Soldier's Orders: Cross Carrying

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Matthew 16:24 (NASB)

Christ gave us, His soldiers, two key Orders:

  1. Carry our crosses.

  2. Follow our Leader.

'Come, take up the cross, and follow Me' (Mark 10:21).

Among self-professed Christians living now, what does carrying our crosses look like?

  • Golden symbols that hang on relaxed necks… within comfortable congregations of well-dressed people in cozy churches? Or…

  • Selfless acts that lift the lost and lonely… by seasoned saints who walk less traveled paths, as their Captain as a precedent?

'Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it' (Matthew 7:14).

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

What does the cross you’re called carry… mean? BOMBSHELL ANSWER: Your duty unto death.*

How is this duty visibly defined? FOLLOWING YOUR CAPTAIN, no matter what.

Consider the journeys of Abraham, Joseph, David, Moses, and Joshua. Or Paul, who faced trial after trial, but held the course in the fields God assigned.**

How does this commission play out for you? Consider the fields of entertainment: 

  • Your success isn't quick? Stars keep going, in a no-matter-what perseverance.

  • Your success isn't big? God is smiling, because Christ is a one-by-one Savior.

  • Your success isn't easy? Of course not. Building faith muscles is never easy.

  • You've been ridiculed? So was your Captain. Do what He did. Walk forward anyway.

  • Doors have closed to you? Others will open. Think of rejection as God’s protection.

  • Friends don't understand? Then find those who do…

'For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God' (1 Corinthians 1:18).

'And you, being dead in your trespasses... He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses... having nailed it to the Cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it' (Colossians 2:13-15).

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

You’re God’s heroes and stars in media, lighting His path for those stuck in darkness. Your mission, while not easy, IS CRUCIAL! And yes, it IS a duty unto death.

Soldier's Orders: Cross Carrying (Part 12)

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

* Excellent short article on 'Take up your cross and follow Me': http://www.gotquestions.org/take-up-your-cross.html

** The Apostle Paul suffering for Christ: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+11%3A22-28&version=NKJV

Carey Arban