Death is our Call

Jesus Christ

By Beau Crosetto

I don’t have alot to say today. I mean, its an awkward day.

It’s a good day and a bad day. Its good because our Lord, Jesus Christ, has gone to the cross to die for the sin of the world. We know now because of hindsight that this day had to happen and we are ever so thankful.

It’s a bad day because we have to think about the fact that our sin + the rest of the world’s sent our Lord, Jesus Christ, to the cross to die. If we weren’t such screw ups as human beings this never would have had to happen.

Its such a weird day internally.

But as far as this blog is concerned, and A.P.E. leadership, I have a few thoughts.

Today is a day to remember that the death of Jesus Christ leads us and this is the foundation of all we do and who we are as Christians first, and secondly as apostolic, prophetic, or evangelistic leaders.

A blog like this, and people like us can get confused. I mean, the APE are the catalytic vocations of the body of Christ, the primary activists and extenders of the Kingdom of God and the ones most often intersecting with the broader culture. The APE vocations as called by God are frequently outside the church walls on a daily basis.

Because of this we can forget.

In all our action, pushing, extending, challenging, advancing, and persuading we can forget that death is our foundation, and death is our call.

we are called to die to ourselves and to the world. We are to follow our Lord who in His final meal asked us to wash the feet of others. Get low, get dirty and become nothing in the eyes of the world.

Every vocation and calling from Jesus comes from this foundation and ethic.

He gave some to be Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, Teachers so that they could extend the message and ethic of death to self and service to the world.

Today, Good Friday, is the start and the foundation of APE.

⁷But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”^[b]

⁹(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^]? ¹⁰He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) ¹¹So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:7-13

Without Christ descending into the lower regions, we would have no ascending and therefore none of His gifts…his people equipped by Him and called by him to extend the Kingdom through APEST vocations.

The body of Christ can’t become mature and whole without every believer living out their calling…A,P,E,S or T.

We need them all and we need each other.

But today is a day to remember that death leads all and underscores it all.

Today is a day to check yourself…

Are you leading as and APE through the lens of death, sacrifice, surrender, and servanthood?

Today is a day to re-orient your leadership through the fulcrum of Christ and his crucifixion.

I am going to spend some time repenting of sin, and looking at my motives and ambitions.

Where am I motivated by self promotion instead of service and surrender to others?
How is the message of death to self, surrender to Jesus, and service to others leading me or not?
Overall, why am I doing what I am doing in life, and how does it match up with the ethic & message of John 13 and the cross?