You Gotta Serve Somebody!

“Second, you must abhor his zeal in attempting to depict the
Cross to you as offensive; for you are to prefer it to the treasures of
Egypt; besides, the King of glory has told you that he who will
save his life shall lose it; and he who follows Him, but does not
hate his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers,
and sisters, yes even his own life as well, cannot be His disciple.
Therefore I say, for a man to work hard to persuade you that the
King’s advice will lead to your death, yet without any support from
the truth, is to be detoured from the way that points you to eternal
life. So you must completely loathe this doctrine.”
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Evangelist, continues to correct Christian. That is one of the jobs of a shepherd, to correct the actions of his sheep. Christian had been led astray by Worldly-Wiseman when he gave in to his self-centered desires.



"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4 



Evangelist, points out to Christian that is exactly what happened. Worldly_Wiseman, told Christian, if he continued his journey toward the cross of Christ, he would die. Evangelist, pointed out though, that the person who sought to live for himself would never accomplish it. As Bob Dylan's song goes, "You gotta serve somebody. It may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody." We are not free ever!


What rises up when we hear that? Self! We want to be free. We demand to be free! Teenagers can't wait for their freedom. Spouses feel smothered and demand freedom. 


Self-centeredness is deceptive. It mostly deceives the person who is. They are the ones who pray and wonder if they are impressing anyone. They are the ones who give their offering in such a way to make sure everyone knows. If no one pats them on the back, they are hurt. Pray to be released from the power of sin. Pray to be rescued from selfishness. The way to be free is to die at the cross and live for Christ.


"Whoever seeks to preserve (cling to) his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." Luke 17:33


"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20