A Sanitized Faith
You know what is a great fear of mine? It is having a sanitized faith. What do I mean by a sanitized faith? Having a faith that is not practiced outside the home. I feel convicted, especially after reading the gospel of Matthew. The passage that I read today focused on the beginnings of Jesus' ministry and how he went about healing and proclaiming the good news to the surrounding villages.
Later on in the next chapter Jesus calls his 12 disciples to do the same as he did previously as it is written,
"He called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and infirmity." Matthew 10:1
Now the bad news...The challenge to the sanitized faith. Our society tends to have a compartmentalized version of Christianity, relegating it mostly to private practice, inside the safe confines of our homes. On a scholarly level our faith is also being constantly undermined, by the advent of the historical critical method. Although this method when viewed in the proper context can be helpful, it is unfortunately used often times to cast doubts about the authenticity of Jesus' message. What's the problem with this? The problem is that we are not being obedient to Jesus' commands of "going out to the towns and preaching the good news" Jesus' command is not static, it isn't confined to the pages of history. Jesus is calling all of us to preach, here and now to go out and heal the infirmities of the people around us. Jesus' call is radical, it is ever present, it is very real, it is very today. So let's go out and proclaim the good news!
Prayer: Lord help to instill in me a new evangelical zeal to proclaim your good news to each person that I meet. Help me also to overcome the temptation to compartmentalize my faith, and give me the courage instead to proclaim your good news today. Amen
Later on in the next chapter Jesus calls his 12 disciples to do the same as he did previously as it is written,
"He called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and infirmity." Matthew 10:1
Now the bad news...The challenge to the sanitized faith. Our society tends to have a compartmentalized version of Christianity, relegating it mostly to private practice, inside the safe confines of our homes. On a scholarly level our faith is also being constantly undermined, by the advent of the historical critical method. Although this method when viewed in the proper context can be helpful, it is unfortunately used often times to cast doubts about the authenticity of Jesus' message. What's the problem with this? The problem is that we are not being obedient to Jesus' commands of "going out to the towns and preaching the good news" Jesus' command is not static, it isn't confined to the pages of history. Jesus is calling all of us to preach, here and now to go out and heal the infirmities of the people around us. Jesus' call is radical, it is ever present, it is very real, it is very today. So let's go out and proclaim the good news!
Prayer: Lord help to instill in me a new evangelical zeal to proclaim your good news to each person that I meet. Help me also to overcome the temptation to compartmentalize my faith, and give me the courage instead to proclaim your good news today. Amen
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