To follow Jesus is not easy. Living for Jesus isn’t easy. Do not believe anyone who presents a false version of Christianity to you. Christianity is all about following Jesus Christ and becoming Christ-like!
From the things Jesus said about becoming His disciple, it almost seemed as though He did not want anyone to follow Him. He warned different people who attempted to follow Him of the dangers of coming to Him.
Jesus Warns Us
He said, “If you come to me you must hate your parents, your family and yourself” (Luke 14:26).
He said to a rich man who wanted to follow Him: “You must sell whatever you have if you want to follow me” (Matthew 19:21).
He also said, “If you follow me you will not have anywhere to stay because I don’t even have the home that foxes and birds have” (Luke 9:58).
He said, “You cannot say goodbye to your family if you really want to follow me” (Luke 9:61).
He said to someone whose parents had died, “You cannot be involved in the burial of your father if you really want to be my disciple” (Luke 9:59).
Jesus Does Not Lower the Standards for Anyone
Obviously, Jesus did not intend to make things easy for anyone. He did not lower the bar for anyone. He did not give anyone special treatment. He knew He was inviting us to the greatest privilege ever given to mankind. The privilege of being saved by the blood of Jesus, the privilege of knowing God and the privilege of going to Heaven!
These warnings by Jesus Christ have not deterred the millions who simply respond to His awesome love. Millions love Jesus Christ in spite of the difficult conditions that He has set for following Him.
Somehow, knowing the living God and His Son Jesus Christ is more than enough compensation for any difficulties we must experience.
Don’t listen to anyone who claims that following Jesus is all about getting blessed, rich and successful. That is not Christianity. Christianity is about losing, sacrificing, suffering and dying.
The hardships and difficulties to be encountered by all Christians can be categorised into four main groups: losing, sacrificing, suffering and dying.
These are four spiritual appointments that all Christians must expect in one form or another. No one who truly follows Jesus Christ will escape these four appointments.
Don’t take any notice of anyone who tells you otherwise! He is just scratching your itching ears. In one shape, form or another, perhaps with a different name, you will experience the cross of Jesus Christ if you are really His disciple.
Our four appointments are losing, sacrificing, suffering and dying. Are these appointments scriptural? Yes, the Scriptures below show us how we are destined to lose, to suffer, to sacrifice and to die because of our faith, our calling and our spiritual destinies.
This book is intended to show how real these appointments are. It is not as bad as you may think and it will turn out to be a blessing in the end. Notice how the Scriptures below clearly outline these appointments for all of us.
Your appointment with “loss and losing”
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 16:25
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”
Philippians 3:7-8
Because of Christ you will experience the appointment with “loss and losing”. This means a lot to anyone who cares to think about it.
Loss means you will come to be without certain things. There may be little or no prospect of recovering the things you will lose.
Loss means you will suffer the deprivation of certain things.
Loss means you will be unable to keep or maintain certain things in your life.
Loss means you will give up and forfeit the possession of certain things.
Your appointment with suffering
Because of Christ you will experience an appointment with “suffering”. This means a lot to anyone who cares to find out what suffering actually means. Don’t take any notice of people who do not include the concept of suffering in their walk of faith. All the great men of faith suffered because they believed in God.
Suffering means you will be subject to pain, distress, loss, injury or something unpleasant.
Suffering means you will experience adversity, affliction, hardship and misery in your life.
Suffering means you will go through misfortune, discomfort and difficulty.
Suffering means you will be tormented, be tortured and experience adversity
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Philippians 1:29-30
And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.
For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.
For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.
1 Thessalonians 3:2-5 (NASB)
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 14:22
Your appointment with sacrifice
Because of Christ you will experience the appointment with “sacrifice”. This means a lot to anyone who cares to find out what sacrifice actually means. Please do not listen to Christians who don’t preach about the sacrifice we have to make as Christians. Sacrificing is part of the religion that we belong to.
To sacrifice means to offer up your material possessions to God for worship.
To sacrifice means you will surrender something prized or desirable for the sake of something higher.
To sacrifice is to permit injury or disadvantage for the sake of something else.
To sacrifice is to dispose of your goods regardless of the fact that you make no profit.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Hebrews 13:15
Your appointment with death
Because of Christ you will experience the appointment with “death”. To say that someone will die means a lot. This is why Jesus told us to take up our crosses and follow Him.
To die means to cease to exist and to function.
To die means to lose strength and to lose force.
To die means to pass gradually or fade away gradually.
To die means to be stopped permanently.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 9:23
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1 Corinthians 15:31
by Dag Heward-Mills
https://www.daghewardmills.org/new/the-four-spiritual-appointments/