Dear Friends:
We return to the story of Eutychus.
On the Saturday night, when we gathered for the breaking of the bread, Paul, who was to leave next day, addressed the congregation and went on speaking until midnight. Now there were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were assembled, and a young man named Eutychus, who was sitting on the window-ledge, grew more and more drowsy as Paul went on talking, until, completely overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself upon him, and clasped him in his arms. “Do not distress yourselves,” he said to them; “he is alive.” He then went upstairs, broke bread and ate, and after much conversation, which lasted until dawn, he departed. And they took the boy home, greatly relieved that he was alive (Acts 20:7-12, REB).
I was asked to deliver the sermon for my twentieth anniversary homecoming at the Christian high school that I attended. What could a lawyer say to these people that would be of spiritual value? I simply gave my personal testimony and urged people to open up to the possibilities of God in their everyday lives. The response overwhelmed me. One couple spoke to me with such obvious spiritual pain that it haunts me still. They had driven 1800 miles for the weekend from their home in another state. I sent them a note of encouragement the following week. Here is what they wrote in response:
We struggle daily. Our [professional] practice has consumed us. We are so exhausted that we collapse the day we go to church and don’t even feel sociable. We have no time for Bible studies even though there are requests. I feel like a dry well–like the clouds that blow over this dry part of our state only to keep going, leaving us parched and desolate. With that state of mind we went to alumni weekend and you can see why your sermon was meaningful.
We are suffering from shell shock after being here for 16 years. Our church school is closed and our membership all in terrible need of being infused with life. We are tired of playing “bazooka quote” in bible class and afraid of bringing anyone to church where they get blasted and discouraged.
Too many souls dry up like this and fade away in spiritual aridity, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We know that the first Christians lived their lives together and shared their material possessions with each other “as any had need” says Luke. They spent their days together going to the temple for worship and visiting each other’s homes for fellowship, meal-sharing and praising God “with glad and generous hearts” and their community grew exponentially (Acts 2:44-47). Read more »
Andy Crouch argues in this book that Christians too often have shirked their responsibility to create culture in its various forms: art, music, literature, etc. Instead, he believes, Christians have participated in misguided “wars” against culture, and critiques of it, without ever offering any realistic replacement for the object of our critique. This book won the 2009 Christianity Today Book Award.
In this provocative book, James Hunter argues against the traditional understandings of how Christians can transform culture. Critiquing several high-profile Christian leaders, Hunter calls for a radical reappraisal of how Christians live their lives and exemplify their faith. He is opposed to faith-inspired politics, which he argues often exacerbates problems. Instead, he favors an approach that infuses faith with every aspect of life.
ChristianAudio
