Called to Exploit or to Follow?

by Fred G. London

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

The words of Jesus quoted above illustrate a foundational stone in His gospel. In our day, how often do we hear the gospel presented in such stark terms? When Paul, speaking to the Ephesians elders proclaimed, "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God", did his message merely consist of, "Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?" Jesus and Paul stressed the importance of having our faith built upon a right foundation. A primary reason is because the foundation directly impacts our perception and expectations for our lives. A faulty or perverted foundation will ultimately lead to having our faith shaken, resulting in shipwreck, or repentance leading towards the purging of the tainted foundation so that it might be replaced with a right one. Though the latter is certainly preferable to the former, both results come at a high price, one the Lord never intended us to pay.

In his book, the Prisoner in the Third Cell, Gene Edwards confronts us with this most crucial question: "Will you follow a God you do not understand? Will you follow a God who does not live up to your expectations?" As previously mentioned, our expectations have a great deal to do with our approach and response to our spiritual walk, as well as how we choose to interpret God's truth. To be sure, applying human wishful thinking to our Biblical interpretation will invariably lead to opposition to the Mind of God. So then, let us seek to employ His Mind so that we may follow Him and His purposes rather than to employ our natural mind which is at enmity with God, seeking only to exploit the mercy and goodness of God for self-centered purposes.

Many purported Christian teachers, particularly in America, have contributed much towards presenting a worldly slant on certain Biblical themes. It actually is quite possible to be Biblically unbiblical, or in other words, using Scripture in a way God never intended, contrary to His thought and purpose. Paul exhorted Timothy with the phrase, 'handling accurately the word of truth'. What is implied here is that the word of truth can also be mishandled when our natural mind is in control. For example, Paul did say, "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." What he did not say was "wants." What he did say was, "According to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." What he did not say was, "according to the riches of this world."

John takes this thought one bold step further, pulling no punches when he declares, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but as from the world. What then is the attitude from the Father?" Paul said, "Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I know how to live in prosperity; in any every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having an abundance and suffering need." Now pay close attention. In much of today's Christian ministry, we are inundated with teachings and conferences on "the secret of being filled and having abundance." And it is an easy sell. But how often do we hear teaching on "the secret of going hungry and suffering need?" So much for the whole purpose of God.

Furthermore, Peter forewarns, "But false prophets rose from among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies... and many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words." Notice that the sin of greed becomes reciprocal in the process. There is a relationship of mutual exploitation taking place here. The people are exploited by the false teachers and the words of the teachers are exploited by the people. And what is the common bond that unites these two parties together? Well, it used to be called "greed." Today, in an age filled with the use of euphemisms, some in the Church have managed to reinvent the concept and propagate it under the misnomer of "faith."

Let us move from the error of exploitation to the Lord's call to be followers of Him. We begin with Jesus' life of following the Father; "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner... I can do nothing on my own initiative." This is the same Lord who also said concerning Himself, "And He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man." It is difficult to comprehend that this same Lord in whom all things have been created and by whom all things hold together is totally dependent upon, and in subjection to, His Heavenly Father in all things. He who had ultimate authority also displayed ultimate humility and submission, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. As it is written, we have been called into fellowship with His Son, just as Christ was called into fellowship with the Father. Moreover, we have been called to follow the Son, just as the Son follows the Father.

Paul himself appealed to the brethren to "Follow me as I follow the Lord." This man of God revealed something of that lifelong pursuit by expressing it in this way; "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead... I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book, The Cost of Discipleship, defined our call to follow Christ in terms rarely heard in our day; "When Christ call a man, he bids him come and die. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves... the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship... Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock... It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."

In Luke's account of the crucifixion, a profound exchange is recorded between Christ and the two thieves in the midst of their execution. It has been said, "Crisis reveals character," and so it was in this case. We shall see that in a sense, one thief chose to exploit, while the other chose to follow. One chose self-interest, while the other deferred to God's. One spoke out of the anguish of a broken body and soul, while the other spoke out of a broken and contrite spirit. One represents the natural mind which is at enmity with God, while the other represents the one to whom God has said, "But to this one will I look..." We read, "And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!'" There is no expression of brokenness or heart of repentance here, but only that of self-preservation.

But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." Even in the midst of agonizing suffering, this thief, for possibly the first time in his life, spoke from a heart of integrity and humility. He made no demands and made no effort to have himself exonerated. This bears repeating--he made no demands and made no effort to have himself exonerated, but accepted his fate as being justly deserved. He recognized that God owed him nothing, and yet, God was giving His all for him. And (Jesus) said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Consider this, that the repentant thief, who until the very end had lived a life of sin, experienced in one day what Paul had spoken of concerning his own pursuit of God, "That I may know Him." The thief came to recognize the truth of who Jesus was; and the power of His resurrection. He would join his Messiah in Paradise that very day; and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. He shared in the sufferings of Christ as they endured the Cross together; "In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Submission to the Cross resulted in resurrection life.

There is a faith for deliverance and a faith to endure. One faith is not greater than the other, except that the greater work can be derived from the latter. For as Paul wrote, "We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope." When we are taught otherwise, it is no wonder that our brand of Christianity is as worldly, shallow, and weak as it is. As Peter also wrote, "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." This is certainly the road less traveled.

Please do not misunderstand. We are not called to a theology of masochism. The Scriptures teach us not to be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. We don't have to go looking for trouble. It simply means that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, to some degree or another. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Jesus said, "In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." In the meantime, we may with a clear conscience earnestly pray that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

What will ultimately determine who and what we follow? "Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also." And this can only be measured according to the degree to which Christ is preeminent in our lives. Is the Person of Christ sufficient for us? Is it sufficient for us to embrace those times when He would say to us, "Be still and know that I am God"? Is it our passion to follow Him alone or to employ clever gimmicks to arouse and maintain interest? When God's Spirit is truly at work in our midst, human ingenuity is neither wanted nor required.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."