Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
Put yourself in Timothy’s shoes. You are twenty years old. You’ve been serving in the church for a while, and now the Apostle Paul has invited you to get involved in his ministry. Paul says, “Timothy, are you up for this?”
“Yes, Paul, I’m your guy.”
“Well, Timothy, it isn’t going to be easy—ministry is a tough calling—it’s not for folks who want an easy life.”
“Paul, I’m ready!”
“Alright, Timothy, we’re going to leave tomorrow, but before we go, I need to do a bit of ‘apostolic’ surgery.”
The advance of the gospel will always be in tension with your comfort. You will always be faced with choices between what is most comfortable for you and what is most useful to Christ. Every Christian and every church will tend to move in one direction or the other.
It’s not easy. It means moving from the mindset that says, “The church exists for me and what matters is how I like it,” to the mindset that says, “The church exists for Christ and what matters is how His work can best be accomplished.” That will mean being ready to adapt, ready to respond, and ready to initiate in new ways.
What price are you willing to pay for the advance of the gospel? Jesus said if you want to be His disciple, you must be ready to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. That’s what it takes to be useful to Christ.
Which direction are you moving toward: what is most comfortable for you or what is most useful to Christ? What direction is your family moving? Your church?
