The Beauty of the Faith
I'm curious, and maybe you are as well. After the last Apostle died, what did the believers do? There were no active reports of miraculous healing or people being brought back to life. Nothing is written about Jesus speaking directly to people like he did Paul and John. The Apostle John may have died around 100 AD, but from 65 AD believers mostly faced persecutions. More than one Roman emperor tortured and/or killed Christians who refused to denounce their faith. I could go into some gory detail regarding the hideous ways many people - including the Apostles - died, but that is not where we are headed today. Without needing the detail, imagine for a moment having to choose between horrific physical pain or the denial of Christ.
With no Bible (as we know it) to encourage and no centralized leadership like that of the Apostles to guide the people, false teaching began to pop up.
With that background, it seems like a natural conclusion for the Christian faith to lose momentum. But it did not. Why? Through the missionary journey of Paul and the Apostles, the Christian faith spread to other parts of the world.
You may be thinking, sure, but how did it keep it going? How did the Christian faith survive for over 200 years? How did people choose to follow Christ during all the confusion and chaos? Did parents continue to share the gospel message with their children knowing their sons and daughters may be killed for their beliefs? What did it feel like to have uplifted prayers voicing a plea to save loved ones from death emerge unanswered?
These are powerful thought-provoking questions. You may not like the simplicity of the answer. It is the beauty of the faith.
The beauty of the faith is in the gospel message and its promise:
Jesus as the Savior
Restoring the relationship between humanity and God
Returning us to obedience
Guiding us to walk away for disobedience to God
Promoting eternal life
Promoting abundant life no matter my economic position
Delivering a love better than life
Promise of His presence even when the noise of the world is loud
Christian believers knew the gospel message and they held on. That is the beauty of the faith. It kept the faith intact.
Keeping the Faith
On more than one occasion, I've worried about the growth of Christianity in the US and throughout the world. Research groups like Pew and Barna show Christianity is declining among millennials, adding to my concern. Behavior from Christian groups doesn’t always portray the Christian faith in the best light - especially for the younger generations. Even so, the message of Christ remains the largest in the world.
When worry and fear creep in....I remember the beauty of the faith. What Christ did for the world will remain strong and will draw people in. The power of the gospel message cannot be snuffed. Even those who call ourselves Christian but practice otherwise can’t stop gospel truth from prevailing.
The beauty of our faith provides us with the courage to continue sharing the gospel message with the world, making disciples, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and being confident that Jesus keeps his promise to be with us always.
If the beauty of the faith sustained people through torture and death sentences, it will sustain us through political agendas, misguided intentions, and outright lies.
That is the power which lies in the beauty of the faith.
What do you think? Is Christianity declining in the US? In the world? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
How can we help younger generations know the beauty of the faith? We start by demonstrating the true nature of Christ to shine the best light. This may require refreshing ourselves in what it means to love the way God wants. That is one of the reasons I’m offering my upcoming workshop. Learn more and sign up.
