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A challenge for Christians
Radio and TV have many programmes too should be grafted into the
where people express their opinions. possibilities that Jesus had opened up by
Often those considered to be ‘experts’ the cross. In his book on St Paul Tom
and holding positions of responsibility Wright describes Jesus’ earthly ministry
are involved. They always have a lot to as beginning the task of colonizing earth
say but they agree about only two things. with heaven. ‘Our task is to be image
Much is wrong with our world today bearers of Jesus’.
and it’s always someone else’s fault. The fact that the church survived shows
What an opportunity for the church; that Paul had some success. Enough
not in this context to suggest solutions people were attracted to the Christian
– that belongs elsewhere - but to show way of life to want to know more. The
how to endure and make the best of a atmosphere in the church was uplifting
bad situation. Through food banks and enough for some of those on the
charity appeals that is already happening outside to turn their backs on the greed,
and not just in the church. self-centredness and destruction around
Much more can be done. We should be them. They found in the Christian
encouraged by what the New Testament community a sense of belonging and
says. In the world of the first century mutual support with resilience in
we see a society based on violence, adversity. Through Jesus they found
oppression and fear. The powerful kept values that were eternal and deeply
their position through murder and satisfying. The challenge for us is both
bribery. That was the world Christianity to follow their example and also to be
was born into and learnt to survive in. worthy of being taken seriously by those
around us.
Those who responded to the Apostles’
teaching and became Christians had the
same faults as everyone else with an
important difference. They believed that
through divine Grace they could change.
In Rome there was not just one church
to which they all belonged. There were
lots of small house churches all fiercely
independent. Each a gathering place for
those united by country of origin, wealth
or occupation. St Paul urged those
churches to be of one mind and to work
together. His vision was for there to be
a worldwide spiritual unity. On his
travels he always went to the Jews of a
city first because his aim was that they Photo by Quang Nguyen
Vinh from Pexels
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