The Expendables
By Elin Henderson
“Whoever
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take
up his cross, and follow Me.”
Mark
8:34b (NKJV)
You may not know it, but the recent
movie The Expendables with Arnold
and Sly was pre-dated by the actual story of a group of men and women who knew
the true meaning of being “expendable.” The movie portrays a group of “past
their years” soldiers united to stop world destruction with the usual hard-core
criteria of being relentless, fearless and unstoppable. But the movie’s
predecessors - - Jesus’ disciples and the men and women of the early Church - -
were common, everyday people with an uncommon, divine criteria list.
Jesus set up
the benchmarks and made the call to “expendability” for His kingdom! Let’s take a look at what His criteria were
here in Mark 8:34-37:
·
Come
after me (choose His way)
·
Deny
yourself (live selflessly)
·
Take
up your cross (crucified with Christ)
·
Follow
me (followers by faith)
·
Willing
to lose your life
·
Live
unashamedly
Quite a challenging list, and it
equally applies to us today! We, too, are being called
to be “expendable” for Him, but the
criteria and call isn’t an easy one. If we want to be an unstoppable force here
on earth for His kingdom, there is only one way: His way!
Have no fear! Though the challenge is
great, the strength and grace to fulfill it are equally available. Unlike the
movie, there is an unfathomable force behind the call. But Christ promises to
go with us and be our strength even to the ends of the earth! The first group
of “expendables” all those years ago went out and turned the world upside down
for His Kingdom. What about us? Will we take up the challenge and be part of a
new generation of “expendables,” willing to go wherever He sends and do
whatever it takes for Him?
GOING DEEPER:
1. Using the
above “criteria” list from Mark 8 as a checklist, how do you line up?
2. In what areas can you be asking the Lord to help
you to be more expendable for Him?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s
missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as
church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique,
Africa. Elin is mother to thirteen-year-old
Callie and eleven-year-old Elias.
