The Cross is Not a Lesson We Studied

Indeed, the Cross is not a lesson we studied. 15 years ago, I had to hire many Christians for a micro finance project in China. I would interview recent college graduates.

I would commonly draw the cross and ask them what it meant to them. Most thought it meant nothing of importance. I was surprised how often I had to share the good news with people who were Christian and recommended from Christians I had networked too.

The Cross is Not a Lesson We Studied Hopefully

One guy looked up wistfully and said, “I studied that lesson.”

God help us. May the Cross never be a class we studied.   However, we as intellectuals have a tendency to make the Cross a class or an academic topic somehow.

Jesus established Communion as a rather mystic way to help us stay close to the Cross and not leave it in the dust. He knew we would struggle to stay with the main thing. I think we also need to keep going. We need to find a way to not have the Cross in the rear view mirror.

This is so true for our children. How can we make love and the cross real? See also Raising Kids.  Our experience is if we make love real in our house, then that fruit of the Spirit which only God could bring about is powerfully convincing to children. Simply the academics of the Cross will rarely move the dial.

Many people if I ask them how they spread the Good News will say they invited the person to church. The church immediately grabs this person and puts them to work. In the Bible, no one ever invites someone to church.

Can we share with people about God’s love and especially the Cross? We need to share even to help ourselves keep it alive.  See also The Cross the Main Thing. Can we find ways to ourselves come back to the Cross or in some ways stay before it always?

Let’s find every way we can to keep the Cross alive.