Christianity, to some, has come to be thought of as a religion of comfort. Christianity makes us feel good and should. The assurance of God’s love should overwhelm us with joy! However, Christianity is offensive. Becoming a Christian is making a change in one’s life. Being creatures of habit, change is naturally offensive. “How dare you tell me I need to change my lifestyle!” is an often heard lament.
There are different types of people in every collective group. These groups may consist of school students, church members, or employees. Everyone within these groups won’t think alike. How do those differences affect the objectives for each group, learning, worshiping God, or completing the mission of the employer? Such differences can cause trouble.
Whether it be eastern religions, new age mysticism, or paganism, more than ever, people are interested in the spiritual and the mystical. People are attracted to the mysterious. Spirituality, in its very nature is mysterious. What does this mean for the church? Well…
Zacchaeus was a wee little man. If being short is considered a problem, it was the smallest of his problems. He worked for the Roman government as a tax collector and he cheated the people. Even with these problems, he was interested in Jesus and Jesus was interested in him.
In a column on art restoration, Robert Fulford writes, “A scholar came upon a striking fact: in the year 1516, the Brancacci Chapel in Florence burned half a barrel of oil every day, just to keep its votive lamps flickering. The oil of course produced soot, which floated upwards and coated the art on the walls. Multiply that half-barrel by the days of the year, multiply again by the number of years this practice was followed (say, 400), then factor in the wax from candles lit by individual worshippers.” Believe me, that’s a lot of soot covering up the artistic masterpieces in that chapel.
When I was young, one of my favorite Bible verses was John 3:16. Not until twenty-five years later did I even know what was said in the following verse. I now see that John 3:17 is probably more popular among our younger generations than John 3:16. The reason for this, is because it fits a popular worldview today.