The Lord Jesus was not forced by others or by God to take up the cross – He willingly took up His cross (Matt. 26:39). It should be the same with us – we need to willingly take up the cross. Some people say that their cross is their spouse, their family, their workmates, etc. – and these ones “make them suffer and bear the cross”. They are like suffering criminals forced to bear the cross – but the Lord meant us to be happy cross-bearers! We are not criminals executed by others and thus bearing the cross; we are those who willingly take up the will of God and follow the Lord! [read more online]
using the keys of the kingdom to lock the subjective gates of Hades and build up the church
Matt. 16:21-26 shows us not only the subjective gates of Hades coming in to frustrate the building up of the church but also the keys of the kingdom of the heavens which lock these doors and release the building up! We need to use the keys of denying our self, losing our soul life, and taking up our cross! Denying the self mainly relates to our mind, since the self is expressed through the mind with its opinions. Taking up the cross is related to taking up the will of God and not our own will. Losing our soul life is related to the enjoyment of the soul, the pleasure – we need to seek God’s pleasure and His enjoyment!
the way to build up the church as the kingdom of God is death and resurrection
What is the way to build up the church? As revealed by the Lord in Matt. 16:16-18 and then in 21-26, the way the church is built up in a practical way is through death and resurrection. The Lord Jesus builds up the church through His death and resurrection – if He would have not died on the cross for us and if He would have not resurrected, there would be no church. It is the same with us today – if we do not die to ourselves and if we don’t live the resurrection life in the church life, we do not build up the church. [continue reading this article online]