牧者心聲  Pastor's Message

02/28/2010   

The Delight of Sacrifice


1 Corinthians 9:22   To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

      Reading today’s devotional in My Utmost for His Highest (thanks Helen and Waien!), Spurgeon writes that we are called to deliberately lay down our lives for Him—His interests and His cause. Not, just for any cause. Spurgeon then points to Paul and his only purpose—“that he might win men to Jesus Christ.” This is a wonderful example of what it means to live for Christ.

      Funny, this is what I was attempting to get at in my sermon last Sunday. I was also asked after my sermon if we had intended to outreach to the Chinese in Mexico, but changed our minds. I responded that this was not the case. Primarily, our goal is to outreach to any and all that we are able to speak to. This is what Paul’s emphasis has always been. This is the free-nature of the gospel. Like Paul says, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

      But how does Spurgeon suggest we do this? Not by developing a holy life alone with God. If we do this, we are no use to those we come in contact with. We cannot put ourselves on a pedestal “away from the common run of men.” In other words, we need to come down to the level of those who don’t know Jesus, as Jesus himself did. We need to come down also because we should not make ourselves any loftier, as we are at the same level as those who don’t know the Risen and true Savior. We are sinful creatures, like any other human.

      So what is the key that Spurgeon ends with? We must abandon ourselves to Jesus so that we have no other purpose in life. We need to be devoted to Jesus Christ. This means that we have to be like Paul, a man that “is in love with Jesus Christ.” May we be embraced in the power of the Holy Spirit. May we understand the purpose of the Heavenly Father. May we love as Paul loved Jesus. And may we stay off our pedestals and instead love others as Jesus loves US!




      Brother Benjamin Chung