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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
ReVision

The Work of the Cross

This is our daily calling and assignment.

Working God’s Field (5)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”  Matthew 16.24

For God’s glory
God has called us to His Kingdom and glory (1 Thess. 2.12). We have not been born again in Christ merely to satisfy some need or longing or sense of wellbeing in our own souls. There is work to do in the field of the Lord. As we have seen, His Kingdom is the world, where the Son of Man is at work, sowing good seed of the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the tares of secularism continue to flourish, but their time shall not be forever.

God has called us into this work, so that we might glorify Him with all the work we do, not just our church work or our jobs. Beginning with exercising good stewardship over our souls, the work we’ve been given to do will see us preparing, sowing, cultivating, attending to, and harvesting that sector of the Lord’s field which is our Personal Mission Field. By understanding the times, and the work God has called us to in these times, we will know what we must do for the Kingdom and glory of God to which we have been called.

The work we’ve been given to do is greater than the job at which we work. We must certainly honor God with our labor in the marketplace; but we must also seek to bring glory to Him in the stewardship we exercise over all His good and perfect gifts, beginning with the work we do seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

The struggle
The biggest struggle we’re going to encounter as we pursue our work across all its many and varied fronts, is the temptation to live for ourselves rather than for others. The narcissism and self-interest of our secular age has leached into the churches, and for many Christians, their faith is merely another means of feeling good about themselves and coping with the pressures of the day. Remember, Jesus glorified God with the work He accomplished, and that work was, above all else, a work of self-denial and serving others (Phil. 2.5-11). In taking up the work assigned to Him by the Father, Jesus set aside personal privileges and prerogatives, denied Himself, became a servant to all, and in that role obeyed whatever God gave Him to do, even to the point of death.

And Jesus said that, as the Father had sent Him into the world, so He was sending us. We have been sent to serve others, to set our own selfish interests aside and to work day by day at discovering and meeting the needs of others (cf. Jn. 13.1-15). Like Jesus, we must daily take up our individual crosses, and follow Him in the work of bringing God’s grace and Kingdom to the people in our Personal Mission Field.

Wow! We might think, Well hey, if I’m devoting myself all the time to looking out for others’ needs, who’s going to be looking out for mine?

The Lord, of course, because He knows what you need even before you ask Him, and He has ways of meeting your needs that are more wonderful than you in your cleverness or strength could ever provide (cf. Matt. 6.25-34). Empty yourself in cross-bearing service to others, and He will fill you with Himself, to overflowing (Eph. 4.8-10; Jn. 7.37-39).

Following the example of Jesus
We are to be like Jesus, in that upper room with His disciples, taking up the work that no one else seems willing to do, to meet the needs of those around us. This is the work of the cross – the work of dying to self, laying down your life for others, paying attention to their needs, and doing what you can to help. Jesus said He provided the example for us to follow in loving one another through humble deeds of self-denying service (Jn. 13.13-16), beginning with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but extending to all our neighbors.

This work begins in prayer, as we regularly lift the people in our Personal Mission Field before the Lord. It continues with being a good listener (Jms. 1.19), paying attention to the people around us – their words, feelings, body language, and obvious needs. It requires learning how to use your tongue as a means of grace, to build others up in affirming ways (Col. 4.6; Eph. 4.29). The work of the cross means looking for little ways to aid, encourage, and edify others, so that in whatever you do, no matter how menial or small, the love and truth of God are gloriously displayed (1 Cor. 10.31). And it means being persistent and consistent in such efforts, ready and zealous for whatever opportunities for good work the Lord may set before us.

The work of the cross requires ongoing preparation, ready conversation, and self-denying willingness to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the people we meet each day. Thus we are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, and we transform our sector of the Lord’s field by sowing such good Kingdom seeds.

Let us work hard at our sanctification, and to regard all the arenas in which we work as Golgothas where we plant the cross of Jesus, and we will make the most of opportunities for serving, caring, nurturing outreach to others. As put others first, we demonstrate our faith and hope in the Lord, and bring glory to Him in the everyday details of our lives.

Following Jesus means taking up the work of the cross. This is where we will experience full and abundant life in Him (Matt. 16.25).

For reflection
1.  How can you tell when the primary focus of your faith is on you, rather than your neighbor?

2.  Do you agree that cross-bearing is an appropriate way of thinking about your daily life as a Christian? Explain. What makes this such hard but important work?

3.  Preparing well (as in prayer and planning, Ps. 90.12), engaging in conversation, demonstrating Jesus’ love, and working for transformation: These are key disciplines for working and cross-bearing in your Personal Mission Field. How would you assess the state of each of these in your life at this time?

Next steps – Transformation: Identify one way in each of these disciplines that you can improve your work of cross-bearing, beginning today.

T. M. Moore

For a more developed view of the Kingdom, and of the Gospel of the Kingdom, order a copy of our book The Kingdom Turn (click here) or The Gospel of the Kingdom (click here). You can download a free PDF of Vocational Disciplines, a complement to this week’s study (click here).

We look to the Lord to provide for our needs, and He does so through those who are served by this ministry. Please prayerfully consider becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe with your financial gifts. You can send your tax-free contribution to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452, or use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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