Revolution

Today, we have sanitized Jesus, making him ready for mass market, but when you read the gospels you discover that Jesus was nothing short of a revolutionary. His ministry was a revolution of life.

Revolution is defined by www.dictionary.com as "a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving, the overthrow of a government." That's what Jesus was all about: drastic and far-reaching change in people's lives. Further, he was about overthrowing the Kingdom of Darkness and Death in favor of the Kingdom of Light and Life!

The revolution that Jesus leads is a Revolution of Life. Wherever Jesus went in the gospels he gave life: healing a leper, forgiving the woman in adultery, freeing the demonic, confronting the religious leaders, and ultimately dying on the Cross. His revolution was, and still is, a revolution of life!

God is calling us to join him in this revolution of life. To lead a revolution in your family, workplace, and city, four ingredients are required:

1. A Cause
2. Some Company
3. A Commitment
4. Concentration

Understanding the Cause

The Cause: Lead a Revolution of Life

1. You were Born for the Cause

You are not an accident; instead, you were created on purpose and for a purpose. When Pilate asked Jesus about his kingdom in John's gospel, he replied, "For this cause I was born." You and I are born for the cause, as well. No matter the circumstance of your birth, the predicament of your background, or the situation you find yourself in at this moment, you were born for the cause.

2. You can Live for the Cause

Jesus said in John 10.10, "I have come that you might have life and have it to the full." That's living for the cause.

Cause and Effect

The cause had a dramatic effect on the way Jesus lived.

For the cause, he defeated the devil at the temptation.
For the cause, he turned down the opportunity to lead a civil revolt.
For the cause, he developed a network of relationships and trained future leaders.
For the cause, he traveled across his country.
For the cause, he spent night in prayer.
For the cause, he healed the sick, preached the Word, and taught the multitudes.
For the cause, he gave his life.

Is there a cause and effect relationship in your life? Are you living for the cause. I love the song Every Day:

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
That I might come to know You more
That You would guide me with every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

That's living for the cause every day.

3. You must Die for the Cause

Obviously, Jesus died for the cause. And, he asks the same of us: not that we'll give our lives to death, but that we'll simply give our lives for the cause.

At the root, I am a selfish person. All of us are. To die for the cause means that we die to ourselves and live for the cause. It means that we lose our lives so we can gain his life. It's a paradox of the gospel, but it's true: real life comes when we give our lives away!

We've got to refuse to drink the water of the culture that says, "Look out for number one. It's all about you. Stick up for yourself. You deserve it." Instead, we've got die for the cause.

Let's start a life giving revolution in our city by understanding the cause: born for the cause, live for the cause, and die for the cause.