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Today’s advocate post is from a TCK and Chi Alpha Alum that recently arrived along the Silk Road.

‘When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.’
That’s a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote that seems to get thrown around a lot. I read Bonhoeffer’s biography this summer. He heeded that call, and he wound up dead.

I can imagine two reactions to the name “Live Dead.” When first encountered, it seems a little dramatic. Many of us live in places where it seems the price of following Christ is very low – to be challenged with death reaches too far. However with time, this idea swings to the other side of the pendulum. “Live Dead” becomes another program, a brand, meaningless words strung together.

I have heard the call of Christ bidding me to come to Him throughout my life. It began when I was a small child, and grew as I did. By the time I got to college, I knew it well, but many other calls had joined it: the call of success, the call of control, and the call of self-sufficiency all rang loud in my ears.

As my life unraveled under the weight of these other things I hoped would set me free, the call of Christ rose above the din. He called me to come, to rest in His presence, to be with Him, but when I arrived I heard another call: the call to die.

He was right. These other things I held so tightly to myself, that I crammed inside of me, the choices I wanted to make, and the pride I used to protect myself; all of these things had to die if there was going to be room for new life. This is why I had avoided the call to come. I knew He did not simply want one small part of me. He would demand everything. It was more than I wanted to give.

In His grace we walked together. Though I did not want to let go of the things I held dear, Christ did not turn away from me or grow distant. The call persisted, seeping into my life. I made steps forward. I took steps back. The call rang out:

“Come and die.”

Every time I heeded it, I found new life. Some of those things that I had been afraid to surrender were resurrected. Others slipped away, but in their place I found the glorious privilege of knowing Christ. He redeemed me and took away my shame. He comforted me and led me through dark valleys.

As I came to know Him more He consumed me, and the call began to flow out of me. I began to call those around me to come to the feet of the Savior and be raised to new life with Him. As I labored with Christ I came even closer to Him, and I could see Him gazing with fierce love at a place far away.

“Will you come with Me,” he asked, “and tell the people that I am calling them to come? So few have heard my voice there.”

How could I not follow my beloved?

When I answered the call, it was not a call to come to the Silk Road or work overseas. Jesus was calling me to Himself. Whether or not we answer that call is the defining factor of our lives.

Apart from Him I have no strength or grace or hope. I am rudderless at sea, unable to even cry for help, but He hears me anyways and responds with the call. This is the call that got Bonhoeffer killed, and there are many others on that list. If I am going to go to the places where people do not know how broken the heart of God is for them, I will be stepping closer to physical danger.

Having heeded the call to come, I have no fear of death, for I have found true life at His feet.

Will you listen? Will you heed the call?

Here are some concrete ways to accomplish that

Take five minutes right now and ask Jesus to speak to you. To whisper the call to you, personally, in His still small voice. Ignore your Facebook feed or your inbox for a moment and focus on what is most important. You are not too busy to do this. You have already wasted more than five minutes today. Offer these to the Father.

Buy the Live|Dead Journal and take the 30-day Live Dead challenge. This book will equip you and encourage you to spend extravagant time listening to and following the call of Christ.

As you come to Christ, He will open your eyes to the things inside of you that need to die, but also to those around you who are dying. Take a step of courage and trust Him with you inadequacies and your doubts. Ask Him how you can join Him in calling those around you to His side.

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