16:18 Podcast – #5 What do you want me to do?

After we give our life to Christ, what’s next? What are we supposed to be doing in this life? How do we live as Christians in a fallen world?

Saul’s conversion

When Saul the Pharisee was on the road to Damascus, the Resurrected Christ appeared to him and said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Most of us are familiar with this great moment in history; when Saul the Pharisee became Paul the Apostle. But I want to look at Saul’s response to our Lord when this great appearance took place.

Saul asked of the Lord two things

Who are you?

First, he asked, “Who are you?” We answered the question of who Jesus is in a previous episode titled “Who do they say I am?” and I invite you to go back and listen if you haven’t already.

What do you want me to do?

The second question that Saul asked, however, is what I want to focus on today: He asked, “What do you want me to do?” If we, like Saul did, claim that Jesus is the Christ, the next question that we must ask must be same: “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

A look back to Jesus’ life

Shortly after the disciples made the same claim about Jesus in Mark chapter 8, Jesus instructs all who will follow Him on what they must do in order to be His disciple. He says, in Mark 8:34, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

If you claim that Jesus is the Christ, then this is what you must do: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. But what does it mean to deny yourself? How do we understand this command from Jesus? I want to quickly point out 3 ways in which we, as Christians, are called to deny ourselves as followers of Jesus.

What can we learn from this?

First, we are called to deny our own personal autonomy.

If we claim that Jesus is the Christ, that He is Lord, then no longer can we do whatever we want to do. No longer can we make our own path, make our own life choices, or follow our own ambitions. We are now servants of the Most High Lord and all that we do needs to be in submission to Him.

Secondly, we are called to deny our social standing.

Christians have often been the object of ridicule and persecution. We may be looked down upon or made fun of by our friends and coworkers. Our convictions or actions might push us to the outskirts of society. We may even be shunned by members of our own family. Regardless of anything that befalls us, we are called to stand up for Christ, denying our own reputation.

Lastly, we are even called to deny our physical bodies for Christ.

Right now, there are thousands of Christians who are being physically persecuted for their faith in Jesus. It is difficult to comprehend for many of us, but the time may come where we, too, will face similar punishment for claiming that Jesus is the Messiah.

Conclusion

We only have one life here on earth, so let us give up what we want to do and instead pursue Christ. If it’s true that we can only be saved through Him, shouldn’t we live our life for Him?