What's in a name anyway?

I have a proposed name for this blogsite that I'd like to get y'alls feedback on. It was the title of my own personal blog (on which I never actually posted anything). But, with that site now being disabled the name is open for use again. The name was: "Dying to Live". I concede its not the most clever title, not even a bit humorous, and maybe--dare I admit--cheesy sounding. Let me explain its meaning and why I feel it has significance for this group, though.

John records Christ as saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone: but if it dies, it bears much fruit...whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12: 24-25). I remember that Brent used to talk about this Biblical truth a lot. In the world of the Gospel, where most everything is "upside down", death is required for life to blossom. We have a perfect example of the fruitfulness of death in the Lamb's sacrifice on Calvary. Through His death, as gruesome, shameful, and devastating as it was, came life and fruit. Each of us, every single trophy of His grace is fruit borne out of His fatal purchase on that cross. The simple truth is this: we died, were buried, and resurrected with Christ on Calvary! That is why our souls are alive today, that is why there was a time in each of our lives when God revealed Himself and life blossomed!

Now redeemed and still present on this earth, we struggle with sin and the frustrating reality that our flesh is still at war with the Spirit. John the Baptist understood the necessity of a beautiful equation revealed in scripture: We must become less so that He would become more. Like some of you, I got goose bumps when I heard Jonah, the missionary from Pakistan, say from the pulpit at Redeemer when he preached: "Death to my wishes; death to my desires!" Only the saints can revel in this cry. By God's mercy and unthinkable grace, only the saints can apprehend that life does not reside in ourselves or in the shimmering yet deceitful things of this world. The singular source of life, the exclusive fount of hope is in none but Christ Jesus.

Therefore, death to anything opposed to Christ is required; no, it is commanded, of each Christian. Paul notes, "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Romans 8:13). Again, in his letter to the church in Philipi he says something almost counter-intuitive, but still all the more precious: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Notice how Paul directly associates life with Christ.

Now, how does this concept of dying to live apply specifically to this group. Well, the way I see it most of what we talk about, most of the sin we struggle with, most of our questions result from a stubborn refusal to die to the things of the world, to jump off the sinful cliff of our comfort and security and into the freedom of self-abandon in Christ. We are stubborn to follow and we refuse to surrender because we forget the Gospel: Christ loved us while we were yet sinners, Christ loves and pursues us each day (even today!) while we still are sinners. Regardless of what we title this blogsite as, our encouragement must always be to point our brothers away from self and toward a God who is continually running down the long road toward a battered but hopeful prodigal.

Let us know what you think about this or other titles. Let's move ahead with getting this thing fully up and running.

In Christ I am, your brother