give us a mind oh God give us a mind let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself taking the form of a servant and being found in human form became obedient unto death even death on a cross let this mind be in us oh God create this mind in this room right now I pray [Music] in Jesus name [Music] amen so the USA has the headlines they're alive they're not alive Dead all of them except one and
he's in critical condition 52 dead in Iraq yesterday 32 of them at a funeral floods in California fires burning houses down across the southwest and what phone call did you get yesterday if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross thank you for the cross his and ours Matthew 10:21 brother will deliver up brother to death and father his child children will rise against parents and have them put to death and they will be hated by all for my name's sake the one who endures to the end will be
saved John 161 the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God every radical Muslim believes that when he kills a Christian Romans 8:16 the spirit himself Bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and children and heirs Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ provided we suffer with him so that we may be glorified with him I count the sufferings of this present time unworthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed it's coming if you haven't had it yet it's coming
coming if you walk with him if you walk with him Philippians 1:29 for it has been granted to you that for your sake you should not only believe but suffer it's granted to you it's given to you it's a gift to you with a big bow that you will suffer second Timothy 1:8 therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or me his prisoner but share in suffering for the gospel for the power of God one more acts 5:41 they left the presence of the council Peter John they left the presence of
the council rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to be shamed for the name the purpose of God in creating the universe is to display the greatness of the glory of his grace supremely in the suffering of his son that's yesterday today the summons will you join the son in displaying the Supreme satisfaction of the glory of Grace in joining him on the Calvary Road of suffering because there's no other way the world is going to see the Supreme Glory of Christ today except that we break free from the Disneyland of America and begin to
live lifestyles of missionary sacrifice that looks to the world like our treasure is in heaven and not on the earth you see only way the Prosperity Gospel will not make anybody Praise Jesus it will make people praise prosperity of course I'll have a Jesus who'll give me a car who wouldn't want a Jesus who gives me Health a car a fine marriage I'll take your Jesus if the payoff is right that's not the way you're going to win your campuses dressing the coolest driving the coolest typing on the coolest it's not going to get any
praise for the suffering Christ he calls you in this service in this conference in this life in this world in that newspaper world he calls you to another way isn't it the good [Music] life isn't Christianity the good life and if if it's a delusion doesn't really matter we're gone so who cares if it's a delusion it's the good life wrong it's not the good life Paul could not possibly have said if we have hoped in Christ only for this life we are most to be ped if this is the good life oh how wrong
we've got it in America it's really hard to be a Christian in America really hard it's about the hardest place in the world so he says two things I'm in Peril every hour and I die every day I choose I make so many choices to magnify Jesus in hard places it hurts me every day I would not choose this if it weren't true if I couldn't expect a resurrection from the dead where everything would be paid back to me a thousandfold that I have laid down in the service of Jesus I wouldn't go this way
Christ died for millions of people all over the world people on your campus people in the unreached peoples of the world their debt has been paid and they don't know it I can't taste it they can't feel it they can't sing that song I thank you for the cross my friend I thank you for the cross there's something missing in this suffering it's not showing up it's not showing up in 639 unreached people groups over 100,000 in population that have zero testimony from the people in this room or [Music] me it's not connecting there's something
lacking in the sufferings namely the presentation the presentation of the sufferings it's an amazing statement and just think about the history of missions for a moment if you have any inkling of how we got to where we are today with 1.3 or 4 billion people professing faith in Jesus Christ when it started from 12 how did we get there you know what the answer is suffering there never has been a breakthrough into an unreached place or people without suffering if you're going to be a missionary mark it down pain loss of a child malaria marital
Strife tensions on the team demonic opposition martyrdom it's going to come don't think it's strange when it comes it's the price he paid his life for our Salvation We join him in that suffering to display the nature of it how are they going to see how satisfying he is in us if we look like it's the computer toy that is really satisfied it is wonderful I think that Paul in this verse says now I rejoice in the sufferings for your sake I'm not summoning you to a miserable life I am summon summoning you to a
painful life but in the this pain all over the Bible you find Christians rejoicing in Tribulation rejoice in Tribulation for tribulation Works patience and patience Works appr proven this and appr proven this works hope and hope will not put us to shame because the love of God is poured out in our heart you want to experience the Deep Joy of knowing yourself loved by God lay out your life for another person take a risk with your body take a risk with your mind take a risk with your money your schooling what an amazing thing God
calls us to do and to be [Music]
