Jesus says that our willingness to carry our cross in this age is the criterion by which we will be rewarded when He returns (Mt. 16:24-27). The Messiah himself carried His cross before receiving His crown of glory in the resurrection. In order to receive our own crown of glory in the resurrection at the Second Coming, we too must first carry our cross in this age. Jesus is our example of unwavering faithfulness to the Father even through suffering.
Judgment begins with the household of God (1 Pet. 4:17), and God disciplines those He loves (Heb. 12). He is more zealous for our eternal inheritance in the age to come, than He is about preserving our life of ease and comfort in this age. In the coming days, God will use His judgements to purify His church from compromise with things that He will not allow into the age to come. In order for the saints to faithfully persevere through the intense shakings that will occur at the end of the age (Is. 24, Mt. 24), the cross must be repositioned at the forefront of the church’s life and consciousness. NOTES AND FEEDBACK: http://danieltrainingnetwork.org/coming-crucfxn-of-the-church EMAIL: [email protected] FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/danieltrainingnetwork TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/dtnetworking