“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23-26)
Our response to the Gospel is to We receive it and share it. This is the SCOPE OF IT.
The call is to follow Jesus—to be a disciple. To respond to the good news is to become a disciple. It is not just for Christians who are ready to move to a higher level. It is Christianity—a life-giving, life-altering commitment to Christ.
While it is a personal decision, it is never a private one. To deny Jesus before men is to have Him deny us before the Father. To declare Jesus as Lord before the world, is to have Him declare us as being in the Kingdom of God at the Father’s throne. There is no middle ground. That is not my opinion, it is the clear call of Jesus.
Have you received the Gospel by responding in faith to the grace offered you, repenting of your sin and following Christ in a radical reordering of your life? If you have done so, have you publicly confessed Christ by baptism and identification with His body in a local church?
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