There was a small English village that had a tiny church whose stone walls were covered by traditional ivy. Over an arch was originally inscribed the words: WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED. There had been a generation of saintly clergy who did precisely that: they preached Christ crucified.
But times changed. The ivy grew and pretty soon it covered the last word. The inscription now read: WE PREACH CHRIST. Other clergy came and they did preach Christ: Christ our example, Christ the humanitarian, Christ the teacher.
As the years passed, the ivy continued to grow until finally the inscription read: WE PREACH. The generation that came along then did just that: they preached economics, book reviews and just about anything.
HOW TIMES CHANGE….AS DOES THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE CHANGING TODAY?
It is no mistake that the posture of Jesus on the cross is such that his arms are wide open to receive any of us who come to him. Jesus showed us his love and his forgiveness as he went to give up his life and die for us on the cross.
Thanks to Michael Green for this story.
MOST CHRISTIANS ARE BEING CRUCIFIED TODAY BETWEEN TWO THIEVES: YESTERDAY’S REGRET AND TOMORROW’S WORRIES.
