I recently heard Francis Chan recounting his experience during a trip to China. Chan took his 15 year old daughter to a meeting of Christians to allow her to experience firsthand what it was like to worship Christ in a country where it is illegal to do so. He himself was to speak to the gathered believers about standing strong in the face of persecution. Rather than encountering a somber, sober group as he had expected, Chan found the assembly to more resemble a fellowship dinner as the people were joyful and happy to be in each other’s presence.
mission
What is the Cost of Love?
Jesus demonstrated in the most visible way that true love costs everything. Before His death, He prayed that if it were possible to accomplish the mission in any other way that it would be provided for Him (Matthew 26:38-39). In the end, there was only the way of the cross, with its painful betrayals, beatings and humiliations along the way. Love prevented Him from turning away from that brutal path of sacrifice. At any point along the way, Jesus could have said, “It’s not worth it” and been delivered from what He was going through (Matthew 26:52-54). Instead, Jesus perfectly demonstrated the cost of love. When we surrender our lives to Him, we declare our love for Him and pledge that His life will be our model in everything we do. With that in mind, how much is your love for Christ costing you?
What’s Your Story?
Everybody’s got a story. We all came from somewhere and we’re all going somewhere. Everything in between is our story. Some stories are dramatic, some are comical; some are tragic while others are triumphant. But each of us has a story that we are telling with our lives, each day continuing or beginning a new chapter. Each of us will be remembered by the story we have woven. The question is what kind of story are you writing? When you stand before the Creator and Judge of the Universe, will you be pleased to have Him read from the pages of your life?
Do Not Engage
Recently the faith fellowship I attend was visited by a well-known group of picketers and protesters. What they were protesting no one seems to be quite certain, so perhaps a large group of believers just happened to be a convenient pit stop on their way downtown to picket outside of the Super Bowl. I have been told that this particular group is made up of several lawyers and that one of their specialties is to create encounters over which they can sue the other party. With that in mind, the attendees were told the best way to deal with them was simply to not engage them. Given their history, it seemed like wise advice.
The Church of Adolescents
Too often the modern church, particularly those of us in the West, run around like a bunch of immature teenagers. We are convinced that our way is the only right way. We know what we want, and we want it right now! Convinced that we know all there is to know, we pontificate and lead the masses astray. Paul admonished the church in Corinth that even though they had been instructed in the ways of Christ, they were still immature (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). It seems we’ve learned little in the 2,000 years since Paul wrote that letter; we are still like babes, selfish adolescents in His Kingdom.