Magyar Egyház, 2006 (85. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2006-07-01 / 3. szám
8. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ What do you think about Christ ? The twenty second chapter of Matthew tells a story of how the Sadducees and Pharisees tried to confuse Jesus with secondary questions about religion. When he had dealt with their minor questions as to the paying of taxes, and the marital state in eternity, and priorities in faith, he turned the tables and asked them a question that is worth asking. It is the one question which, when answered, makes unnecessary the answering of most others. It is: “What do you think about Christ?” Jesus always puts his own personality at the center of our thinking. On other occasion he asked the disciples: “Whom do the multitudes say that I am?” and “Whom do you say that I am?” Three times he asked Peter: “Do you love me?” Jesus never asked: Do you believe in God, or the Sermon on the Mount, or the Golden Rule, or in my ethical principles? But he did say: “Believe in God and believe also in me!” and “Follow me!” and “Come unto me!” and “Learn of me!” Too many people have been accepted into our churches who believe that the church is a constructive influence in society, or who admire the type of people who make up the church, or who do so love to hear some famous pastor’s wonderful sermons, or who are uplifted by the melodious sound emanating from the choir loft. Too many of these well meaning people have never really faced up to the primary question: What do you think about Christ? How many of us could say what one of the medieval saint, who did his work in the kitchen of a monastery, wrote of his Lord just week before his sudden death: ’’For thirty years I have lived with him, and I hope, by his mercy, for the favor to see him within a few days.” To help answer this primary question, consider four interesting phrase found in the Gospel of John which show the progress of many a man’s soul in its groping for a clear answer. “What do you think about Christ?” First: “Behold the man!” (John 19:5) The life of Jesus was good and clean and manly and upright. As an example of how we ought to live there has never been anything better. Second: “There is the Lamb of God!” (John 1:29,36) Those words were spoken by John the Baptist. Even Pilate, who said: “Behold the man!” could see the perfect manhood of the Master. John could see more than that. He could see the sacrificial quality of the life, for the Lamb to his mind was the symbol of sacrifice. Third: “Her is your king!” (John 19:14) Firs, captivated by the manliness, then moved by the sacrifice, then surrendering to his sovereignty as a subject to a king. The Jews rejected that kingship and shouted: “We have no king, but Caesar!” What a tragedy! What a tragedy whenever anyone says: “I have no king in my life above the earthly rulers and earthly concerns. Fourth: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) First its Jesus the man, then it’s Jesus as God’s sacrifice to guide and help us, then it’s Jesus as king over your life and finally when you have come all the way, it’s Jesus as the full revelation of God himself. Behold the man, the Lamb, your King, my God. What do you think about Christ? The full Christian answer is contained in those four words. Christ is the example of the perfect life. He is the symbol of God’s sacrifice that the world might be better. He is the King, the ruler of my life. He is the God and He is my God. We greet your coming, God, with wonder: You come to be with us; yet you remain far greater than we can imagine. You are near; yet your wisdom sets you apart from us. You appear among us; yet we cannot describe your glory. We greet your coming with repentance: We are more or less satisfied with ourselves; but your presence exposes our sin and failure. We are self-confident; but you challenge our confidence in ourselves. We are proud of our understanding; but you show us that we do not know everything. We greet your coming, God, with joy; We had no true idea of what you are like; but you have shown us yourselves in Jesus Christ. We felt our human life could be of no importance to you; but you have shown its value by appearing among us as a man. We are aware of the gulf between us and you; but you have bridged it with love. God, we greet your coming in Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen. Majority of Unchurched Claim Christian Faith A new Barna survey found that 76 million adults in America do not attend church although more than half of the unchurched say they are Christian. Having more than two decades of studies on the unchurched population, the Bama Group surveyed 1,003 adults from across the nation for the latest study and found that 34 percent of the adult population has not attended any type of church service or activity, other than a special event such as a funeral or wedding, during the past six months. And nearly one-quarter say that a person’s faith in God is meant to be developed mainly through involvement in a local church. Denominationally, Catholics made up the largest share of unchurched adults with 29 percent and Baptists followed with 18 percent. Although unchurched, 77 percent say they are either absolutely or moderately committed to the Christian faith and millions of them engage in spiritual activity during a typical week. Nearly two-thirds pray to God, one-fifth read from the Bible, and five percent participate in a small group for Bible study, prayer or Christian fellowship. Among the adults disassociated with a conventional church, 66 percent agree that their religious faith is very important in their life today, 50 percent agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches, 51 percent believe that Jesus Christ sinned while he lived on earth, 61 percent say their single, most important purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul, 55 percent argue that they are totally committed to having a deeper relationship with God and will do whatever it takes to get and maintain that relationship, and 66 percent say they are completely committed to making the world, and other people's lives, better. While millions have not attended a church service, some have attended house church meetings. The study also noted that 21 percent are bom again Christians and four percent possess a biblical worldview. Geographically, the highest numbers of unchurched adults are in the Northeast and West. People groupwise, more than half of Asians and liberals say they have not attended church. The study says: "Every year, many previously unchurched people return to a church for one or more Easter season services. More often than not, this is the result of one of two motivations: the compelling invitation of a close friend who accompanies them to the service, or a personal crisis that compels them to seek God more fervently." Audrey Barrick, Christianpost
