Imagine attending a sermon that begins with the statement, "To follow Jesus means you have to take a lethal injection." This shocking imagery serves to illustrate a profound truth. When Jesus said, " Take up your cross and follow Me, "(Matthew 16:24) He didn't mean that you should bear the burdens of life until He calls you home. His audience would have known that the cross was a method of execution, just like a lethal injection would be today. What He meant is that you must
