Losers are Winners

LOSERS ARE WINNERS

Matt.10: 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
II Tim.4: 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Many churches and many more religious television programs portray believers as winners and they exhort them to achieve great personal goals. Some programs even have the word “winner” in their title. The essence of their message is high energy, inward motivation, and a thirst for personal achievement. Of course there is always a financial element in it all.
But they have willingly borrowed and adopted the world’s definition of a “winner” or “winning” itself. The world almost always equates winning with human expertise, human cunning, human power, and human determination. And the earthly construct of winning elevates the person and renders those who do not win as losers. This principle threads its way throughout the world and into almost every area of society. The winner is exalted while the losers are forgotten.
But how in God’s dear name did the church ever adopt that kind of carnal and fleshly view? Where have we gotten the idea that the Christian life is a competition and that winning can be measured here on earth. Well, we got it from the prince and the power of the air who delights in such fallen nonsense. When the church clothes itself in the mores and the values of the world then the devil has done his job well. And do not dismiss that as a metaphor or as religious folklore. There is a evil being who has a vested interest in seeing the church leave its Lord and follow after the things of this world. He delights in the failure of the church, especially when it is disguised as earthly victories. Deception is his life.
Well dressed and well coiffed men and women stand behind pulpits and present themselves as examples of what God wants for all of us. Some even have plastic surgery to enhance their appearance. And the power of visual imagery is very powerful and subtly, quietly, and with nimble dexterity, the unholy spirit takes these images and begins to molest the minds and hearts of its victims. And upon the initial exposure, the allurement has set in. And without realizing it, people have transitioned receiving truth from a direct encounter with the Scriptures, to receiving truth almost exclusively from the mouth of certain men and women.
And power begets more power and before long you have millions holding men’s persons in admiration (Jude). With layers of makeup and with wide smiles they encourage and excite and energize, all in the power of the flesh. And like a multi-level marketing scheme, the crowd becomes enthralled with hopes of personal gain and achievement. There is nothing remotely Christian about any of this, but since the man or woman is ordained the lemmings run to the edge of the heretical cliff. It is all very hollow but indeed very powerful in the natural.
God has not called His followers to be winners in this life. In fact He has called us to lose our lives for Him. There are so many principles in God’s Word that are paradoxical and completely at odds with the world’s system. The first shall be last; the least shall be the greatest; he that dies shall live; he that gives all gives more than he that gives most; humble yourselves and God will raise you up; and he that loses his life for My sake will find it.
It is just this kind of “winner” mentality which has shoved the cross into relic status and brought forth human accomplishment and achievement. As long as you give lip service to God you can claim anything you do is divinely inspired. In many circles, the cross is symbol of defeat and something about which to hide. I once saw an emergent type person state categorically that the resurrection is more important than the cross. He is a follower of Rob Bell and that is the philosophy these false teachers are spreading. It did not matter that there could be no resurrection without the cross, and to place greater value on either is to tear apart a redemptive fabric where there should be no breach.
The victory will always be His and His alone. He, by grace through faith, lends us His victory. We are only victorious through that colossal sacrifice. All human victories are of the flesh and will dry up upon His return. Even the visible church now claims voting victories and economic victories and even chicken sandwich victories. Oh how we now relish in the temporal and the efforts of the flesh instead of the glory of the immortal victory won at the place of the skull. That which appeared as death brought life. That which seemed as a surrender actually purchased our victory. That which was carried out as a punishment for an evil doer actually sealed the fate of the evil one and all he can deceive.
I Cor.15: 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We did not earn it and we did not deserve it. But through our Lord Jesus Christ we have been given the victory. And this is not a victory which waits for another battle. This victory does not need a human defense. This victory has nothing to do with this world.
I Jn.5: 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
And so with our eyes fixed upon Him, and with the seal of His Spirit alive in our hearts, we walk not according to the ways of this world. He is our victory, and to Him alone we cling as we await the day that we behold His glorious face. And how will we know He has won the victory on that day? Look at His hands. He bears the eternal proof.