2022 – 2032: "A Decade of Supernatural Growth and Multiplication of the Church." We embarked on a 10-year human capital campaign to train, equip and send out 360 Christian ministers to reach out to less reached communities and people groups to bring up the harvest for Christ.
“Following Jesus will cost you your popularity, friends, leisure time, traditions or family. The cost of following Jesus may be high but the value of being Jesus’ disciple is even higher. Praise God!” Cleto Mhuru
The following synonyms describe sacrifice: to give up; to let go; to offer, renounce, endure, surrender, kiss goodbye and part with.
DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS OF SACRIFICE
To sacrifice may mean to give up something valuable to you to help another person (Examples – (a) Many women sacrifice interestingcareersfortheirfamilies. (b) Many parents make sacrifices to give their children a better education and life.
To sacrifice also means to kill an animal and offer it to a god or gods(In the Old Testament the people sacrificed animals on the alter as a sacrifice for their sins. In the New Testament Jesus Christ was offered as a sacrifice for the remission of our sins. As children of God, Jesus was our sacrifice therefore we don’t need to shed any blood anymore!
God is pleased when we sacrifice to follow Jesus Christ. In Matthew 8:19-20 we read, “One of the teachers of religious law said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You no matter where You go!’ But Jesus said, ‘Foxes have dens to live in and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of My own, not even a place to lay my head.’ Also in Luke 9:23 – 24 we hear our Lord Jesus saying“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it”. We can see from these Scriptures that following Jesus is not always easy or comfortable.It will cost you your popularity, friends, leisure time, traditions or family. The cost of following Jesus may be high but the value of being Jesus’ disciple is even higher. Praise God! Jesus made this promise to His followers: “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18:28-30). Following Jesus Christ promises 100% of this life and life to come. There is no greater blessing than this promise. Hallelujah!
God is pleased with a sacrificial attitude that puts everything we have at His disposal. In Matthew 19:21 “Jesus told him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Should all believers sell everything they own to follow Jesus? No. We are responsible for caring for our own needs and our families’ needs so we will not burden others. We should, however, be willing to give up anything if God asks us to do so. This kind of attitude acknowledges that all we have belongs to Him and is graciously given for our use or enjoyment. We are stewards, not possessors of it.
God is pleased with a sacrificial attitude that shows real love for others. In Romans 9:1-3“In the presence of Christ, I speak with utter truthfulness; I do not lie; and my conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm that what I am saying is true. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed — cut off from Christ! — If that would save them.” Are you ready to sacrifice your time, money, energy, comfort, and safety to see others come to Jesus? Are you willing to bear others’ burdens, pray for them, fast for them and forgive even if it seems like swallowing a bitter pill? This is a sacrifice of love and obedience needed by God.
God is pleased with sacrificial living because it shows obedience and gratitude for His grace. Paul in Romans 12:1 exhorts believers to give their bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to Him.
God requires us to offer ourselves, not animals, as a living sacrifice. He wants us to lay aside our own desires and follow Him. He wants us to put all our energy and resources at His disposal and trust Him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven, not to earn our salvation or His favour.
“Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ Jesus, who loved us and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away our sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to Him.”
Break Free Ministries International 