In this issue...

Mini Homily: Ambassdors for Christ

by Matt

Imagine, for a moment, that you're sitting at work, or in class, next to someone you know pretty well, who is not a Christian.
So you strike up a conversation, and tell that person about Jesus, right?
No? Why not?
Why is it that so many Christians don't tell others about Jesus?

I think one reason is that we don't have an eternal perspective.
In the description of the Last Judgment from Revelation 20, it ends with this verse (15): "...anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire" (NLT). Someday, each of us is going to stand before God to give an account for our lives...and if we haven't accepted Christ as our Savior, we will spend eternity in what we commonly call "hell", with no way out.

Let me make that more personal...think of someone you know who is not a Christian...brother, sister, friend, mom, dad... If that person does not accept Christ before he/she dies, he/she will spend eternity in hell.

"Okay Matt," you might say, "but it's not like that person is going to die tomorrow or something...I have time". Do you? I'm guessing that everyone who died today in some kind of accident didn't think that today was his or her last day. Things happen. Be ready.

Also, don't forget that people who aren't saved are missing out on the "full" life (during life) that Jesus died to give us (John 10:10b); that peace, joy, love, and all the other things that only can be found in a relationship with God through Christ.

Another thing I think is that people forget how much God spent to save us. Have you seen Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ? That's what Jesus went through to save us...and that movie didn't even show all of the spiritual pain Jesus went through. Remember, in addition to the physical, He also suffered the equivalent of an eternity in hell-so we don't have to. And the ONLY way to be saved is through Jesus (John 14:6).

So, we have the answer the world is dying to hear...how can we not tell them?

Plus, the reason you are still here, if you are saved, is to glorify God and share your faith-that's your purpose in life as a Christian: to be an "ambassador for Christ" as Paul puts it (2 Corinthians 5:20).

"But I don't know enough about the Bible to share my faith" you might say. Understandable...but you don't have to have all the answers. Just does what Paul did in the book of Acts: share your own story, as Pastor Greg Laurie sometimes says. Tell what Jesus has done for you, how He has changed your life.

Another thing to remember is that, if you're a Christian, someone took the time to tell you about Jesus...and because of it, you are saved for eternity. Can't you do the same for someone else?

I suspect that other people don't share their faith, oddly enough, because of their beliefs. There is at least one train of thought, which believes that people who will be saved are "predestined" to be saved-so they'll be saved no matter what. Maybe that's so; maybe it's not. I'm not here to argue that. But I do know this: whatever the case, it doesn't change the fact that Jesus commanded His followers to tell others about Him (Matthew 28:16-20), as did the apostle Paul (Romans 10).

One last reason I'll point out I quote from Ray Comfort, a speaker at last year's Spirit West Coast: "have you no concern for the salvation of others? Then I've got concern for yours". How can a life that has truly been touched and changed by Jesus not tell others about Him (or at least want to)?

Some people reading this might have some doubts about their salvation. Please, if you are one of them, don't wait another second.
Check out www.needhim.org and be sure.

Popcorn Picks
The Passion of the Christ: A Review?
By Noeh Nazareno

Ok, this is actually the third re-write, so I'll make this article as clear as possible. I will delve into two things: What I think, and what I think you should think about.

What do I think about "The Passion of the Christ," this film depicting the events, play-by-play, of Jesus being arrested, sort-of-tried, and literally beaten and crucified?
I'd only recommend it to Christians. Why? Men watch action movies to be, well, men. Women watch romance flicks to be happy. Stick an atheist in a theater showing "Passion," and that's like having a vegetarian who faints at the sight of blood watch "Hannibal" on DVD. Such actions escape common, or at least practical, sense.
Second, no, I was not spiritually enlightened, invigorated, or what-have-you by watching "Passion." It is literally a play-by-play presentation of, well, the Passion of Christ.
Third, and this is my standing statement, it was exactly to me now, at 23 years of age, as having this story told to me, at the age of 6, in a 24-page children's book covering the same events (in a far-less graphic manner). I took my understanding of the events literally and seriously. Long story short, my imagination was finally presented on the big screen.

Now, I implore all of you to think about the following. Ask yourselves, "Are the majority of this country's Christians actively practicing their love and respect of God and His words on a reasonably regular basis?" And while you wonder that, take into account the $300+ million the movie has taken in already, and the fact that it has the third highest opening weekend box-office take ($120+ million). Think about the fact that a year ago, "Beverly Hills Cop" was the highest grossing R-rated movie (it was released in 1984). Last summer, "The Matrix Reloaded" topped it off. And now, "The Passion," which is undoubtedly and unquestionably R-rated, holds that record. Ask yourself, "Why is that?"

Is God working in mysterious ways? Have Christians come to their senses, if even just long enough to pay for a ticket and stand in long lines to see the 2-hour movie? Have Atheists come full-circle in spite of what they might say?

I, Noeh Nazareno, the group's seasoned film critic, have theories and ideas to those questions. Not answers.
But these are things worth pondering over. We do not live in a world of perfect glory and wonder. Nor do we live in a complete hell. And we cannot simply say it is somewhere in between those two extremes.

From one Christian to others, I implore you all to ponder those statistical facts, and how they conflict with supposed reputations of Christianity and the like. There are truths to be discovered, and nobody loves truth more than the Big Guy.

Just a little philosophical salt to sprinkle on your life of popcorn

History of the Church Vol. 2
(Well, Roman Catholic Church History that is)
by John
(Editor's Note: John sent me this via e-mail from the Seminary. It sounds like he is enjoying himself and his classes this semester. I found the information interesting, so I thought I would put it in the Newsletter. Enjoy!)

Hi all,

Here's the second installment on what I've been learning in Historical Introduction to Theology. I hope you enjoy this one; I enjoyed writing it, as it got me away from my Spanish presentation and moral philosophy test tomorrow. My prayers are with you all! God bless you!

In Christ,
John

The Lord does not care so much for the importance of our works as for the love with which they are done.

St. Teresa of Avila

Coming into the second century, Christianity was already quite widespread throughout the Roman Empire. Either Paul or one of the apostles named the very first bishops, and there were bishops in the major cities.

Also, by this time, the Christian Church had a very Gentile character-as opposed to the beginnings of the Church, when almost all Christians were
Jews. The common element for Christianity across the known world was "the breaking of the bread;" the Eucharist was the center of their worship.

Study of the Fathers of the Church (a.k.a. Patristics, from Lat. "patris" meaning 'by/on the fathers'... or something like that) is generally divided into three periods. The first period went from the post-apostolic age until
313, the year of the Edict of Toleration (decreed from Milan, so it's also known as the Edict of Milan) which made Christianity legal. The second period covers roughly the next two centuries, and the third period covers the two subsequent centuries.

We're still in the "First Patristic Age" (academics, especially in philosophy, like to invent new terms to make themselves sound smart, so I'm going to see if it works). There are three main characteristics of this age: apologetics, tie to the Apostles, and persecution.

When the pagan world looked on Christianity, it often looked on in confusion. They eat the Body and drink the Blood of Christ? Isn't that cannibalism? Why can't they just be good pagans like everyone else?
Naturally, some Christian leaders at that time needed to explain and defend (from Lat. "apologia," meaning 'defense') the faith. There were a number of great ones, including St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus, St. Clement of Rome, St. Athanasius, and a host of others.

A document I'd like to put in here now is one I'd recommend as reading for any Catholic who gets bored at Mass or doesn't know why we do certain things. St. Justin Martyr's "First Apology" was written for a pagan audience, intending to explain the Mass to those who were ignorant of it.

"And on the day which is called the Sun's Day there is an assembly of all... the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read... the presider gives a discourse... then we all rise together and offer our prayers... on the conclusion of our prayer, bread is brought and wine and water... the presider offers up prayers and thanksgivings... the people assent with Amen. Then follows the distribution of the Eucharistic gifts... they are sent to the absent by the hands of deacons...

And this food is called among us "Eucharist" of which no one is allowed to partake but the one who believes that the things which we teach are true... for not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior... so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the word of prayer transmitted from him... is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made fresh."

I apologize for the length of this particular one, but I really wanted to show you all this passage from St. Justin's writings-and St. Justin lived in the first half of the second century. The Mass that we celebrate every Sunday is, in essence, the same Mass that has been celebrated for centuries upon centuries!! Isn't that awesome?

Apologetics was the first earmark of the First Patristic Age, and the second was the tie to the Apostles. Most (if not all) the early preachers and writers had a direct tie to one of the Apostles. This lent an authority to their words; they may not have seen Jesus, but they preached on the testimony of those who did.

Perhaps the most well known feature of the early Church was its persecution. Christians were hunted down and killed during the reigns of the emperors
Nero the nutcase, Domition, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Severus, Valerian, and finally Diocletian. Reading from the timeline in my book, there were only 21 years in the ENTIRE second century that Christians weren't persecuted. The persecutions stopped in the first half of the third century, but picked up again. Diocletian was the final emperor to really go after Christianity; he saw it as a threat to the stability of the Empire. Constantine defeated him in 305 A.D., and the bloodshed ended in 313 with the Edict of Toleration.

Many, many Christians were martyred in those centuries. Interestingly, the word "martyr" comes from a Greek word (whatever it is) that has three possible translations: martyr (that is, how we use the word today), witness, and sufferer. As it is said, the Church grew, nourished by blood of the martyrs.

Another strong feature of the Church in its first few centuries of existence was heresy. This has a nasty connotation attached to it now. Its most basic meaning is a teaching that departs from the teachings of the Church (which is an incomplete definition). My teacher had a good way of saying it: not affirming enough.

Gnosticism was the first big heresy. Gnostics taught that Christ wasn't really human; sure, He was God, but not human. They had an intensely negative view of human nature and the body. In addition, it was an elitist sect. You had to be especially enlightened by the Holy Spirit with special knowledge to be a part of them. The Church Fathers condemned this-Jesus is fully God and fully man, and nothing created by God (including the human body) is inherently evil. For those of you taking notes, this heresy came around again many years later, under the name of Manicheanism (which St. Augustine ascribed to for much of his youth), and many centuries later in France under the name of Albigensianism.

The second gigantic heresy was Arianism, and it was primarily theological. Its bone of contention with the Church was the opposite of the Gnostics; a priest, Arius, taught that Jesus wasn't actually God. He was the perfection of creation, but not God. This heresy lasted longer than any of the others, and it took two ecumenical councils to put the smack down on it. Even so, its remnants were felt for many years to come.

There were many other smaller heresies, and they were generally regional. So, that's an oversimplification of the second century of Christianity, and I still left out a lot. Church history's great stuff, because there's a lot of depth. It's also comforting to know that some things haven't really changed; no matter how bad things may seem nowadays, the Church has weathered such storms in the past--and it's still here. The gates of hell will not prevail against us! (Matthew 16:18)

Jokes!

The Dublin Duo

Two men were sitting next to each other at a bar. After a while, one guy looks at the other and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland."

The other guy responds proudly, "Yes, that I am!"

The first guy says, "So am I! And where about from Ireland might you be?"

The other guy answers, "I'm from Dublin, I am."

The first guy responds, "Sure and begorra, and so am I! And what street did you live on in Dublin?"

The other guy says, "A lovely little area it was, I lived on McCleary Street in the old central part of town."

The first guy says, "Faith & it's a small world, so did I! And to what school would you have been going?"

The other guy answers, "Well now, I went to St. Mary's of course."

The first guy gets really excited, and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?"

The other guy answers, "Well, now, I graduated in 1964."

The first guy exclaims, "The Good Lord must be smiling down upon us! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar tonight.

Can you believe it, I graduated from St. Mary's in 1964 my own self."

About this time, another guy walks into the bar, sits down, and orders a beer.

The bartender walks over shaking his head & mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight, the Murphy twins are drunk again."

Quote of the Month:

"Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal."

-- Cossman