THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-SACRIFICE

Ron Gray, Associate Pastor of Compassion & Development

"He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins." Ephesians 1:7

This week I asked a trusted friend the question, “Would it be fair to say that our freedom is always paid for with somebody else’s blood?” The coming of Remembrance Day is what initially brought this question to mind, but that is not all. Lest you wonder why my thoughts might go to such a dark place, let me provide you with some context.

Over the past few months I have noticed that the Holy Spirit is leading me to circumstances and passages of scripture that raise the matter of sacrificing for the cause of Christ and laying down our lives for the sake of others. Jesus Christ, who Hebrews 1:3 tells us is the exact representation of God, did just that. In fact that is how God often chooses to work in this world; benefit for others coming from self-sacrificial service. It is a principle of the Kingdom of God.

As we come to Remembrance Day, we recall that any civic freedom we enjoy is made possible by the sacrifice of others. The same is also true of the freedom we enjoy from sin and spiritual death. Our freedom from those old enemies was paid for by the self-sacrifice of Jesus.

If bringing benefit to others through sacrificial service is a principle of the Kingdom of God, this truth will have an impact on how we live as followers of Jesus. This causes me to ask yet another question, “What price are we willing to pay so that someone else might benefit?”

There are spiritual forces of darkness in the world that relentlessly work to steal people’s freedom. As followers of Jesus, God has deputized us to join in implementing his victory over those forces. Every act of kindness we extend in the name of Jesus will cost us something. It may not be much, but there will be some cost. Every time we speak out and explain the love and care of God to someone, there will be a cost.

If we do an audit of our lives and discover that we are not bearing any cost for being a follower of Jesus, we should question how much we are challenging the forces that would so eagerly deprive people of the freedom Christ offers. Our lives are, after all, the intersection point between two kingdoms; the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of light. There will be a cost to being involved in God’s enterprise of pushing back the darkness.

Paul was no stranger to paying a price so that others might benefit. He suffered greatly in many ways as he carried the news of freedom through Jesus to those around him. In this regard he instructed us to look to Jesus as our example.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking on the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself and became obedient to death

even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:6-8

In a culture that places comfort, ease, and personal advancement at the pinnacle of desired outcomes, it is countercultural to deny oneself for the sake of others. In the Kingdom of God, it is a given. Self-sacrificial love is held up as the highest ethic and a means by which we can imitate our Savior and see great gain for his Kingdom. Jesus tells us that, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.

As I take on the responsibility of leading the Compassion Ministry of RockPointe Church, I am excited by the many invitations that God is extending to us to join him as he implements his victory over the forces of evil that hold people in bondage. I am excited, yet I know that there will be a cost to anyone who follows his invitation to lean into the lives of others. It may mean that we encounter others around whom we don’t feel comfortable. It may be that some of our favorite programs or gatherings take on a different flavor so that they can better meet the needs of others.

Whether together as a church family, or in your own life, there will be a cost as we follow Jesus into the world. Jesus will call the best out of us, and that best will be self-sacrificial love. That is a principle of the Kingdom.

I look forward to witnessing firsthand the benefit others gain from the self-sacrificial love God is calling us to.