Remember the excitement when you were anticipating something good. A vacation trip with mom and dad, Christmas, getting married, first baby? Let’s talk about a spiritual trip that we can get excited about. People have varying feelings about death. Some dread it. Almost everyone seeks ways to avoid it. Some look forward to it.
We saw violence in our society more and more as on a SONday two weeks ago, worshippers were slaughtered in a small-town South Texas church. Yet again, yet so soon, we struggle to make sense of bloodshed and violence. In the past few years, there have been shootings in Aurora, Colorado, Newtown Connecticut, Las Vegas, Nevada and more. Some of these events have specifically targeted Christians.
It disturbs me to hear people use Jesus’ name as an expression of emotion or anger or even hatred towards someone or something.
Praying “in Jesus’ Name” is now prohibited in many government circles. They are trying to silence any mention of Jesus (because they think that by prohibiting our freedom of speech and religion, they can make Him go away and not feel convicted of their sin). Just like the Jews in the early days of the Church, non-believers think that suppressing the name of Jesus will cause Christianity to go away – Acts 5:40–42.
