A friend of mine wrote an article recently about a troubling issue related to Christianity. It's about the so-called recent discovery of Jesus' casket along with those of his mother and supposed wife.
The reason for it being troubling is that it is yet another attack on the basic tennents of our faith. Simply put, if the casket is indeed that of Jesus, then he was not resurrected. And if that did not happen (as the Apostle Paul put it) then our faith is truly useless.
Mr. Cruz' website is exploringchrist.com; a link to his article is exploringchrist.com Please take a look at it. He offers a thought-provoking insight.
Attacks on Christianity seem to be increasing in intensity. Some of the basic concerns are: As far as faiths are concerned, Hollywood continues to single out Christianity to denigrate; schools only disallow espousing Christian beliefs; and an increase of Muslim acceptance is also causing a decrease of Christian acceptance. These are some of the issues that hit the news and blogs.
However, I am wondering if all of this is not part of God's most glorious plan to force a choice upon the people of His creation. The choice being simply: Him, on His terms, through His Son vs. anything else that the world has to offer.
I can only speak about the U.S. since that is where I live.
The war today --not the one with IEDs and bullets, but the one that confronts our way of life-- is that of a change in the demographics of the country. There are an overwhelming number of new cultures entering the country from the southern border and also from the other side of the world. The choice is about being fearful of the change (English is no longer required; Christian values are not the standard; the new cultures are not open but rather, cliquish) or a peaceful calm that is based on trust in Jesus who loves all.
According to many, it marked turning point for the country was the 1960s; it was the beginning of the end of the morals which had been the standard which set the country head and shoulders above the world. From that time on (in this country) the choice people had was one of worldly lusts (drugs, sex, rejection of authority) or Jesus.
In the 1930s, it was a time of poverty so the choice was between self-sufficiency (meaning mans' attempts to find his own provisions) or reliance upon Jesus (to fulfill His promise of providing everything we need for LIFE and godliness).
These are only a few examples of the choices that we have to make. Which one will you choose? Either we Christians are the real aliens in this world and we are here as ambassadors of our true homeland OR we are citizens of earth that need to be fearful of all the things that challenge what we belive is right. According to the Bible we CANNOT have dual citizenship --we cannot represent and tie ourselves to this world and the things of it. The world detracts us from God; it appeals to our fleshly desires.
When you are accosted by what appears to be something that is contrary to your Christian beliefs, consider that it might actually be God providing an opportunity to make a choice or influence another to make a choice -the choice of Eternal LIFE through Jesus OR a distraction by a love of the things in the world.
So does that make the problem that we are faced with any less critical to our lives? I certainly hope not! Each of these confrontations or assaults should make us all the more sensitive to the fact that God is making His appeal to make a choice. We can trust Him with ALL of our heart and not lean on our own understanding. (That's how these encounters can change us.) And He is appealing through us (His ambassadors) to tell people Who has and Who is the answer to these problems. (That's how we are His body reaching the world for Him!)
There is an example of all of this in the OT. Esther was told that she was raised up to be God's ambassador. And if she didn't want to be participate in His divine plan, then He would find someone who would. After great consideration, her response was a decided "If I perish, I perish." Let's all have that attitude -one of a willingness to let God use us for His glory -regardless of the cost.
Once again, please read Mr Cruz' article --he has a great web site describing his life journey as a Christian. It tells about what is going on in our society now. By it, he tells of opportunities that are awaiting us as ambassadors for Jesus.