A Living SacrificeSample

"Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen." (Romans 16:25-27 ESV)

I think most would agree that the “secret” that Paul is talking about in this passage is that salvation is available to the Gentiles, as much as it is for the Jews, but I think another secret he is disclosing is that there is a conquering, sacrificial life to be found NOW, this side of Heaven. Interestingly, Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book years ago called “The Secrets of the Vine”, which was very impactful on me and the ministry I serve. Bruce talks about that sacred night, right after Jesus had a meal with his disciples and was about to say farewell, that he talked to them about a Grapevine and its branches and its fruit.

The secret that Jesus revealed is that we need to Abide in Him to live the lives He intends for us. To live out any of these lofty ideals and tenants that Paul has outlined for us in Romans, we must abide. If we abide, we bear fruit. We don’t bear fruit so that we can abide. Everything in our lives should flow out of our relationship with Him.

When we are obedient to abide in Him, we bear the “fruits of the Spirit” as found in Galatians 5:22-23, but more than that, we daily die to ourselves and our sin nature, so that there are no hindrances getting in the way of the work of the Holy Spirit through our lives.

I am part of a wonderful discipleship ministry called Influencers Global Ministries. We take men, women, and couples on a journey to learn what it means to have an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ. In other words, we help people learn how to become Living Sacrifices who the world needs to see. You can learn more about our ministry at www.influencers.org, and we would love to help you get plugged into a Journey group.

I hope you have enjoyed the discipline of reading and meditating upon God’s Word through the Book of Romans. I pray you have been challenged, inspired, encouraged and transformed. God needs you to be a Living Sacrifice to your generation, to your spheres of influence, so that you can play your part in bringing salvation and love to thousands of generations to come. God bless you and Godspeed!