“Let Us Go Forth to Him”

By John Hendrix

We may take for granted—here in the United States—the relatively easy lifestyle that we have as Christians. I am not speaking just of the abundance that virtually all of us possess, but also the extremely tolerant atmosphere that we have for worshipping God. Many of us—used to the accommodations of our government in the past—may feel “put upon” by modern criticisms, yet we still live in an unusually safe and tolerant era. We still worship God “without fear of outside intervention.”

Whether tolerant or not, Christians must distinguish themselves from the rest of the world. For example, a person may not be a Christian without public confession of Jesus:

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)

Christians must confess Christ whenever put to the test. We may not at any time, or with any crowd, hide Jesus behind our backs or “leave him down the road a ways.” We must never be ashamed of being a follower of Jesus Christ:

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)

This requires sacrifices and a willingness to suffer ridicule. As Christians we must suffer a certain amount of isolation from the rest of the world:

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. (Hebrews 13:12-14)

Because our minds are focused on God and our hearts on heaven—while the world is gathering wealth and power—Christians will stand out. By standing out, we become targets. Anyone desiring to please God must accept this as an obligation, not an option. We are called to follow Jesus “outside the camp”—away from the mainstream of the world. In standing up—and standing out—for Jesus, we accept the reproach He accepted, we allow the mistreatment that He allowed:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. . . .” (Matthew 16:24)

Remember what Jesus went through for us. He came to the earth, gave up the eternal riches of heaven, refused earthly power and wealth and accepted a life of suffering and a death of cruel torture:

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12:3)

We may often feel like we are treated unfairly. We may feel like we are always giving and never receiving. We may feel that serving God faithfully requires too heavy a price, that, somehow, our calling is not “fair.” None of our problems compare with Christ’s, and no compromise with the world will gain us the rich reward that God promises:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-21)

How do we keep our eyes on heaven and our hearts on Christ? How do we patiently endure scorn, pain and self-sacrifice? By remembering what Jesus did for us:

. . . looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Let us step outside the mainstream of the world; let us go out of the camp to Jesus. Despising the shame—counting it a little thing—enduring whatever sacrifice or pain, so that we may go up to Jesus and live with Him in heaven.

This is how we can turn our backs on the world in order to uphold Christ—we have no enduring city on earth, but in heaven we will live with Jesus forever. This is how we can give up anything that the earth has to offer:

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)

Let us go forth to Him. There is no time for indecision. There is no time for looking back. We have little to lose that has value, and everything eternal to gain. Step out of the camp and in to the loving arms of Jesus.