Luke 19:41 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and
saw the city, he wept over it.
There
is no doubt that Jesus loved His own people. He wanted them to receive Him
gladly, not to boost His reputation or esteem, but so that they could be showered
with God’s blessings of forgiveness and everlasting love. He wept over Jerusalem
because He knew that He would be rejected and arrested, tortured and crucified.
He wasn’t weeping for Himself; Jesus was weeping for His people. In all of
their wonderful history, God’s chosen people would make the greatest mistake of
their spiritual lives. Instead of recognizing the Messiah, they would rail
against Him. Instead of accepting the Anointed One, they would kill Him.
This
week, a report from the Pew Center has revealed that Protestant Christianity is
in decline and that atheism/secularism is increasing across American society.
Almost one third of our young people have no belief in God at all, which means
that our society will go through some major changes in the decades to come.
People will miss out on the Gospel message and a whole generation will potentially
no longer have a strong connection to Christ. Perhaps at that time, Jesus will
be weeping again not just for Jerusalem, but for a whole world that will
culturally crucify Him once more. The vital question for the Church at that
time could be: will it be a time to lament of the past, or will it become a brand new
mission field? Only those churches that presently preach, teach, and
live out a strong connection and personal commitment to Christ may only be
around to answer that question.
Questions for personal reflection
How committed to
Christ am I? What am I doing now to strongly pass on my Christian faith to the
next generation?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You love Your people and
You delight in Your Bride, the Church. You know the issues that we face today
and the drifting away of our young people from our churches. Help us to deepen
our relationship with You, so that the next generation may see an authentic and
realistic Christianity that will draw them closer to You. In Your Holy Name, we
pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is presently the pastor of Erin
Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment
on today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest autumn drawings. It’s called “Smoky Mountain
Morning” and features the fall colored misty mornings that take place in the
Smokies at this time of year. If you would like to view a larger version,
please click on the following link:
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