The Cross, Oh, the Cross

The Cross, Oh, the Cross

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”   1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLT)

 

The Cross, Oh, the Cross;

What a sight to behold.

Though it signals defeat,

Its purpose unfolds. 

The Cross, Oh, the Cross;

It is covered with blood,

So salvation can flow,

A ne’er ending flood. 

The Cross, Oh, the Cross;

His blood washed me clean;

Jesus, my Savior,

My Lord and my King. 

Centuries have passed since the day Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross for you and me.  The Cross has been a symbol of eternal life and not a symbol of death.  Yet today people are fighting against the Cross being displayed in public places because it offends people of other religions.  I have yet to figure how the minority of other religions can win out over the majority of Christians who regard the Cross as their symbol of life over death. 

I challenge you to think about this scripture in I Peter 2:24, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the Cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.”  Listen, we are saved so we can ‘live for what is right’.  What does that mean?  It means that as Christians, we need to protest against those, including our government, from taking away our religious freedom!  It is happening so gradually that one day we will find we have no religious freedom at all. 

I saw on the news today that ‘militant gays’ are demanding that any church that believes homosexuality is wrong should be shut down.  We know that isn’t going to happen – now, but what about in the future?  Who would have ever believed that Crosses would be taken down, or Christians would be called “Haters”?  That has come to pass.   

Who would have believed that businesses cannot make the decision as to whom they do business with?  What about the restaurants who decide people cannot come in without shoes or ties?  What about those who will not allow gangs to gather in their stores?  What about the places who won’t allow pets in their establishments? All of these things could be called discrimination. What comes next?  

 

When the Cross is called offensive and all over our country, it is being removed from public places, can you even imagine how God Almighty is offended?  The Bible tells us, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” [Ephesians 1:7]  This is talking about the Blood Jesus shed on the Cross.   

There is an old song I learned as a child and today it must become our theme song or we will lose so much of what our forefathers fought and died for.  Easter has turned into rabbits and colored eggs and is celebrated by most.  What Easter is really all about is celebrating the Resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, from death on the Cross.  Let this song become your theme song and make a difference before we, as Christians, lose all our rights. 

Stand Up for Jesus 

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus, You soldiers of the Cross.

 Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.

 From victory unto victory, His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.”