Another Crisis Looking?

By Bill Brandstatter

     It appears we have become crisis oriented. There is always some big crisis looming. If it is not an oil crisis, it is a health crisis. It could be a crisis in the Middle East. The crisis could political or social. There seems to be no end. The problem with some of the so-called “crises” is that people stay in a constant state of uncertainty and anxiety over what the future holds. I believe we ought to be Christ-centered, not crisis-centered. Then, we need not worry about the future.
     We need to be Christ-centered regarding salvation. Today many will talk about the “Sinner’s Prayer”. Did you know that no one in New Testament times was ever saved just by praying? One man that was praying, Saul of Tarsus, was told to, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. ” (Acts 22:16) Christ stated “He that believes and is baptized will be saved. ” (Mark 16:16)
     We need to be Christ-centered regarding the church. There are a number of groups today all claiming to be part of the church that we read about in the New Testament. Jesus is the head of the church according to Eph. 1:22, 23. Any church that does not have Christ as its center (head) is not Christ’s church.
     We need to be Christ-centered regarding our lives. Paul stated, “ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me .” (Gal. 2:20) When we become Christians we are new creatures. (Rom. 6:4; Cor. 5:17)
     We need to be Christ-centered regarding His second coming. Twice in 2012 individuals were talking about dates for Christ’s second coming or the end of the world. Both predictions were wrong. Whenever man forecasts these events, they will always be wrong. Jesus stated, “ But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only .” (Matt. 24:36 NKJV)
     If we are Christ-centered in all the areas mentioned above, the man made “crises” of today will have little or no effect on us since our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20)

- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/