WHAT IS TRUTH (part 2)
As mentioned in the previous blog, Pilate asks in John 18:38, “What is Truth?” and Jesus responds, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” So the question I raise for you is how does the Body of Christ testify to the TRUTH in our currently confused world.
After each thesis, I encourage you to write ONE SENTENCE of what it would mean for your life if you experienced that truth. You can do more later, but for now, just write the one sentence of personal affirmation and then move on to the next thesis.
NINE THESES
- In a culture that is blind to hope that it can’t see or measure, each Sunday the church reminds us we are not God by proclaiming the truth of God which offers us hope beyond sound and sight. In a world prone to despair because its gods are too small, the church offers us salvation from despair.
YOUR SENTENCE:
2. In a culture that is growing Biblically illiterate, the church saves us from losing access to the source of God’s revelation to us. Where else are we presented the Scriptures on a continuing basis?
YOUR SENTENCE
3. In a culture that is in danger of compassion fatigue, the church shows us that our acts of compassion can be a form of praise. When our compassion is received as praise of God, we are saved from always depending on the success of our efforts to sustain us.
YOUR SENTENCE
4. . In a culture that trumpets the survival of the fittest, the church offers a healing community which allows God’s strength to be made perfect in our freely acknowledged weakness. We are saved from the need to be perfect.
YOUR SENTENCE
5. . In a culture that places incredible stress and pressure on people’s lives, the church offers us a regular Sabbath where we can step off the treadmill and refocus on the meaning of life through regular worship, prayer, and study of God’s word in the community.
YOUR SENTENCE
6. In a culture that is increasingly fractured by the tribalism of ethnic, sexual, and age divisions, the church offers the witness of Christ who breaks down the barriers that divide us and offers hospitality to all strangers who desire to experience the healing love of God.
YOUR SENTENCE
7. In a culture that threatens to abandon its children to poor education, poor health, and unstable families, the church offers a source of strength for family bonds and the news that all children are loved and valued.
YOUR SENTENCE
8. In a culture that treats the elderly as worn out pieces to society’s all-important machine, the church proclaims that each person contains gifts from God which are essential to the upbuilding of the community of faith. With God its not over ’til its over.
YOUR SENTENCE
9. In a culture that daily discovers the complexity of moral decision-making, the church offers a community in which people might explore all the issues which trouble them in the light of the gospel of grace and forgiveness.
YOUR SENTENCE
Now reflect on your sentences and what it means in your search for TRUTH.
Excerpted from IS THERE SALVATION IN THE CHURCH
