Carrying Your Cross

by David J. Stewart
 

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." -Luke 9:23

As webmaster of Jesus-is-Savior.com, I frequently receive e-mails from professed "Christians" who are critical of my website.  They are upset over the content and accuse me of NOT being Christlike.  They say things like, "Jesus taught love and your website is filled with hatred" or "You'll never reach anyone for God by scaring them."  Some go even as far as to tell me that I'm an embarrassment to other Christians.

Most believers do NOT understand the Bible.  As a matter of fact, they are woefully ignorant of it.  The Apostle Paul affirmed this:

I do not say this to be unkind, but to wake you up from your spiritual nap (or coma).  Most believers are sleeping spiritually...

"Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." -1st Corinthians 15:34

Jesus spoke in the Bible about taking up our cross DAILY and following Him.  A "cross" is what a person is crucified upon.  Why did Jesus have to carry a cross?  It was because the Jews crucified Jesus!  Do you know why they wanted to crucify Jesus?  For the same reason they want to crucify me...for speaking the truth!  Most people don't like to hear the truth; sadly, even most Christians don't want to hear the truth.

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." -John 15:18

The world hated Jesus, ultimately murdering Him.  Are we greater than our Lord?  No, we are not.  The Bible is clear concerning this matter...Christlike believers will suffer persecution!

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." -2nd Timothy 3:12

I am saddened that so many professed Christians are ignorant of this (are they're no Christians at all by the way.  They may be born-again, but they surely are NOT Christlike).  Our Lord clearly warned us ahead of time that we WOULD (not might, but would) be PERSECUTED in this world.  If you are NOT suffering from some type of persecution as a Christian, then you are not doing a very good job fighting the good fight of faith.

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." -1st Timothy 6:12

Most believers won't even put the boxing gloves on to fight the devil, they rather sit on the sidelines criticizing those of us who are FIGHTING against the evils and heresies of our day.  I make no apologies for my direct approach to the truth.  I am not going to tickle your ears or scratch your back because you too much of an immature big baby to face the facts.  If you wrong your wrong, wear the shoe.  Look, you can disagree with me all you want to, but you still have to face your Creator one day and you'd better be prepared or you're going to be very sorry!  I am not cocky or arrogant, I am just very confident about what I believe.  All this talk nowadays about "diversity" is just another attempt by the devil to make us "compromise" our convictions.  Now, I am for diversity, but NOT the kind of diversity that tells me I should be quiet about the evils of homosexuality, abortion, etc.  I will never stop preaching against such evils, this is my GOD-GIVEN right.  We need Billy Sundays all across America.  Far too many Christians are falling into this "diversity" garbage, causing them to be silent about the sins which are destroying America.  Please don't misunderstand me, I am for legitimate diversity, but not when it labels quoting the Bible as "hate speech."

Jesus expects us to carry our cross DAILY.  This simply means that we are to live Christlike lives at all times.  If you live for Jesus, you will make enemies.  Now if you're the entertainment type of Christian who plays guitar in a night club or plays worldly music at church, you won't know what I'm talking about.  If you're the kind of phony Christian who drinks beer, smokes cigarettes, goes to Hollywood movies, listens to worldly music, hurts other people, breaks your promises, or mistreats your spouse...you won't know what I'm talk about either.  I'm talking about "holy living."  So many believers nowadays are living so much like the world that it's hard to tell them apart.  There should be a DISTINCT difference between Christians and the heathen.  I could give you the names of dozens of professed Christians I've known over the years who I personally heard curse in God's name on the job.  By God's grace, I've never one time cursed in God's name on the job (only after work...just kidding).  We need to carry a cross if we want to be like Jesus.  We are living in a generation of "crossless Christians."  Most believers refuse to wear a cross, so they rationalize and twist the Scriptures to condone their sinful, worldly lifestyles.  This is sinister process, undermining your Christian faith.

The honest truth is that if believers were all living for God the way we are supposed to...America would be saved (2nd Chronicles 7:14,15).  A "Christlike" Christian would never listen to any rock or country music; Would never curse; would never glance with an unholy look at the opposite sex; would never deliberately hurt anyone; would never drink alcohol; would never smoke a cigarette; would never lie; would never look at a pornographic picture; would never watch filthy and violent TV; would never laugh at a dirty joke; would never watch a Hollywood movie; would never wear anything immodest or inappropriate; would never gossip; would never vote for an occult member like George Bush; would never support Harry Potter; would never gamble; would never commit adultery; would never divorce; would never go dancing; would never watch a soap opera; would never play lascivious or violent video games;...they would live like Jesus. 

A "Christlike" Christian would sing about the Lord; carry a Bible into the workplace; witness concerning Christ to all their friends, family and acquaintances; witness concerning Christ to strangers on a regular basis; memorize God's Word; bow their heads publicly to pray over their food (instead of with their eyes open); pay their bills on time; care about others; refuse to look at a dirty photo; refuse to work on Sundays; refuse to go to the heathen company Christmas party; refuse to support any company that was pro-homosexual; refuse to support any company that sells alcohol; refuse to listen to the devil's "Christian" rock music; refuse to listen to gossip; refuse to repeat gossip;...they would live like Jesus.  Such a Christian would be an extremely unpopular person in the secular workplace, amongst family members, and even in most churches.  Such a Christian, living a holy life, would be persecuted and ridiculed.

A "Christlike" believer is not a passive believer, but is rather "active."  The Christian life is a life to be lived, not a candle hidden under a bushel.  Many Christians are SILENT, afraid to stick their neck out or make any noise for God.  Why is it that the devil's crowd PROUDLY boasts of their abortions and homosexuality, but God's children hide in their pews across America?  It's insanity!  I was sickened when I learned that Christianity Today magazine was actually recommending the hell-spawned Harry Potter series.  Can you imagine?  If we are going to live for Jesus, then we will be crucified by this heathen world.  I have been crucified plenty of times.  It is emotionally painful when you have to go to work every day and face a hostile work environment.  I cherish such verses as Matthew 5:11-12...

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." -Matthew 5:11-12

In my many years of secular workplace experience: I've had hammers thrown at me, been spit upon, been thrown up against the wall, been grabbed by the throat, had my radio thrown and broken, been physically threatened, told to find another job, been fired, had the buttons ripped off my shirt, shocked from a charged capacitor placed on my toolbox, dirty centerfolds placed in my locker, cigar butts placed on my toolbox, hard liquor placed inside my toolbox, keys broken off in my toolbox, machines sabotaged, vehicles sabotaged, lied about, slandered, labeled, stigmatized, called a hypocrite, hated without cause, been ostracized, ridiculed, rejected, despised, abused, mistreated, humiliated, embarrassed, degraded, accused of the most horrible things, told to shut up, cigarette smoke blown in my face, pry bars lifted between my legs, had tool box thrown on the floor, told I was a lousy father, called a lousy husband, called a lousy son, accused of not loving my family, called immature, called every name imaginable, called "baby Jesus," told not to bring my Bible back to work, told by my boss "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen" when I complained about the abuse,  laughed at, mocked, made the object of group criticism, narrowed out publicly in humiliation, had things stolen from me, been discredited, ignored, overlooked, persecuted...all because I was living for Jesus Christ.  They hated my Christian music.  They hated my Bible at work.  They hated the Bible verses on my tool box.  They hated hearing me talk about the Bible and God.  They hated my smile and the gleam in my eye.  They hated me without cause.  They really hated Jesus and I was a reminder of Jesus.

I know what it's like to work with people who haven't spoken to me in over five years.  If looks could kill, I would have been dead.  They wanted a reason to hate me and they looked for any reason to do it.  I have learned over the years that the heathen have a tendency to accuse Christians of thinking they're BETTER than everyone else.  In reality, we are only DIFFERENT, not better.  Nevertheless, a Christian will often be labeled as such.  I have also had many positive experiences in the work place (like going home), but there have been those moments when "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" made his move (Ephesians 2:2).  Most Christians have never made anyone upset because they are living just like the devilish world.

Are you carrying your cross for Jesus?  Are you living a Christlike life?  Do people see Jesus in you?  If everyone likes you, something is VERY wrong...

"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." -Luke 6:26

Yes, I get quite a bit of hate mail hear at Jesus-is-Savior.com, but that's just a big encouragement to me that I must be doing something right for Jesus.  I never thought I'd receive so much criticism from professed Christians when I started this site, but I do.  It has opened my eyes to realize just how carnal most believers are, certainly they are NOT "Christlike" in their testimony.  Jesus spoke of carrying a cross.  The Apostle Paul tells us to "fight" the good fight of faith.  We are to "contend" for the faith (Jude 1:3).  The Christian life is not a field trip through flowery gardens, it is a FIGHT, an all out war (1st Peter 2:11).

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." -2nd Timothy 2:4

America is going to hell, God needs Christian soldiers who will stand up for Jesus.  We are in a spiritual war.  Sadly, most Christians do not know what I am talking about because they are woefully ignorant of the Bible and what is going on in the real world.  I know this based upon all the e-mails I receive from Christians attacking me for exposing false religions, lies of the devil, and wickedness in our country and government.  Instead of criticizing me, they should be helping to fight the devil.  They are part of the problem.  We MUST UNCOMPROMISINGLY withstand in these evil days and stand for God 'til the end.

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." -Ephesians 6:13

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