Tag: sociocentrism

OUT OF ZION 007 | OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 4

January 20th, 2016

December 6, 2015 Volume 1, Issue 007

OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 4

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

– Phil 1:21

We are not to just lose our lives …, we are to lose it for the sake of Christ.

To be poured out as a drink offering to God’s glory and to the blessing of others is what life is about. We see the importance of the principle taught by Christ that those who lose their lives are those who would gain it. life is not for comfort, but for sacrifice and every blessing upon it is to advance God’s kingdom; increase in good works and be of blessing to people.

Even terrestrially noble men have practised this life principle and benefited from it. Look, from the scripture, at the widow of Zarephat; the boy with five loaves and two fishes; the Shunamite woman as examples. In the spiritual and eternally relevant sense, those who were called to follow Christ did, without the promise of gain. Overtime, however, they realised that there is gain of full reward in it for them. See Mark 10:28-30.

We are not to just lose our lives to find it, we are to lose it for the sake of Christ. We have reasons for this: for example, when He saved us, we lost our lives willingly to Him, for we came under His ownership; lordship; and covering. Since then we became dead and the life we now live is Christ himself living in us; Gal 2:20. We live no longer to self, but to the master and our existence is 1). for His glory only – Phil 1:20; 2). for the will of God, 1 Pet 4:1-3; and 3). for Him who died for us – 2 Cor 5:14-15. All these suggest that our lives should be sold out to serving God’s interest and representing Him in all of life.

If you would want to find your life, you would have to lose it as you cannot eat you cake and have it – Luk 9:57-62; you cannot hold unto one to gain another. In Luk 14:16-20, we see those who lost their life’s essence simply because of their investments, career and relationships or because of their wealth, work and wife. Whereas those who lose it to follow him got their lives advanced.

Do you know that true advancement comes in the pursuit of the purpose? Luk 5:1-6; If Paul did not die to self, he would have had his ministry buried; but look at him: from Antioch to Jerusalem; from Jerusalem to Tarsus; from Tarsus to Antioch; and from Antioch to the uttermost.

To be fulfilled in this life, we must die to self. It is the death of the seed that leads to the possibility of a harvest. The pouring out of all that you are and have is the only appropriate way to leave an indelible mark in the sands of time. There is no ‘if only’; whatever you desire to be tomorrow, assume it today. Give even when you have but little; pour out even with all the inhibitions around you. Procrastination is the key to regret. Do whatever your heart/hand finds to do. Get spent to die empty – 2 Cor 12:15; It is while we are here that we can bear fruit, Phil 1:22 and affect other people’s lives, Phil 1:25. The process of doing this is the gradual emptying of self, being poured out as libation, Phil 2:17; 2 Tim 4:6-8; so that the final death might be total emptiness.
OUT OF ZION 006 | OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 3

January 13th, 2016

November 29, 2015 Volume 1, Issue 006

OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 3

Your endowment can only be fully utilized when you lay aside the culture of playing safe

Paul was a notable apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ with a noble Jewish background. He was involved heavily in the persecution of the church until his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. During the encounter, he asked to know what the Lord would have him do. In the city of Damascus, he received his salvation, healing and direction. From that point, he lived his life to God’s glory and not to self.

Paul understood life as being poured out as a libation so as to die empty. He was caught in between the choice to die or to live. He chose to live so that more lives can be blessed. Being alive has the implication of being needed by God for something significant. That is why the necessity on everyone is to maximize existence by living to God’s glory beyond self and pleasure. In 2 Tim 4:6, he would know that his end was near because he had poured out the essence of his life to the glory of Christ and to the blessing of others. Your endowment can only be fully utilized when you lay aside the culture of playing safe.

Even while going through the challenge that accompanied his life’s purpose, he believed that it will turn out for his deliverance; that was the same as saying it will work out for good. His life was so dedicated that his being alive was entirely for Christ. For him, beyond the average human inclination, ‘to live is Christ’. By that he was saying that his existence will be to the glory of Christ and to more fruitfulness. This fruitfulness is the blessing that will come on those he was ministering to.

Most people don’t pursue the true reason for their lives. According to Jesus, living for self is common across the nations. Living for self (Matt 6:19-21) is to gratify and indulge self with stuffs; it is being enchanted by earthly things for gratification and indulgence. Basic idolatry manifests, when pleasure is pursued at the expense God. Matt 6:24; Do you think you don’t live for self? Check what you long for most times. Matt 6:25-33.

Lose your life to gain it is a general call to all, a call to live for purpose or for others. When purpose and others are given the second place, self comes into the picture and life becomes compromised. I do not in any way deny the weakness of the flesh and the temptation to gratify it. The truth, however, is that behind that is the devil and not God. Jam 1:13. God, nonetheless, gives grace by helping, Jam 4:8, 10, when a man humbles himself under His mighty arm.

Those who play safe do not amount to anything on earth. Playing safe is tantamount to becoming nothing. The necessity placed upon Paul to preach, compelled him to do so even under fetters. Life will surely present everyone with ugliness, but if dedicated to God, it will end up for good and much more to the blessing of others.

Significance in life is always born out of selfless sacrifice. An average person seeks comfort and pleasure but we are alive, not for self, but for God’s purpose in service to others. For your life to glorify God, it must be broken like an alabaster box, so that the treasure within can be poured out to God’s glory.

Tag: sociocentrism

OUT OF ZION 007 | OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 4

OUT OF ZION 006 | OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 3