Do Christians Cry?

Last week I was preparing for the wedding of a young couple, when the tragic news reached me that the father of the bride passed away suddenly, he died of a massive heart attack.

The question that we faced at that moment; “shall we go on with the wedding plans?”

In consultation with the family they decided that they will both mourn the death of the father and a week later celebrate the wedding for which they had prepared themselves and to which they look forward.

Now that I am involved in both morning and celebrating I am reminded of Life’s reality: Life and death, sorrow and celebration exist side-by-side. I took great comfort in the words of the apostle Paul: “We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.” (Romans 8:28 CEV)

A misconception promoted by some Christians is that, Christians should be smiling and happy at all times. There are some who suggest that those who have been “saved” have no right to be sorrowful. Such people want to make us feel guilty if we show any signs of being downhearted. But let me declare: “real Christians do cry!” After, all they are followers of one who was himself a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.

Christians, as all people go through the valley of the shadow of death. Christians are allowed to cry. What is different about Christians is that their sorrow does not lead to despair.

In the midst of their sorrow they are able to reassure each other that a better day is coming. They're able to encourage one another that the sting of life’s tragedies will one day be swallowed up in great victory.

Read the words of Paul to the Corinthian Church: “But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 ASV)

But that is not all, God has promised that one day he will gather us all together in a place where the tears are wiped away and there will be no more sorrow no more paying no more death. It is that future breaking into the midst of our present sufferings that enable us to celebrate in the midst of suffering. Christians do cry; but on the other hand in their sadness they know there is victory.

Paul Weresch

9/11 Fallout

Ten years ago the Islamist wing of the Muslim religion, a gigantic and merciless force, declared war on the West.
Islamists don’t believe in the principles of the West and plan to banish them from the Earth. The war, they claim, will continue until they win. Most of the world’s Muslims dislike them but can’t stop them.

In 2005, after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, rabble-rousers in Syria, Lebanon and Iran stirred up furious protests. These led to mob violence. Police began shooting and some estimates place the resulting many fatalities — in most cases fellow Muslims.

These killings inaugurated a new form of intimidation and censorship. Around the world many editors who would otherwise have published the cartoons decided against it, lest they inspire more demagogues to inflame more crazed gangs and thereby lead to more deaths.

It’s become clear free speech and free inquiry are among the chief targets of the Islamists. It is as if Islamists were saying to the world: Don’t offend us or we’ll kill a lot of your people.

In the climate that was created by 9/11 the fear of Islamophobia has created another threat, more serious in the long run: It inhibits the serious discussion of Islam.

Of all the great religions, Islam is unique in believing it should not be analyzed or criticized … the key point being the divine nature of the Koran. Because Muslims believe it is unalterably holy, any discussion of it is an affront.

In this sense Islam remains medieval. In 15th-century Europe, before Martin Luther, criticism of the Gospels and the Christian church was forbidden. In the year 2011 Islam still maintains that principle.

The Koran has never been scrutinized in the way the Bible has been studied since the 17th century. Why should both practitioners and scholars not argue about Islam with the same frankness we bring to other world religions?

Islamist violence subverts free speech and threatens to eliminate it altogether. And, without the ability to speak freely … how are we to reason together?

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

If we are not to SPEAK of it … how will they HEAR the GOOD NEWS!

Paul Weresch

Pray for Turkey and the Middle East

Recently I heard a Turkish believer in Christ speak about the challenges of life for Christians in modern Turkey. While he was speaking I reflected on the origins of Christianity, I was reminded of the fact that Israel was the birthplace of Christianity and Turkey was the Cradle of Christianity. (see ruins of the Theater in Ephesus above)

Today both Countries are governed by systems that are less than friendly to Christianity. It seems that the words of Christ are still applicable today:

John 15:20 “… A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me,
they will also persecute you …”

Turkey is a tapestry of cultures and civilizations; it is the undiscovered jewel of Biblical history. Ancient civilizations existed in the fertile land of Anatolia for millennia. From the ancient Hittites to the Ottomans, Turkey has been not only the Cradle of Christianity, but also the Cradle of Western Civilization.

Old Testament patriarchs Noah, Abraham and Job all spent considerable time in this land. In the first century leading churches were located in Antioch, Ephesus, and the other seven churches of Revelation.

I am writing all this in order to motivate you to pray for Israel, Turkey and all the Middle East. I believe that the Lord has not forgotten this part of the world, and perhaps this is the time that God will pour out his Grace upon this Region so that many will be saved.

Paul Weresch

(For information on Biblical Sites in Turkey, see link below)
Troy - Biblical Sites in Turkey