Trevin Wax, vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board, challenged students to passionately follow Christ and not the patterns of this world during a recent chapel service at the University of Mobile.
“In our culture, we love a good rebel,” Wax said. “Our culture conditions us to rebel against authority, right? Obedience is boring. Following the rules is uncool, and giving your allegiance to anyone besides yourself means losing your freedom. You know what’s exciting is to blaze your own trail and push aside whatever might get in the way of pursuing your dreams and your desires.
“The drama is in breaking free, and in our society, we think of freedom as throwing off the leash, blowing up boundaries and breaking through constraints. But the Bible says something different. The bigger adventure is in submission, not rebellion. It’s in obedience not resistance.”
‘Real heroes’
Wax reminded students that the prophets like Jeremiah, Hosea, Ezekiel and Daniel who chose to “go against the stream were the real heroes.”
“They are the ones who have their names in books of the Bible,” Wax noted during the Oct. 14 service. “It’s not just the Bible. It’s the adventure of obedience. In all the superhero movies or novels, the person we root for submits to this wise leader who gives counsel. They set out on a journey that’s going to require virtue in a world of vice. The disciple must learn to bend the knee to the master.”
Wax pointed out that too often in the Christian life many of us want to have it both ways — wanting to be both the disciple and the master.
“We want the freedom to flourish as we follow Jesus, but we also want the freedom to disregard His standards whenever they don’t sit well with us,” Wax said. “We want to claim Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, but we want to remain our own Lord.
“So, we’re okay with having Him as a teacher as long as we can still in some way be the master. Jesus put a haunting question to His followers in Luke 6:46 that is still relevant today, ‘Why do you call me Lord, and don’t do the things I say?’”
Examining hearts
Wax reminded students that Jesus is examining the hearts and motives of the ones who claim to follow Him.
“Jesus sees the gap between what we say and how we live,” Wax said. “I think this question matters in every era just as it did back then, and the same issue shows up in the church today of calling Jesus ‘Lord,’ but ignoring what He says. We see in Matthew 28 that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. So often we don’t really understand what we are saying when we call Jesus ‘Lord.’ It’s easy to be an admirer of Jesus and not really a follower.”
Wax shared that the way to truly know the difference and recognize a disciple of Christ is being willing to give up their own personal preferences and follow Christ’s commands.
“With Jesus, there’s no way to remain detached or distant,” Wax said. “In fact, you can’t truly admire Jesus and not strive to be like Him and to follow His way. Many people want the admiration of Jesus without the authority of Jesus. People want what Jesus can give them while they disregard what He commands.”
As Wax continued, he emphasized that all throughout the New Testament, Jesus is demonstrating God’s commands by displaying God’s intent and His heart in giving these commands to His people.
“If you long for a Jesus who is powerful enough to move heaven and earth and answer your prayers, then you want this Jesus who is far more than a personal assistant,” Wax said. “The resurrected Jesus doesn’t come to you as a consultant. He wears a crown, and I’m here to tell you today that the greatest adventure of your life is in following Jesus, not just admiring Him.
“If you like a good rebel, then be the kind of rebel who rebels against the world’s rebellion and refuses to conform to the patterns of this world because you conform to Christ. Obedience to Jesus matters because the stakes are eternal.”
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