Now dear friends, I want to briefly bring
you to some of the basics.
Now the Lord Jesus Christ said, those
that would be my disciples.
What context did he say that also?
We'll just look at ninth chapter of Luke.
Here he was foretelling his suffering.
Ninth chapter of Luke and the 22nd verse.
The Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected of the elders and chief
priests and scribes and be slain and be
raised the third day.
So here the Lord Jesus Christ foretold his
approaching cross, his suffering and his death.
And then he went on to say, under
these circumstances, he said to them all, if
any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, take up his cross daily and
follow me.
What we are taught today is the religion
of acquisition.
You see, if there's something to grab, something
to acquire, yes I want it.
Something to renounce, well
we find it very hard.
Old habits, old desires, old ambitions, you
know, and family traits.
Don't forget, some of our families hardly have
a history or even a strain of missionary
love or sacrifice.
That should be a painful thing.
Well, tracing back our roots, how many of
our fathers, great-uncles, great-great-great-granddads
and so on and so forth, how many
of them ever went the way of true
discipleship?
You know, the missionary heart does not necessarily
mean crossing an ocean.
Today there are many oceans to cross.
You see, even the very people who are
around you appear to be so indifferent.
What do we do under those circumstances?
We pray, while we are praying, there will
come a wide-open opportunity when they will
seek help.
You know, I was concerned for one of
my seniors in the major which I had
taken, which was English, and in the department
as the exams were approaching, the pressure on
students gets pretty heavy, and this poor fellow
was on the brink of insanity.
He was slipping into insanity.
He just couldn't take the pressure.
And so, one evening they said, break up
party.
You see, the seniors are leaving us and
they are leaving the department, and so we
are going to have year-end break-up
party.
Well, I said to myself, you know, every
person had to pay some money to belong
to the association of the department.
I had paid up too, but I had
no time at all for any of those
parties.
I had better things to do, and I
hadn't been in a single party, but I
decided, let me go to this last party
to say goodbye to these fellows, whatever.
But just at that time, I came to
know that this senior of mine was sinking
into insanity.
I said, rather than go to that party,
I will use that evening to lift the
fellow, so that why should he become a
madman.
I will go and pray with him.
So, I went to his house rather, and
prayed with him, and he passed.
He did pretty well at the university exam,
and I was, of course, very happy that
I had rescued that fellow.
However, it's not I that can do it,
it's the good Lord.
Now, there was an element of self-denial
there, don't you think?
Here, I gave my money, and I was
entitled to this party, and I was expected,
as others were, but seeing need in one
of those college mates, I said, no, I'll
go where there is the need.
You see, my whole life has been based
on this element of self-denial.
I remember a time when I was fasting
and praying in England, and I got very
hungry, you know, around three o'clock.
I got very hungry.
I said, boy, I think I'll have a
bite on the steamer crossing the English Channel
to France.
You know, you have about two and a
half hours for the short crossing, or two
and some hours.
You know, I said, but when I went
into the dining room of the boat, oh,
there was plenty of food there, but it
was expensive.
I said, boy, I won't spend so much
money.
I think the French cuisine, the French cooking
is better.
So, when we go to France, and I
get on board the train, I will have
a fine dinner.
So, when we got on the train, and
I looked at the menu, it was so
expensive, exorbitantly expensive.
I said, oh, no, I'm not going to
spend God's money having such an expensive dinner.
So, I got hungrier still, of course, and
it was midnight before we reached Paris.
We were going through Paris, and I said,
let me get a sandwich, a wurst, or
a sausage, as it's.
So, from one of those platform places, carts,
I picked up a little sausage.
I said, that's enough.
I'm happy with this.
It's quite inexpensive.
Now, I had to, in some cases, be
very economical, because there
wasn't money, and sometimes I would have nothing,
but I thought nothing of that.
I said, let me get my work done.
If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, take up his cross daily,
and follow me.
You know, small things lead to great missionary
enterprises.
Small things, small sacrifices, but that is discipleship.
You know, if my father had said, oh,
how am I going to resign this position?
It's going to make me the principal of
this big place.
How am I going to resign this?
I've got three children, and a fourth one
is on the way.
How can I do it with no assured
salary?
My dear friends, if my dad had turned
his back upon that step of trust and
obedience, this work of God, which is now
reaching out to places and people whom I
will never meet on earth.
You know, I know of at least three
cases of people who had decided to commit
suicide, when they just happened to turn to
our telecast.
They were all set upon committing suicide.
Now, I know of three, I don't know
how many others there are.
You know, I take most of the time
giving the word.
So, when we come to the end of
the telecast, we just quickly run over, if
you need help, write to, and so on.
And there are many people who are writing.
The variety of needs, I cannot imagine, you
cannot imagine.
My husband died of AIDS, and now I
am an AIDS patient.
My child also has got AIDS, pray for
us.
Oh, my dear friends, when I see AIDS
patients being healed, I rejoice greatly, because
I know that medically they can't be healed,
their life can only be prolonged a little.
But, when the Lord Jesus is doing that,
you know, a little self-denial has gone
into all this.
Just when I was told, you know, how
did our television ministry begin?
Through some total stranger in Australia, listening to
one of our broadcasts, near Canberra, the capital
of Australia.
And saying, this message should be heard by
many people.
And so he wrote to me, being a
television expert, he said, Now, we want a
broadcast, a telecast, which is no less in
quality than the Voice of America, the television,
or the BBC, or the big networks.
Why should the message be any less?
So, what?
The price of each camera, what is it?
All six-figure stuff.
And the bills, when these television folk in
the headquarters, they send me, you know, this
is required, that's required, this is required, this
has to be updated, it's become obsolete, very
old.
What is it?
Touching millions, huge amounts.
Who supplies?
We don't ask anybody in our telecasts.
And that alone impresses a lot of people.
But mark you, my dear friends, that is
because of disciples.
I don't ask, but God has promised to
supply.
But God does not want me to live
luxuriously and waste money on myself.
So my wife and I live pretty frugally,
very carefully.
And I do trust and believe that some
of you do the same.
But Jesus said, He that would be my
disciple, let him deny himself and take up
his cross daily.
You know, there are many people who are
wandering around.
All they are looking for is some entertainment.
This is an entertainment world.
This is a world of greed and acquisitiveness.
Buy this, get this, eat this, pamper yourself,
and so on.
That's the philosophy that rules our society today.
In the midst of that, when you and
I become a disciple of Jesus, we have
a cross to bear daily.
Is it a heavy cross?
Is it a painful cross?
My dear friends, I did not find this
life of discipleship to be irksome, burdensome, hopelessly
painful.
Never.
Come unto me, all you that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn of
me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light.
You know, the burden of sin is heavy.
The burden of self is heavy.
You know, it can crush you.
The burden of self, but the cross which
Jesus Christ gives us.
He took the pain upon himself.
He took the load and the weight upon
himself.
And he says, just bear this for me,
my son.
It is not heavy, but bear it daily.
I give you a cross to carry.
There is a purpose in your life.
Let us pray.
Tell God, Lord, teach me the path of
discipleship.
Teach me to be a disciple, not a
butterfly nor a person that gives to God
used teabags.
Precious Lord, thou knowest this poisoned atmosphere
where Jesus has become so cheap, so
cheap, his name reduced to a swear word
on the shop floor.
Or in the marketplace.
Forgive us, Lord.
If people saw us treasure Jesus, if people
saw us living like Jesus, if people saw
the fruit of true discipleship, how much blessing
there would be.
Thank you for your living word.
Even in the times of famine and want,
you will not forsake your children.
And seeing that today, many are passing through
rough times.
Lord Jesus, you said my rod and my
staff will comfort you.
I will prepare a table for you in
the presence of your enemies.
And we shall say with the psalmist, my
cup runneth over.
And surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life as I
walk this pilgrim path, this way of discipleship.
So bless and give real faith to all
of us.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.