The Thermostat/The Way of the Cross in Your Life
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http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Fidelity
The Thermostat
by Mike Benson
Diana Ross McCain wrote an insightful article
entitled, "The Hardships of Worship." In it she
described what it was like to worship in a
Connecticut church meetinghouse some two-hundred
plus years ago. She observed:
"There was no fireplace, no stove, no significant
heat source of any kind. Half-frozen men, women,
and children, bundled up in their heaviest
garments, hunched themselves to conserve precious
body heat and peered through clouds of
condensation formed by their breath. In the pulpit
the minister himself might be preaching clad in a
greatcoat and mittens. At times it got so cold the
Lord's Supper froze..."
Comfort was not a primary consideration of those
who constructed early Connecticut meeting houses.
Here one came every Sunday to attend to the
serious business of hearing the word of God and
how it might be applied to daily life. And that
solemn duty was to be carried out no matter what
weather it pleased the Almighty to provide."
Wouldn't it be interesting to some day note the
following in the local paper, "Come worship with
us. Our building is cold in the winter; hot in the
summer. We use neither heat nor air conditioning.
Our pews are not padded. We meet not for physical
comfort, but spiritual worship. You are cordially
invited"...(John 4:24; cf. Acts 16:24,25)?
Now, what was it you were saying about the
thermostat?
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COLUMN: Hands-on Faith
The Way of the Cross in Your Life
by Barry Newton
Although each Sunday Christians gather in worship
to remember Jesus' death, it is at this time of
the year that Jesus was actually nailed to a cross
and raised up to die. As Paul wrote his letters to
real congregations facing common problems,
repeatedly his apostolic pastoral guidance rallied
Christians to shape their lives by the way of the
cross.
The way of the cross should be the molding force
in a Christian husband's life. Although many ideas
and models compete in the modern marketplace for
how a husband might treat his wife, the model of
Christ's selfless love for the sake of the church
should be the driving force behind a disciple's
behavior toward his wife (Ephesians 5:25,28,29).
The way of the cross should determine how a
Christian husband treats his wife.
Just as Jesus taught that being a disciple was
contingent upon picking up one's own cross and
following him (Luke 9:23;14:27), this message is
also echoed through Paul's words: "those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24).
When someone responds to Jesus crucified in order
that he or she might belong to Him, the way of the
cross is supposed to transform that person's life.
Accordingly, the mindset of those in Christ should
be the same as Paul's: "may I never boast of
anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by which the world has been crucified to
me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).
The message of the cross also addresses the
fundamental issue behind the societal symptomatic
problem of demanding my freedom and rights.
Whereas the knowledge of my liberty might cause me
to become puffed up in protecting what I deserve
or what I understand that I should be able to do,
the message of Christ crucified is intended to
reverse such self-centered motivation. The way of
the cross calls the Christian to be driven by the
imitation of Christ's love for us whereby he
served our genuine needs instead of insisting on
His rights. Love makes sacrifices for the sake of
building others up. In order to seek the well-
being of others for whom Christ died, personal
rights and privileges can be gladly given up (1
Corinthians 8-9).
The message of the cross provided the appropriate
corrective to the divisive, sectarian spirit at
Corinth. Whereas the Corinthian Christians had
become enamored by human wisdom and eloquence
which drove them to elevate and rally around
certain personalities, Paul replaced these false
values by placing God's wisdom center stage. Where
is God's wisdom displayed? It is found in the
proclamation of a hill overshadowed by the
uplifted form of the Savior exposed on the stark
exposed beams of a cross, dying for humanity. The
way of the cross points down the path of what
matters. Accordingly, Paul had spent his time
among the Corinthians resolved to know nothing but
Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians
2:2).
This list is not exhaustive. Let's learn the
lessons of the way of the cross and allow it to
shape our lives as we pick up our crosses to
follow our Master and Savior.
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forthright.antville.org/stories/749240/
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