“… always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be manifest in our body.” 2 Cor. 4:10

Tho' the way seems straight and narrow,
All I claimed was swept away;
My ambitions, plans and wishes,
At my feet in ashes lay.

In my early youth with New Tribes Mission, in our “jungle camp” set-up, the leader of the mission, Ken Finney, came along and taught about “the cross in the Christian life”.  I remember how uplifting I found his teaching.  Our personal cross throws us into the arms of Jesus with this sole purpose of giving us a renewed experience of His victorious resurrection life through that “death”.

I expressed my joy of Finney´s teaching to our “boot camp” director who harshly and sternly told me how little I had applied that teaching myself.  He pointed out my lack of exhibiting the principles of the cross, and he was right, but still the Lord in His grace wanted me to enjoy the gospel of the cross as much as my breast could hold it despite my lack of holy virtues.  The death process never ceases nor does – praise God! - the power of the Easter – but it´s not a matter of mere theology, but of a continuous “down to earth” experience, often through dramatic humiliations.

Abt. 13 years ago I was sitting in a room in Norway.  With me was a close younger friend who was going through deep waters.  False accusations from Christian brethren were about to kill him.  (He actually soon died). It wasn´t easy what to say.  We read the word of God 2 Cor. 4:10-11 and we also prayed together.  I remember how he humbly submitted to his ongoing “death process”.  He was also a proficient Greek scholar, so he used the Greek word for “death process” and asked the Lord for grace to go through his personal “nekrosis” which is the original word used in 2 Cor. 4:10 (“the dying” in English – or “death process”).   At that little prayer meeting we didn´t see “death” only but also “the life of Jesus” through that death process.

I´m not sharing with you a piece of good theology only, but a Christian´s exposure to the teachings of the cross.  If you in some way happen to go through “deep waters” too or are being humiliated by others, - maybe by other Christians – o, welcome in the “club”!  The “corn of wheat” in your personal ground is doing its glorious work however painful it may be.  It precedes the glorious fruit bearing.

May 9, 2012,  - jn