Day 6 John G. Lake

Day 6 John G. Lake

The Spirit of a Martyr

“I am not persuading you, dear friends, by holding out a hope that the way is going to be easy. I am calling you in the name of Jesus Christ, you dear ones who expect to be ordained to the Gospel of Jesus Christ tonight, take the route that Jesus took, the route the apostles took, the route that the early Church took, the victory route, whether by life or death. Historians declare, "The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church." Beloved, that is what the difficulty is in our day-we have so little seed. The Church needs more martyr blood.

If I were pledging men and women to the Gospel of the Son of God, as I am endeavoring to do tonight, it would not be to have a nice church and harmonious surroundings and a sweet do-nothing time . I would invite them to be ready to die. That was the spirit of early Methodism. John Wesley established a heroic call. He demanded every preacher to be "ready to pray, ready to preach, ready to die ." That is always the spirit of Christianity. When any other spirit comes into the Church, it is not the spirit of Christianity . It is a foreign spirit. It is a sissified substitute.”  John G. Lake

Are you called to preach the Gospel?  I can answer that for you if you have been born of the Spirit of God.  Yes!  You have been given the ministry of reconciliation.  You have been entrusted with the most important message that men have and will ever speak of.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We all have a divine destiny from God.  We all have a divine, specific purpose for existing.  Some have calls to full-time ministry.  Some have been called of God to be doctors, teachers, lawyers and market place ministry.  Some have been called to be pastors, teachers, evangelists, apostles and prophets.  I strongly believe there are more people called to the mission field, to use their gifts, talents and degrees on the foreign field to bring others to Christ.  

One thing every Christians call has in common, is it all involves God being glorified and the Gospel being preached among the nations.  We all have been given the ministry of reconciliation.  That is just as strong a call for the evangelist as the doctor.  We are called to allow God to speak through us to the world saying be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ His Son!

Are we willing to do as God has called us to do?  Some know their specific call in life and are pursuing that God given destiny.  Some may not know if they are walking in their specific call, but if we know we are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel than we know our call.  We know our purpose as the body of Christ.  The question is, are we willing?  Will we go?  Will we submit, will we surrender to the call of God to reach this wicked generation?

I hear much cowardly preaching these days.  It is cowardly not it what it says, but what it  doesn't say.  The Gospel preachers job is not simply be a motivational speaker and speak smooth words and give nice illustrations.  If we consider the serious call of being willing to give our life for Jesus Christ and dying as a martyr so as this Gospel will be preached in all the world, we have received a “sissified substitute”!  I know many people that live off of being entertained by Christian concerts and hear only sermons that will lift them up and help them, but never challenge them or convict them!  This is a “sissified substitute” to the serious call to give ones life that kingdom of God would be established throughout the world.  Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”  Do we want to be a disciple of Christ, a Christian?  We must be willing to hate even our own life when it comes down to it!  That Christ would hold such a place of honor and value to us, that in comparison to Him even the torture and death or our body falls a far second place.  

The heart of the martyr says as the apostle Paul said, “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  Philippians 1:19-21 We must have that attitude in life.  That I will go on with God.  I will succeed in what God has called me to do!  I will do as He has destined for me to do or I will die trying!  If it comes down to it, I will not hold my tongue from telling the world about Christ, but I rather be crucified on a cross and lit on fire.  For even in our physical death, we will live and rise again because Christ was lived again and was raised.  Let us have the steadfastness to us that John G. Lake had to do all in his power to let the nations know about the loving, saving power of our God!  

Scripture of the day:  Philippians 1:19-21

“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”