All to Jesus

Read Matthew 16:13-27

"He said to them,

 “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter answered and said,

 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered and said to him,

 “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,

 but My Father who is in heaven.

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and  the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it....

Then Jesus said to His disciples,

 “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, 

and take up his cross, and follow Me.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, 

but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, 

and lose his own soul?  

Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels,

 and then He will reward each according to his works."

                                                                                       Matthew 16:15-18, 24-27
There’s something important, here, to note.  When Jesus asked Peter who He was, Peter said Jesus was the Son of God.  To which Christ notes, it was God who revealed it to Him.
Jesus simply presented Himself to the disciples and those around Him, He went out and ministered the Word of God.  He let people make the decision on who He was.  They either accepted Him or rejected Him, the choice was always theirs.
That’s the way we are to be. We are simply to present the Gospel.  Present Christ to people, and let them decide on who Jesus is.
By accepting  Christ, we are becoming the church itself.  It is something we can’t take lightly. Which is the other point here.
We must consider the cost, that’s why I believe that Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  (Matthew 16:24)
In some parts of the world when a person comes to know Christ and is taking the important step of baptism they ask the person “are you willing to die for Christ?”
It’s that serious because they are rejected by family and live within a very hostile environment.

Something to think about

Christ from the outset, made it clear that following Him would not always be easy; there would be persecution, even death, but the rewards would be great.
We in North America have it easy. We don’t have to fear death for becoming a Christian.
Frequently all we are asked to do is give up a few bad habits and to make a few lifestyle changes.
Yet still many people are not willing to give up even that.
We are called to take up the cross and follow Him.  No matter how much we have or how little, we must be willing to give it up. This is the call of Christ.
“All to Jesus I surrender all to Him I freely give.” states the words of an old hymn.
  Are you willing to do that? Are you if necessary willing to give up your life for Christ and stand up for the Gospel.