The Power of the Cross
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http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
"The Passion of the Christ." It's the talk of the
U.S.! Forthright's editor takes on the wave.
forthright.antville.org/stories/704520/
COLUMN: The X-Files
The Power of the Cross
by Mitchell Skelton
The parents of a ten-year-old public school boy
who was failing fifth grade math decided to enroll
their son in a private Christian school after
exhausting all methods. The young boy stormed home
the first day of school, walked right past his
parents, charged straight to his room, and locked
the door. Two hours later, he surfaced for a quick
meal, announced that he was studying, and went
straight back to his studies until bedtime. This
pattern continued until the end of the first
quarter. After school, the boy walked home with
his report card, dropped the envelope on the
family dinner table, and went straight to his
room. His parents cautiously opened the letter,
saw a bright red "A" under the subject, MATH, and
rushed excitedly into their son's room! "Was it
the teachers?" the father asked. The boy only
shook his head and said, "No." "Was it the one-on-
one tutoring? Peer-mentoring?" asked the mother.
Again, the boy shrugged, "No." "The textbooks? The
curriculum?" asked the father. "No, no, no." the
son finally spoke. "From the very first day of
school, I knew that these folks were serious about
math. When I walked into the lobby, and I saw a
guy nailed to the PLUS sign, I knew they meant
business!"
The cross of Christ is "the" sign to the world
that God meant business! And His business was that
of salvation and forgiveness of sin. "For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him" (John 3:16,17).
A popular Christian writer said concerning the
cross, "It rests on the time line of history like
a compelling diamond. . . History has idolized and
despised it, gold plated and burned it, worn it
and trashed it. History has done everything but
ignore it." Christian, Atheist, Moslem, Buddhist,
Agnostic, or Jew no matter what you believe the
power of the cross lies in the fact that you must
decide what you will do with it.
How important is the cross? The cross has a very
special meaning to those who are in Christ. To us,
the cross is neither a source of shame nor an
offensive symbol. It is a symbol of grace, mercy
and forgiveness. The cross is the promise of
eternal life!
Salvation is based solely in the power of the
cross. "For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God" (1
Cor. 1:18). The idea of God in human form dying a
criminal's death in such a heinous manner is
foolishness to the majority of the world, but one
day all men everywhere will acknowledge Jesus
Christ as Lord!
"Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did
not consider equality with God something to be
grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very
nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death — even death
on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the
highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil.
2:5—11).
On the outskirts of London stands a prominent
landmark in the form of a white cross. One day, in
the heart of the city, a policeman heard a little
boy crying. He found the little boy and asked him,
"What's the matter? Can I help you?" The little
boy replied, "I am lost." The officer said, "Well,
don’t cry. We can fix that. Where do you live?"
The little boy said, "If you will take me to the
hill where the white cross stands, I can find my
way home."
It’s as simple as that, THE WAY OF THE CROSS LEADS
HOME!
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