Or does he want to be a part of all of the compartment s in or lives.   Are we as the church really trying to help others come and be a part of the kingdom of Heaven or are we just trying to get by with just enough.  This is why I want to spend the next year really taking time and studying the scriptures with you, and seeing what God has to say about our lives.  We have gone to this idea that being saved is saying a few words and then somehow by magic or some other force we are saved and have a relationship with the living God. But is that what Scriptures really says, we see a picture of Christ out with His disciples and a great crowd in Luke.  He has been preforming a great deal of miracles and the crowd is growing around and He turns and says to them.  “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.”(Luke14:26-7) 

These words do not sound like one who is saying that it is ok to only come and be a part of His kingdom on Sunday and then not think of Him until the next Sunday.  You might say well, He only meant a select few not all of them.  But it doesn’t say He turned to a few and said, it says He turned to the crowd.  That means He is talking to everyone.  The problem then becomes what does this mean for you and me does this mean that we are to go and tell the ones close to us that we have found religion and therefore hate them?  No this was never meant to say that and it would contradict the rest of scripture.  What it means is that no matter what, we are going to follow Christ, if that means we must no longer be accepted by others so be it.   Why should we follow Christ then?  Why love Him this much?  Let’s look at John 3:16-18; ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.  “There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.  Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.  But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.”

We come to love Christ because He came and gave His life so that we may live in the light, so we do not have to worry about judgment.  We can choose to follow Christ and accept the forgiveness that God has for us, walk with Christ and have a deep and meaningful relationship with the Living God allowing our love for Him be made known to everyone, or we can go around keeping church a secret to some in our lives.  Think of it this way, you are married but you don’t really want people to know so you don’t wear a ring, you make sure that you never bring up your spouse in everyday conversation, and never bring them to any type of functions.  Then one day a coworker finds out your married and asks you “do you not love you spouse”?  You say I love them deeply; words cannot express how much I love them.  Do you really think that they are going to believe you?  But this is what many do with God, why because they are afraid of what other might say behind their back our worse to their face.  But Christ calls us to love Him so much that all other love looks like hate.   We go around being afraid of what others might think of us our what it might cost us to follow God, but when begin to look at what the cost of not following God is it no longer makes sense for not to.