Thursday, June 25, 2009
2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
YOU ARE BAPTIZED IN CHRIST: SET FORTH THE TRUTH!
In the 1950s and 60s, the United States faced the challenges of segregation between race and color. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Darkness is only driven out with light, not with more darkness." How true that is! However, this segregation was only skin deep. As Christians we fight a segregation that penetrates the soul, our lives, and our witness for Christ--and it surfaces in our thoughts, words, and actions. We must speak boldly of this truth, not in the struggle between skin tones or political agendas, but between our old sinful Adam and the gift of our new man in Christ.
Christ healed the divide between sinful man and God by paying the ultimate price on the cross with His death. It is the power of this Good News in Christ that creates life and light in our once spiritually dead and totally darkened hearts. For we know, "In Him was the life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). It is only as we see this divine light, this Spirit-given understanding that comes from the lips of our "Life" in the Scriptures, in which all the pieces of our lives are pulled together. Only then can we see who we are, why we are here, and get the answers to the puzzles and challenges we face today.
When we understand the impact of Jesus' baptism, His ministry, and His work of redemption for our lives, HIS ministry is OUR ministry to share as His faithful disciples.
Preach you the Word and plant it home
To those who like or like it not,
The Word that shall endure and stand
When flowers and mortals are forgot.
(Worship Supplement 2000, 781:1)
