The Radical Cross
Have you noticed that there are a lot of voices clamoring for our attention? Whether it is some guy shouting at us on an infomercial, or some so-called celebrity trying to preach to us from his or her pulpit of self-glorification, we are bombarded with a variety of messages that compete for our attention.
Even in the church we find ourselves being told a plethora of messages that try to draw us into a specific cause or crusade that compete for our attention and resources. Our focus is divided by these competing voices as we seek to discern the Spirit’s leading and refresh our focus upon the Lord’s call upon our lives.
As I was spending some time reading and praying I came across a statement that gripped me at the core of my being. This book is entitled, "The Radical Cross" by A.W. Tozer. I have only begun to grapple with some of the early thoughts raised by this simple yet profound work.
As I was reading I came across a phrase that I may have heard before, but I don’t think that I was really listening. Tozer says, "we must do something about the cross, and one of two things only can we do - flee it or die upon it."
In my limited perspective of life, I have noticed that this is indeed a principle of Scripture is not only ignored, but it is often avoided by those of us who teach and preach. To be honest, I know that I personally I have not spent as much time unpacking and applying this clear teaching of Jesus both in my life, but in the lives of those whom God has placed within my sphere of influence.
This fact has truly begun to burden me, since this is at the heart of the message and life of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
He lived in complete abandonment to self as His earthly life was completely focused upon the mission that the Father had given Him. Nowhere in Scripture do we see our Lord asking the Father to do what was best for Himself.
Our Savior spent His days and oftentimes nights in prayer not only for those twelve men whom He had called forth as His disciples, but He was even praying for those of us who would follow Him in future generations.
Tozer points out that for many the power of the cross is lost when we simply turn it into a symbol or revere at as a thing of beauty. He writes, “the cross effects its end by destroying one established pattern, the victim’s, and creating another pattern, its own…it wins by defeating its opponent and imposing its will upon him” (The Radical Cross, p. 4).
Thus, when our Lord tells us to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23), He is not simply sharing about a symbolic way of living. He is clearly reminding me that if I am going to follow Him, then I must lay aside my will, my hopes, my dreams and plans.
This life I have been given is not about me, rather it is about what Christ desires to do in and through this life that He has given me to faithfully proclaim His name to the nations. In essence, following Jesus means entrusting my life fully and completely to Him.
More often than I care to mention I have spent far too much time and energy focused upon things that distract me from what matters most to my Savior. It is easy for me to find myself consuming my time and energy trying to examine the cultural landscape and attempt to develop solutions and strategies that will help me to be more effective in the ministry to which God has called me.
It’s not that these issues are unimportant or bad, it is that I find myself looking to myself for the solution than seeking the counsel of my Lord. Obviously, it is good to be reminded that the essence of the Christian faith is not about being a better person, but upon my willingness to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.
As Tozer said it so well, it all comes down to what we do with the cross. We can flee it or die upon it. If we flee, “we have made Christianity something other than it is. Then we shall have left only the empty language of salvation; the power will depart with our departure from the true cross” (p. 4).
My prayer is that I will have the faith and the courage to let go of my agendas and place my life upon the cross, and become the man that Jesus has empowered me to be.
