Come Further Up, Come Further In: Bishop Justin’s Call to a Life Given Away

How Eucharist Calls Us to Radical Discipleship

What if following Jesus meant having your life wrecked? Not ruined, but transformed—taken, blessed, broken, and given away for the sake of the Kingdom. This was the stirring challenge from Bishop Justin Duckworth as he spoke at Ministry Leaders’ Family Camp, calling the Church to embrace the radical invitation of Jesus.

“There is one loaf,” Bishop Justin said, referencing 1 Corinthians 10. “So, as we gather together, there is one loaf, there is one body. The global church is one body.” This profound truth, he argued, should dismantle our hyper-individualism. In a world that often categorizes and divides, Eucharist reminds us that we belong to one another.

The Pattern of Jesus: Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given

Bishop Justin outlined four movements in Scripture that Jesus enacted with the bread at the Last Supper—He took it, blessed it, broke it, and gave it. This, he said, is not just the story of Jesus, but the invitation for every follower of Christ.

“Our lives, too, are meant to be taken, blessed, broken, and given,” Bishop Justin shared, weaving in his own journey of faith. He recalled a moment from his youth when a woman named Mary, who had cleaned his family’s home, revealed she had prayed for him for years. Long before he knew Jesus, God had already taken hold of his life.

His story continued with blessing—moments of profound grace, from his baptism to unexpected spiritual renewal. But it didn’t stop there. “We are also invited into brokenness,” Bishop Justin said. “Jesus was broken on the cross. His life was destroyed, tortured, annihilated. And if we want to see His Kingdom come, we cannot try to avoid participating in His suffering.”

He described a season of deep exhaustion—thirty-five years of ministry leaving him existentially worn. “I was just at the back of the room, saying, ‘God, I’ll keep turning up, but I am existentially exhausted.’” Then, in a moment of prayer, something shifted. “Literally, in that moment, my heart was renewed. The exhaustion lifted. It was a game-changing difference.”

A Life Given Away

The final movement, being given away, is where faith becomes tangible. Bishop Justin recalled encountering two young men he had mentored years earlier. One, once an unsuccessful banker, had become a pastor. The other, who had struggled to read and write, was now a high school teacher.

“I sat there, barely holding a job myself, and thought, ‘What have I done with my life?’” he admitted. “And then I felt God whisper—‘Isn’t this what you signed up for? That you would become less, so that others could become more?’”

This, he emphasized, is the heart of the Gospel. A life poured out so that others might experience the Kingdom.

A Call to Dangerous Prayers

Bishop Justin didn’t shy away from calling the Church to action. “If your life is not being destroyed by your faith in Jesus—if it’s not being wrecked for the sake of the Kingdom—then I dare you to ask for it. Pray the dangerous prayer, ‘God, wreck my life for you, that it may be given away afresh.’”

As attendees gather around the Eucharist table, he encouraged them to embrace the full invitation. “If you are exhausted and need renewal, ask for prayer. If your life has become too safe, too comfortable, ask God to break and give it away.”

Because the way of Jesus is not self-preservation. It is the invitation to come further up, come further in—to a life that is taken, blessed, broken, and given for the world.

Note: AI was used in the creation of this story.