He told me something I could not believe. He recounted reading an article about how some churches are taking down all their crosses because people find them offensive. The offended ones say it reminds them of a murder. It reminds of blood shed. Instead of crosses one church has replaced them with soothing seashells. SEASHELLS!
Yes. The cross is offensive as well as the gospel message in itself. That does not mean we are to soften the message.
1 Corinthians 1:23 (NKJV)
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
In another place Paul went even further with his no compromising message of the death of Jesus on a cross.
Romans 1:16 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
The story of the cross is a hard message. A sinless Savior, the ultimate sacrificial Lamb of God was slain. His blood spilled. And like we used to sing so frequently, There Is Power In The Blood and Are You Washed In The Blood. Christianity is a cross religion. It is also a blood religion. It took the sinless perfect Jesus to give up His life on that old cross so people through the ages could be forgiven of their sin guilt, cleansed, justified and reconciled to God.
May the church never quit boasting in the cross. . May we keep singing about that Old Rugged Cross.
Galatians 6:14 (NKJV)
14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world
I want no part of a watered down Christless, crossless, mealy mouthed, soft pedaling, tickling the ears, make you feel good church. I celebrate what Jesus did on the cross and celebrate more today that cross is empty. Jesus no longer hangs there but is resurrected and alive. No crossless churches for me.
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