The more we walk in faith, the more we realize the importance of the way of the cross. Real faith does not come from any profound truth, but living out the Word of God in simple things.
Christians these days expect a life that is abundant and peaceful with a successful career and a happy family. Pardon my saying that it is not possible. The Bible says, "Jesus said to them, 'You will drink the cup I drink.'" What is the cup that Jesus had to drink? It is a bitter cup, and the path Jesus walked was the way of the cross.
Every revival in the history of the church was paid for with a heavy price: the saints' lives and blood. Faith grows purer in distress, and in this way, the Gospel expands and the saint's love for God is more determined.
Evangelism in the 70s and 80s was very hard since preachers were in great poverty. They relied on their faith for revival meetings and their daily lives also depended on God's supply. Moreover, they had to overcome objections and persecutions from their unbelieving families and certain restrictions in the external circumstances. However, although it seemed dangerous, God didn't abandon His people. On the contrary, God's presence became even more real.
This generation of saints, after all the trials, act as pillars in today's church. Because their hearts were molded, their knowledge of God is also deeper, and no poverty, persecution, not even death can shake their faith.
Look at the preachers and believers in this affluent age. Some people gain weight attending services because the food is very good. There seems to be no persecution from family members and not many restrictions, so everything looks free, the chance for people to cling to God is less and less. Therefore, many people don't understand the meaning of faith and what God supplies.
Truth is, even well-trained saints grow weak gradually.
As in the current Chinese churches, prayers at five o'clock in the morning, passionate spreading of the Gospel, and the determination to do the way of God are all replaced by hypocritical devotion and faith without content. In such an environment, the way of the cross appears dimmer, and even the wisdom of God is more difficult to understand.
Anyone could claim that they love God if they never experienced any hardship. That's why only by going through hardships will we distinguish who are Judas, Peter, and John.
Jesus Christ personally showed us the way of the cross. Only by working hard in this way will our life truly update and change.
The cross is a humiliation: Though Jesus is God, He was still despised and humiliated by people. They spat on His face and struck His head, (Mark 15:16-19) until he was hung on the cross, naked. He was like a submissive lamb, humble and standing aloof from worldly strife.
This is the way of the cross that Jesus lived: no more His own feelings, but rather He put away all the honor and disgrace willingly for the will of God.
Jesus tells us "if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also." When people elbow us out for the sake of the faith, it sets us up to practice the Word of God, or hurts us because we resist sin; we are not alone! Jesus walked the same path, and so have all the saints.
The way of the cross is painful: It wasn't an easy path for Jesus. He was hurt by the Pharisees, betrayed by His disciples, judged in the courtyard of the palace, and crucified on the cross. In the meantime, His heart must've ached for not being understood and the judgment and abandonment. Both the outer and inner pain existed, but he chose to bear the pain for love.
As followers of God, we will all encounter pain: misunderstanding and judgment from others. We'll experience all the fickleness of human nature. Nevertheless, are we willing to bear this pain calmly in Christ, noncompetitive and without explanation, just submitting to God's hands? Can we defuse harm and replace all the pain with love like Jesus did?
Many people indulge themselves since they lack nothing materially, so their desires are much greater than their spiritual life. For this reason, our old lives should be crushed by the cross so that Christ can take control in our lives.
The growth of spiritual life requires walking the way of the cross. We should devote every day we have on earth to prepare ourselves so that we may become participants of the divine nature, and so we may know the truth and enter it. But this truly needs the work of the cross, through which people's lives are more real and their faith purer.
-Translated by Grace Hubl
