How He Loves Us

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 ESV)

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

(Matthew 28:5-7 ESV)

           The cross has been used as an image to represent Christianity for centuries. We've rallied around the cross as a symbol of hope and salvation. It is all of those things. It is also only half of the story. Without the empty tomb, the cross is just a place of death. A violent and horrible death made all the worse by the burden that Christ carried, all of the sin of the world. All of it. Every sin that had been committed up to that point, or since. We take the cross and the tomb for granted, but they are critical to our salvation. I think that it is time that we examined the cross, and the empty tomb. It's past time that we meditated on what it was that Christ did for us, and why.

          My first instinct is to go into a detailed description of the physiological realities involved in the torture and execution by fixation to a cross. To do that, while effective in helping us not take our Lord's death for granted, would completely miss the point that I am trying to make. If you would like to know more about that, then click the link. It's worth remembering what Christ did for us. His death was a gruesome experience and his suffering was very real, and very intense. It is sufficient, when dealing with the crucifixion, to say this. Between the dehydration, the rending of his flesh during the scourging, the driving of nails through his hands and feet, the suffocating body position, the humiliation and pain from the crown of thorns, the probable dislocation of the shoulders when the cross was dropped into the hole, and the constant mockery from the crowd, the soldiers, and one of the thieves crucified with him, the worst suffering that Christ endured was the pain of rejection when God the father could not bear to look upon the sin that he had taken into himself.

          Jesus Christ suffered, bled and died a very real, very physical death that day. His body was taken down from the cross and placed into a tomb that belonged to someone else, a guard was set, and the Emperor's seal was set on the tomb. Because that evening was the beginning of the Sabbath, there was no time to prepare his body for burial, so plans were made to do so on Sunday morning. As is so often the case, God had a better plan than ours. When the women arrived to wash and prepare his body, they found an empty tomb, and an angel seated upon the stone. A stone, which was rolled away from the entrance.

          According to the Gospel of John, specifically in chapter 20 verses 11-19, Mary Magdelene initially did not understand the implications or at least, did not believe that the indicators pointed to Christ's resurrection. She stood weeping outside of the tomb until Jesus came to her himself. It was when he called her by name that she understood. That is when many of us begin to understand. When Jesus calls us out, makes himself known to us, we understand, then, what he did for us. 

          

          I was struck earlier this week by the reality of what the resurrection means in the context of a daily Christian walk. You see, the one thing that God wants from us more than anything else, is a relationship. Jesus Christ desires a love relationship with us. It's humbling to realize that the maker of heaven and earth wants a daily relationship with us, but it is the one thing that he wants more than anything else. He so desires it, that he was willing to leave heaven, and take on human flesh. He walked among us for thirty three years, dealing with all of our problems, coping with everyday life. He loved us so much that he would die for us, and he did. He, then, conquered death and the grave so that we too could live forever. More importantly, he removed the sin that separated us from having that relationship with him. He laid down his life so that we could walk with him, because he loves us that much. 

          Can you even comprehend that kind of love? Can I? Will I ever truly understand the depth and breadth of a love that would sacrifice itself so completely, simply to restore a relationship? In a world where divorce is more common than successful marriage, where apathy and egotism rule the day, do we even understand that kind of love? Well, whether or not we understand it, God did it. He put his love on display so that the sin that held us in bondage would be destroyed. 

          So many people in the world today just don't believe that God could love them. They believe that they have too much sin in their life, and that there is no forgiveness for them. The son of God gave his life so that this would not be the case. There is no act, no thought, no plan so despicable that Christ cannot forgive. The only impediment to our salvation is our own willingness to accept it. We have embroiled ourselves in a life of sin, but this is what the Sovereign Lord says. “It is finished.” Sin is finished. The awesome plan of salavtion is finished. Complete. No further steps needed aside from your acceptance. You see, it doesn't matter what we've done. Jesus Christ loves us. God loves us. He wants a love relationship with you. So much so that he would, and did, die for you. So much so that if you were the only man or woman alive that would ever sin, he still would have come to redeem you. Or me, vile as I am. This is why so many people love "Amazing Grace." Because it is amazing, the depth and breadth of his love. The grace that poured out like the water and blood from his pierced side. The love that fills the empty tomb is sufficient to cleanse all sin. 

          He loves us. Oh, how he loves us. This is how God demonstrated his love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He rose again to show his victory over death, hell and the grave, and he stands victorious at the right hand of the throne of God. Sunday, when the world is celebrating Rabbits and chocolate and eggs, take a moment to contemplate the love that God has shown us. 

Music Video by the David Crowder Band

Standing for the Truth

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

(Revelation 2:12-17 ESV)

          In his book, Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Fredric Coudert famously quoted the former British Ambassador to China, Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen. He states the following. "Many years ago, I learned that one of the Principal Chinese curses heaped upon an enemy is, 'May you live in an interesting age.' Surely, no age has been more fraught with insecurity than our own present time." 

          We find today, that we do indeed live in an interesting age. Much like the church at Pergamum, we find ourselves beset on all sides by enemies. Much of this is the work of those that would openly oppose the faith, but sometimes it is of our own making. You see, there are those who are allowed to present to the world a false impression of Christ. We have, in our own way, allowed false prophets to rise within our ranks, and stand in prominent places. We see television ministers like Joel Osteen go on national television, and when asked direct questions about Christianity, they evade like politicians. Make no mistake, I believe, as he stated, that "only God can judge a heart", but the bible clearly says that Jesus Christ is the only son of God, and is the only way to get to Heaven. Anything else is a false teaching. Period. I'm sorry if you are offended, but truth is truth, no matter how we feel about it. We have gone to such great lengths to be inoffensive, softening the message of Christ to the point that it is no longer the Gospel. Jesus Christ will not be watered down. His message will remain, even if the very rocks have to cry out because we were too cowardly to do so. He will not congratulate us for our tact. We will learn that lesson one day, to our sorrow. 

   

          

           Pergamum had more than one false teaching in their congregation, and the same is true of modern Christianity. Let us consider,  for a moment, the number of times that we cringe at the name of Westboro Baptist Church. Do you ever find yourself wishing that they were not associated with Christianity? I'm sure you are not alone, because that spiteful, hate filled congregation has no idea who God is. After all,  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 ESV). Now, I know that Christ was not politically correct, and that he was not afraid to offend to get his message across, but this fellowship is not displaying a Christlike message. They preach messages of hate to the families of fallen soldiers and other groups that they do not like. They actively tell people that God hates them. This is the highest form of heresy. God does not hate mankind in any form. He hates our sins, but he loves us. To claim that God hates is nothing short of slandering the name of God. It is a form of blasphemy, and we are equally blasphemous for not denouncing them from every medium at our disposal. 

          People who present a false message of Christ are every bit as guilty as those that "followed the teaching of Balaam." They may not be encouraging people to eat food sacrificed to idols, but they are presenting false teaching. The are heretics. Now that's not a term that gets thrown around much anymore, but there it is. Heresy. False teaching. There is no other word for it. God's message was not "stop teaching this." It was "stop allowing this to be taught." This is what the sovereign Lord says, "I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth." (Revelation 2:14-16 ESV) The God of creation, the King of Heaven and Earth has declared war on those that would dishonestly represent him in the name of the Gospel. He commands us as his people to stand against them. People ask us what we think of these people. Give honest opinions. Use it as an opportunity to speak truth in love. 

         Speaking truth in love is our highest calling. Remember the command of Christ, Therefore go and make disciples. Go, meaning " continually, as you are going" tell those the truth of Christ, and squash the lies and false teachings. Remind them that Christ said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:9-10 ESV)

Keep Calm and Push

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

(Revelation 2:8-11 ESV)

          We should all know by now that the Christ centered life is not always the easy road. in fact, the easy road is usually the wrong direction. The name of Christ is not the most popular in society. When, as Christians, we stand for our beliefs, it is often met with criticism. We are not "tolerant". We're too "inflexible", we "don't like fun". The truth is, doing what is right is not always doing what is popular. That's no secret.

          The scripture has told us many times that we are strange to those who do not believe. Peter himself described us this way: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV). There are two things in this passage to consider. First, that we are set apart. We are chosen. In fact, other translations use the term "peculiar". To the eyes of the world, that is exactly what we are. When we call attention to the wrongs of the world, and try to glorify God, we are viewed as peculiar. People do not understand peculiar. They fear what they don't understand, and worse, they hate what they fear. So we are despised and cast aside for our stance. In our time, that is what persecution looks like.

          Christ warns here of false congregations that vilify and slander the faithful. He speaks of tribulation and a time of suffering. These are not unknown to us in this time. Take a look at the messages that we here from television even from "Christian leaders". One of the most popular "ministers" on television today is nothing but a populist preacher spouting a prosperity gospel that people consume like candy, because his message is positive and feels good. He says that if you're faithful, financial success will come your way. That is simply not Gospel, and it is not Biblical. What is Biblical is this: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV). 

          So the question becomes, why must we suffer? If we are in the will of God, why is suffering necessary at all? The truth is, that we have an enemy. The devil attacks when God is working. When we are receptive to God, then Satan will do his best to interfere. His very name is the Hebrew word "the Opposer". What God would build, he would destroy. Peter stated long ago that he prowls about "like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." He "masquerades as an Angel of Light." trying to tempt us with what would seem like the right choice. We have to be vigilant and be on guard for these things. 

          This is what the sovereign Lord says, "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.". The masterful poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote these famous words. "Theirs is not to make reply, theirs is not to question why, theirs is but to do and die." about a group of soldiers that followed their orders and charged into battle knowing full well that the man who gave the command had made an error. Their faithfulness lead them "into the valley of death" regardless of their knowledge. We have the knowledge that God neither fails nor makes errors, yet we lack the faithfulness of the "light brigade" of legend. We have every reason to be faithful, for our God is faithful. He is without error and will not change from age to age. He does not ask too much of us, only what we can do. 

           There is an old tale of a man who heard the voice of God. God said unto him, "Go to the mountain. Near the top, there is a boulder blocking the path. I want you to go and push on that boulder." So it was that the man took up his belongings, and packed a bag. He went up on the mountain and he pushed all day on the boulder, but it did not move. For days and days, the man pushed the boulder. Finally, in frustration, he threw up his hands. He turned his face toward heaven and he wept. "Lord, " he said, "I have done as you asked. I have pushed and pushed, and the boulder has not moved. Why have I failed?" Just then, the Lord reached down and plucked up the boulder and cast it aside. He spoke again to the man saying, "Child, I did not call you to move the boulder. I called you to push." God does not expect miracles of us. He is in the miracle working business. He asks us for obedience and for faithfulness. He calls us to push. Have faith, and press on. Be faithful, even unto death, and the Lord of Heaven and Earth will worry about moving the boulders in due time.

Keep your eye on the ball.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
(Revelation 2:1-7 ESV)

          When I was a little boy, I remember how hard my father worked to teach me how to hit a baseball. I had a bad habit of trying to look where the ball was going before I had actually made contact. As I swung the bat, my eye would drift from the ball to the outfield, because I knew I would hit it a long way. Well, as I too my focus off of the baseball, the trajectory of my swing would waver, and I would miss the ball. He would look at me with a half-stern expression, and half smile of amusement and say, "You've got to keep your eye on the ball, Son." 

          As in most other things that he told me, he was correct. When I watched the ball all the way, it would hit the bat, and my gaze would naturally follow it where it went from there. I was a much better player when I listened to what my father told me, and kept my focus where it needed to be. He taught me this lesson in baseball, in school, and in life. A man's focus determines his precision. 

          The same is true of Christians. There are times in which we lose our focus. The Church at Ephesus was no different. They too lost their focus. They took their eye off of the ball, and let their focus drift to something else. As is always the case, their performance suffered because of this. 

          Do not misunderstand me, Christianity is not all about performance, but such things are important. You see, we are put on this earth for the glory of God. That is our primary directive. It is the one thing that should mean more to us than anything else, yet it is something that we lose sight of so quickly. Even in our worship, we lose sight of glorifying God. We let our mind wander and fail to listen to the sermon, which is a message from God to his people. We let ourselves drift during the song service rather than praise the one who gave His life for us.

          This is what the sovereign Lord says, "I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." The King James version says "You have lost your first love." Jesus is not talking about your first crush here, nor is he even using that as an analogy. The word first in this case, is translated "primary". You have lost sight of that which you should love more than anything or anyone else. 

          In this way, God says to the church at Ephesus, and to the church of today, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:2-3 ESV). When we allow other things to take the throne in our lives, when something or someone other than Jesus Christ becomes our "first love", we allow that thing or that person to become our God. 

          This is not a thing that people want to think about. We spend a lot of time allowing other things to get in the way of Christ, and we don't want to think of it as idolatry. Truly, I regret to inform you that this is the case. If God is not first in your life, you have missed the mark. Sin. That word rears its ugly head again. I am no less guilty than you. I too fail in this area. 

          All is not lost for the church in Ephesus, or for the christian today. God approves of their righteous struggles. Then it was with the Nicolaitans, a group that strove for power among the congregation of believers. Their name came from the Greek roots Niko, meaning "conqueror" and Laos meaning "People". These conquerors of the people fought to set up a hierarchy in the church. They strove for power among the believers, which God himself decried saying "Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." God hated the deeds of the Congregation Conquerors, as much as the church at Ephesus did, however, he still scolded his children, as any good father must. Even today, he says to us with a  stern voice and a patient smile, "You've got to keep your eye on the ball, Son. Focus on your objective, Daughter. Love me primarily, Church." He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Of churches and choices

 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If i is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:18-22 ESV)

          If you ask most people what their biggest problem with Christianity is, the single most frequent answer that you will receive is Christians. This is truly tragic, and church, if you want to know my thoughts on why that is, look to my previous blog. The answer is there. Instead, today I address those that say that Christians are their biggest impediment to Christianity. I understand that many people who profess belief in Christ are two-faced. I get that you don't see Christians as any different than yourself. I even understand that you have had your feelings hurt by Christians, or church members. I get that, but I need you to understand something. The bad behavior of the children of God does not absolve you of your need for him. 

          The bible has clear statements about who needs Jesus, and I am going to lay them out plainly. 

as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
(Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(Romans 3:23 ESV)

          So in other words, if you breathe air, you have sinned. Does this make you any different from anyone else? No. All is an important word there. See, the word "sin" comes from a Latin root. It was the name that the Roman soldiery gave to the rings on an archery target that surround the bullseye. It literally means, "to miss the mark" or to be imperfect. If you are imperfect, like the rest of us, you have sinned. What does that mean for us? 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESV)

          Wages are a concept with which we are familiar. It is the name we give to what he earn from our labor. This means two things to us. What we have earned is death. We've earned it. It is the fruit of our labor. We cannot labor to reach heaven, because what our labor gains us is death. We cannot earn salvation. It is a gift that comes from God, through his son Jesus Christ. There is only one way to achieve it.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
(Romans 10:8-10 ESV)

          What more can I say? Confession is a critical part of our redemption. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Admission of imperfection, belief in the Jesus Christ, and Confession that he is the Son of God, and the one who can save your soul from it's own earnings. Death. That is the road map. 

          Even as you read these words, you understand your position. I offer no condemnation, that is not what I want. What I want is for you to come to the understanding that there is a way out, that you know what it is, and that everything else is an excuse. You know this without me telling you. Still, you rail against it and fight it anyway. You say that a loving God would not send someone to hell, I say you are right. It is a stubborn people that would prefer hell over the love of God. That is why people go to hell. Because they choose too. In your mind you are calling me crazy right now. I'm not. I have shown you the way, yet still you fight against it. You say, "I won't go to church. Those people are all sinners like me." Of course we are. Who isn't? Did you miss the part where I said all have sinned? Jesus calls to us to repentance. and all we offer is "what about that guy?"

          

           This is what the sovereign Lord says. “If i is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” He says it to each of us in turn, and calls us to his side. He will not deny you his grace, nor will he withhold from you his salvation. Do not let your opinion of Christians keep you out of heaven. Do not let your stubborn pride, or your desire to continue reveling in your imperfection cause you to chose hell. That is not God's will. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

      

          There is an old song that said it best: 

"If you are tired of the load of your sin, let Jesus come into your heart.

If you desire a new life to begin, let Jesus come into your heart.

Just now, your doubting give o'er, just now reject him no more.

Just now throw open the door, let Jesus come into your heart."

          It is really that simple. 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

(Revelation 3:20 ESV)

          

The Sleeper Must Awaken

"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."  

-Romans 13:8-14 ESV

          Everywhere we look, darkness infiltrates society. This is not news to anyone. We see it every time we turn on the news. We're browbeaten with it in movies and on television. The depravity of mankind is permeating the world. As Christians we ask ourselves "Why? Why is this happening? Where is the good in society?" We cry out in desperation, but the simple truth is that we have lost something very important. We have lost our boldness. We claim that we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but by the same token we hesitate to stand up for him when we see him run down in the media, or even in the public square. We sit back and let the world call us intolerant, as if that was a pariah. In short, we have let our fear of being shunned by the world make us ineffective. 

           This is no new thing. Fear has paralyzed Christendom for decades now. Christians are afraid to speak against what they know is wrong, simply because they do not want to look bad to the world. It's strange that this tendency is also part and parcel of why the world doesn't like us to begin with. They call us hypocrites, and worse yet, they are not wrong! We profess to believe in something that we are unwilling to defend. That is not belief. It is hypocrisy, and I am just as guilty of it as anyone else I could name. When have I been any different? 

          This is what the sovereign Lord says, "The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now that when we first believed." As Christians, this is our wake up call, and it came from the mouth and the pen of the Apostle Paul in the first century. We have hit the snooze bar long enough, I think. The bride of Christ has slept overlong, and it is time for this giant to stand on its feet and say enough is enough. "I've had all I can stands and I can't stands no more!" (Words of the great teacher Popeye).

          Christ himself told us in the tenth chapter of the book of Matthew, "So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father in heaven." (Matt 10: 32 & 33 ESV) Every time we stand by and allow someone to tell us that we are being intolerant, we are allowing them to slander our savior, and therefore denying Christ. When we engage in hypocrisy, because it's convenient, we are denying Christ. When we stand by, and let the world tell us we are wrong for pursuing righteousness, we are denying Christ. Yet still, we expect him to honor the requests we pile at his feet as if they were free prize claim tickets. 

          We bear the name Christian in the same way that I bear the name of my father here on Earth. I wear the name Brown everywhere I go, and I wear it proudly. I came from a family that did things the right way. My parents raised three respectful, and now respectable children. My older siblings were ARE fine examples of Christ to me and to their children. I am proud to be a Brown. Still, as fine a man as my father was, Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, is better. He was and is perfect. How can I not be proud to bear his name everywhere I go? 

          History tells a tale of Alexander the Great, who one day decided to preside over the military court under his rule. A young man is said to have been brought in for dereliction of duty. After hearing both sides of the argument, the evidence clearly demonstrated the young man's guilt, and the great conqueror asked the young man his name. The young man gave a slightly embarrassed smile and replied "Alexander, sir." With a stern expression, Alexander the Great replied to the young soldier, "Then change your name, or change your attitude." We call ourselves Christians, which in Greek meant little Christs. It was meant as a derisive term, but we made it a badge of honor. Now we take it for granted. It is time for us to wake up, and either change our name or our attitude. 

          All is not lost. History also tells us of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, of the Empire of Japan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he wrote in his journal this famous statement. "I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." His fears were proven true over the next four years. Christendom is even now a sleeping giant, but the alarm has sounded. The time has come for us to awaken, and be filled with a terrible resolve. A resolve to stand firm for our beliefs. A resolve to show the world that our intolerance is the intolerance that a fireman has for fire. The desire to protect, and keep safe from harm. The resolve to show the world that the road down which it hurls itself seems right to man, but in the end leads to destruction. The resolve to earn the name we wear.