Matt 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask, are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, we are able.)
This is the question the Lord asked those who came to Him aiming for a special position in His kingdom. They want to stay at the right and the left on the seat with Him on the throne beside Him in His Father’s kingdom.
The question He asked them was, Will they be able to drink of his cup and experience the same baptism with him?
Even though they’re able, the decision is not for Him to make; it’s depends on the Father.
This is the answer to all who are aspiring to be with Him and sit with him on the same table. Even though they could, it depends on His Father’s approval to share of His glory in His Father’s kingdom.
We all know the cup our Lord drank and the baptism He was baptized with.
Most of the apostles shared the same, for they were martyrs because of the gospel they preached.
Note that whatever we want to achieve in His kingdom has a price tag on it; it’s only our salvation that was bought with His blood, but we still need to work it out with fear and trembling by living in obedience to all His commandments daily.
Every Christian that wants to reach the pinnacle of their pursuit in Christ must be able to pay this price by drinking from His cup and experiencing His baptism.
We must experience the power of His Cross by crucifying every carnality that’s standing against our advancement in His kingdom.
Also to face persecution and rejection from men, for the entire world is against Christ and His gospel, and whoever wants to preach it must face the same hatred from society.
These two go together to receive His father’s approval to be seated at His right and left hands.
Most people sacrifice themselves but never aspire to preach the gospel the way it is. They preached the correct gospel while they refused to lay themselves on the altar as a living sacrifice.
We must strive to please the Father as we please Him; it’s by honouring Christ in our day-to-day activities that we honour God.
You can’t be exempted and your own can’t be different because you preach the same gospel as He preached, unless you desire to remove or add to whatever is written for your own benefit.
It’s a pity for us now that we want to preach the word and at the same time seek the favour of society. That’s what leads people to compromise their faith and preach to the favour of the world, losing the fruit God intended for them.
We are avoiding this cup with subtlety, and most pastors are trying to change what they had preached before to please the people, forgetting that the Word of God can’t change; it remains the same as ever.
No man can be perfect on his own unless we follow the step of our Lord to reach perfection, but this step demands great sacrifice.
People change their preaching to please the society of now and forget that our God is the ancient of days, who never changes. Even if heaven and earth pass away, not iota of His word will go unfulfilled.
This makes unbelievers disrespect the God we serve, not allowing us to make any progress in converting souls but to steal members from others.
Rejection is necessary, and persecution is important to get to the heart and dismantle every stronghold erected and remove the veil of the flesh.
The Bible says, The Word of God is powerful, piercing even to the soul and spirit and of the joint and marrow, the discerner of the thoughts and intent of the heart.
There is no way you can win souls by not preaching as Christ and the apostles preached. There is no way you can preach the truth without attracting the hatred of men and facing rejection as Christ.
Any soul won by perverting the gospel won’t stand the test of time; the time of visitation is coming to the dwellers of the earth that will catch them unaware. They’re the type that fell in the middle of the road and did not reach their destination in God.
Prayer: Father Lord, give me the mantle of righteousness to live the way you desire for my life, in Jesus name, amen
