Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
– 1 Corinthians 15:58 –
The verse above is one that has come to mind many times this year. This exhortation and encouragement comes at the end of Paul’s magnificent defense of resurrection in general and specifically the reality of Jesus’ resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-58.
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When we come to one of the genealogies in the Bible, we will more than likely just skip past it and get on to the good stuff. The New Testament actually begins with a genealogy, the family tree of Jesus. Not many of us would put this text on our list of “life verses” or favorite passages. But if we take the time to understand what Matthew is doing here, we will not look at this “boring list” the same way again.
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The Love of Christ Controls Us
Martin Luther posed a powerful question in the open letter called “Whether One May Flee a Deadly Plague” or “Whether One May Flee Death.” Written during the time when the plague was ravaging Europe, Luther says the proper question to ask is not, “What would Christ do?” but, “What would you do if it were Christ?”
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While in seminary, a student asked one of our church history profs, “What is the greatest false assumption we are making now?” His answer: “We assume that our way of life will go on and on uninterrupted. But as with all cultures that have come before us, our American experiment and experience will come to an end.”
In the US, in recent times, we have been so insulated from extreme poverty, disease, and war that we often forget that this world is, by its very nature, unstable and unsafe. It is a world raped and ravaged by sin and its effects – corruption and death.
If we are to remain sane, we need a source of hope better than the cultures of this world offer, larger than the “American Dream.”
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In AD 165, at the apex of Roman power in the West, the Antonine Plague erupted. It is also called the Plague of Galen named after a physician who observed and recorded the symptoms of the contagion. This plague would last till AD 180 and although there is some debate, some estimates say that as many as 2,000 people died per day.
At the time of Antonine Plague, Marcus Aurelius initiated a persecution of Christians when they refused to give homage to the gods and so appease their wrath made manifest in the plague. Even in this persecution, the Christians cared for their “pagan neighbors” who were sick and dying.
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Recently, I heard a podcast and read an article called “Five Agreements That Are Killing Millennials” by John Eldredge. We all realize that there have been massive shifts in the way our culture processes reality. I am providing links to these resources because I think they have great information about where we are and where these types of agreements and lies may be taking us.
Five Agreements That are Killing Millennials
Wayne Sneed (of Orphanos) recently sent me an article written by John Piper about David Brainerd. Brainerd is a name you might not even recognize. His impact on Christianity in the West has, nevertheless, been significant. Thought I would pass this link along as it is challenging and inspiring.
His Suffering Sparked a Movement: John Piper on David Brainerd