Dead Already...

The thought that "Christians are to be living martyrs," has been swirling over in my mind the last several days.  I heard this phrase while I was listening to some old school Keith Green teaching on sermonindex.net  and he made this statement, "Christians are to be living martyrs."

I've been praying daily for Youcef Nadarkhani, and I've been careful to not just simply pray that God save his life from being hanged by the Muslim government in Iran.  I've asked God to strengthen him for whatever His will is for Youcef.  I've prayed for his family and for Iran and that the Gospel would spread through the country like an uncontrollable fire.  But in regards to Youcef's life, like mine and yours as a believer, we are to be living martyrs.

"I have been crucified with Christ, it's no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me..." Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

 Do we consider ourselves to be living martyrs? If we could transform our thinking to seeing ourselves in this way, that we've already died to Christ, then we don't contemplate our death to come but are overwhelmed by the life we now have.

Have we been truly crucified with Christ?  What are the things we are still clinging too in this life that we've not given up for Him? Meditate on this today and tomorrow and the next... have I truly died with Him?  Because this is paramount to Christianity.  If there has been no death in this life to self, and ego, and pride, and life here on earth, then our attending church, wearing our cross necklaces, listening to Christian radio are all for nothing because these are NOT necessarily the evidences of a crucified life.

To grow we must die.  To have we must give.  To be something we must become nothing.  To increase we must decrease.  To be a blessing we must first bless.  To be the greatest in the kingdom we must become the least.  This is the nature of the kingdom of God in Christ.  This type of kingdom living only comes when we have truly died to this life so that we can live in the next.  And, really, it's not life delayed but life gained!

Jesus Christ must become everything to us.  He must precede and supersede every living priority we have, or ever will have!  Faith in Jesus' ability to save will, or it should, result in a self-denying life.  This faith in Him should result in a new way of doing things.  And it's not just in the doing, but in the being.  There is no personal  benefit of self-denial in and of itself.  If we are giving up things, or attitudes, or "rights" of our former lives in worship to Christ, then we become one with Him in His death and also alive in His resurrection.  We become dead to this life only through Christ and alive to God for eternity for His glory alone!  

Have we died already?  Have we become living martyrs? Do we live our lives in full surrender to His will and His way simply because it IS His will and His way?  This is the way of the kingdom and there is no other way but through Christ.

"The call to come to Christ is the call to come and die." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer