Easter Day – He is Alive!

A Michael Card song for Easter Day – ‘Love Crucified Arose’
“The One who lived and died for me was Satan’s nail-pierced casualty – now He’s breathing once again!”

Michael Card is coming to Cardiff – more info here

Good Friday

A Michael Card song for Good Friday – ‘Why?’ (Duet with Sara Groves)
“Why did they nail His feet and hands? His love would have held Him there”

Michael Card is coming to Cardiff – more info here

Where’s Jesus?

Following on from yesterday’s post, I’ve come up with a new game. A bit like ‘Where’s Wally’ – those highly detailed pictures where you have to try to spot Wally in his red and white hat. In my game you have to try to spot Jesus in church publicity.

Come on, give it a go

Where’s Jesus – Round 1

Have a look at the home pages of these leading Christian organisations and denominations and see if you can spot the name of the Son of God. You know, the reason we call ourselves ‘Christians’. To help you, I’ve included the answer in brackets after each question.

1. The Salvation Army – www.salvationarmy.org.uk
(at the time of writing, 5 mentions of Jesus)

2. The Church of England – http://www.cofe.anglican.org/
(at the time of writing, 2 mentions of Jesus)

3. The Church in Wales - http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/
(at the time of writing, NO mentions of Jesus)

4. The Baptist Union – http://www.baptist.org.uk/
(at the time of writing, NO mentions of Jesus)

5. Hillsong Church, London – http://www.hillsong.co.uk/
(at the time of writing, NO mentions of Jesus)

6. Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven – http://www.purposedriven.com
(at the time of writing, 1 mention of Jesus)

I’ve written on this subject before, and I accept that just counting the number of times people mention Jesus is a far from perfect test. But it’s a good start wouldn’t you say? And if CHRISTians DON’T talk about Jesus, isn’t that a bit odd?

I can’t help wondering what Paul would have done with a web server and some internet bandwidth. Let’s ask him, shall we?

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” [1 Corinthians 2:1-5]

OK, so that counts as just 1 mention of Jesus, but what a mention! “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” - everything else comes from that, including demonstrations of the Spirit’s (God’s) power.

Oh, and Paul says, “weakness, fear and trembling“. We are talking about Almighty God here so a bit of awe wouldn’t go amiss.

Maybe it’s not a game, after all.

The Cross

Easter’s coming and the posters are up.

One church, usually known for its ‘Seven Days Without Prayer Make One Weak’-type of poster, is marking Easter with an orange dayglo creation showing Christ hanging on the cross. Above it the text “Body piercing saved me”. I nearly drove off the road when I saw that one.

Another has coupled new banners showing an empty cross with a leaflet drop encouraging people to come and try their church. The leaflet includes a version of what we used to call the ‘Sinner’s Prayer’. Except this version doesn’t mention sin. Or the cross.

But it seems we don’t talk about that sort of thing any more. We’re happy to use the cross as a logo, or even a witty pun, but to actually preach Christ crucified is another one of those old-fashioned, traditional, ‘yesterday’ kind of things. The modern church is too busy having fun.

Yet without the cross, what exactly do we have to say to a lost and dying world? “Come and have a nice time with us”? “Smile, everything’s going to be OK”? “Let’s all have a party with the Holy Spirit”?

The Bible says…

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
[Hebrews 10:11-25 -my emphases]

Promises of exciting encounters with the Holy Spirit are deceptive unless the true message of the Gospel is preached – the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The only way that our sins can be forgiven and the only means by which we can approach God. “The Holy Spirit testifies to us about this!”. If it’s important to the Holy Spirit, it’s important.

As you can imagine, the verse most often quoted to me as a non-church-attending Christian is Hebrews 10:25 – “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another”. It’s interesting to see that verse in its proper context above. Right after a passage that makes the message of the gospel absolutely clear. The people we are told to meet with are people who understand and teach the true, full, unexpurgated Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Is it really that hard to find such a church?

Judging by some of the posters, banners and leaflets doing the rounds this Easter, yes it is.