Oswald Chambers wrote, “Get into the real work of intercession, and remember it is a work, a work that taxes every power“. A pretty captivating statement especially since the title of that devotional was “Holiness V. Hardness Towards God”!

The idea of worshipping God has slowly and conveniently slipped through a lot of fingers. By my own observation I’d say that today’s Christians are a lot less willing to put themselves out there when their faith requires it. Yet the Scriptures continually show disciples of Jesus who were called by Jesus Himself to offer themselves–to give something up, to endure hardship and suffering, and even be willing to die!

Just read about the deaths of every Apostle in the New Testament and you get a vivid demonstration of what I call “dedicated endurance”. Tradition actually says that Peter was crucified upside down on a cross (at his request, because he didn’t feel worthy to die as Jesus did).

But let’s put the issue of death by faith aside! What about the sweat, the grind, the hardship of our everyday faith as a requirement? Yes I use “requirement” very intentionally because I whole-heartedly believe that Scripture teaches it: if you aren’t sweating for Jesus then you might as well stay on a couch until the Lord takes you to heaven!

The Apostle Paul is a great example of a Christian’s life story: when Jesus became the Lord of his life, a radical transformation happened. His zeal for his pre-Christ lifestyle turned into zeal for his new lifestyle, and we read of a man who let his calling rule that life (not vice-versa!). 1 Cor. 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

Historians say that he studied and prepared for 14 years before launching into that life of sacrifice (and ultimate torture and death). Then he went… he toiled, he suffered, he perspired. And all of that very intentionally as an obligation and honor to His Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Cor. 4:8-11, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– ¹⁰always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

I must confess that I don’t want to hear the intensity of his statement there! As a teacher of the Word I often research the original texts in original languages (try it… it gives you a real “feel” for what the author says and means). Well Paul says it with authority and passion: “Christians, we will suffer; but so did Jesus. But let me remind you that He did it for you. Now go and be like Him!”

So in all honesty, do you? When Chambers wrote his devotional, his point was that Christians often mean to worship God and often mean to pray with passion, but usually they don’t. Why not? Because it takes too much effort-those uncomfortable notions of “sweat” and “labor” usually defeat “dedication” and “faith”. He then makes a pretty captivating point (that I’d never thought of): those particular Christians become dogmatic in their faith. In other words: their words are all they have to stand on so they viciously speak those words-but only as a mask. The best idiom to describe what he’s saying there would be, “he doesn’t practice what he preaches”

Ouch! That’s just the epitome of hypocrisy. Another idiom: “his bark is much worse than his bite“.

If you call Jesus Lord and Savior I think that you should toil and sweat to never let those phrases be applied to your life (because frankly, a dog that doesn’t have a bite that matches his bark will lose when he’s called to a real fight).

Here, then, we’re all called to do some honest self-evaluation: “Lord how strong is my bite compared to how loud my bark is?” If the 2 don’t at least match up-assuming you have a loud bark!-it’s time to change. I’d go so far as to say that you’d be short-changing our mighty God if you didn’t. Arm-chair Christians pose no danger to an active enemy! The Lord has called for game-changing servants, because the game’s almost over. Paul’s words that followed his “suffering manifesto” are a great way to summarize the point that I’m making, 1 Cor. 4:12-18, “¹²So then death is working in us, but life in you.
¹³And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. ¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. “