[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fkeeping-christ-at-the-center":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fkeeping-christ-at-the-center-surround":110},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":92,"date":93,"description":18,"extension":94,"image":95,"meta":96,"minRead":97,"navigation":98,"path":99,"postType":100,"publication":101,"publicationUrl":95,"seo":102,"stem":103,"topics":104,"__hash__":109},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fkeeping-christ-at-the-center.md","Keeping Christ at the Center",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"Luke","Acts","2 Timothy",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":88},"minimark",[15,19,22,25,33,36,39,46,61,64,67,70,73,76,79,82,85],[16,17,18],"p",{},"On vacation several years ago my family spent a day in Salt Lake City, Utah, and visited the headquarters of the Mormon Church. Well-groomed guides in tailored suits led us through the campus. We heard the organist demonstrate the Tabernacle's acoustics. We saw an ornate genealogical center where computers help visitors trace their family trees. However, because of the theological problems with Mormonism I had an unsettled feeling as we walked around. I wondered if the rest of my family felt uncomfortable too.",[16,20,21],{},"Later as we reflected on our visit, our daughter Michelle said, \"Dad, do you know what bothered me? There was nothing about Jesus there!\"",[16,23,24],{},"Now, to be fair, we were only there for a few hours. But on that day at least, we learned about American history and the story of the Mormon people, but we didn't learn anything about Jesus, and we didn't get the impression that Jesus is central to the Mormon faith.",[16,26,27,28,32],{},"What bothers me more, though, is the troubling thought, ",[29,30,31],"em",{},"Could someone visit one of our Christian churches and go away saying, \"There's nothing about Jesus there\"?"," Would they find lots of activities for different age groups, and hear sermons about important topics like how to handle money and how to get along with others, but still leave without understanding that Jesus is the center of our faith?",[16,34,35],{},"The very name of Jesus elicits a strong response. Let someone pray a bland prayer at a presidential inauguration and no one minds. But let a minister pray in Jesus' name, and he's blasted for being intolerant. Let Jim Carrey star in \"Bruce Almighty,\" where God is played by a mild-mannered Morgan Freeman, and nobody bats an eye. But let Mel Gibson produce a realistic movie about the crucifixion of Christ, filled with controversial and antisemitic. No doubt about it: Jesus is the main issue.",[16,37,38],{},"Christ—the Heart of the Bible",[16,40,41,42,45],{},"A friend of mine grew up going to a church where the Bible was read regularly in the worship services, but without much feeling or explanation. \"Each week,\" he said, \"they would read from the Old Testament, and something from the Gospels or the Epistles. But I could never connect the dots.\" He continued, \"It was like picking up a copy of ",[29,43,44],{},"Gone With the Wind"," and reading from page 16, then from page 278, and then from page 421. I couldn't follow the plot!\"",[16,47,48,49,52,53,56,57,60],{},"We won't miss the Bible's plot if we remember it revolves around Jesus Christ. After he rose from the dead, Jesus opened the minds of his disciples so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, \"Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms\" (Luke 24:44). Jesus was alluding to the way the Jews divided the Hebrew canon into three main sections: the ",[29,50,51],{},"Torah"," (Law), the ",[29,54,55],{},"Nebiim"," (Prophets), and the ",[29,58,59],{},"Kethubim"," (the Writings, including the Psalms). There's something about Christ in every section of the Old Testament. Prophecies foretell his coming, animal sacrifices point to the cross, the laws make us aware of our need for a Savior, and God's covenant with Israel shows his desire to bless all nations through his Son.",[16,62,63],{},"When you read the Bible, don't miss its central point. \"The holy Scriptures . . . are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus\" (2 Timothy 3:15).",[16,65,66],{},"Christ—the Center of God's Plan",[16,68,69],{},"In September 1989, I could have attended a Cincinnati Reds baseball game, but I decided not to go because I thought it might rain. The next morning I found out that Reds pitcher Tom Browning had pitched a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made baseball history, and I missed it.",[16,71,72],{},"Fact is, I've missed a lot more than that. I've missed the mark of perfect obedience to God—and so have we all.",[16,74,75],{},"But not Jesus. He pitched a perfect game for 33 years. He was tempted, but the Father's way always won out. Even his enemies couldn't make their accusations stick. At Jesus' trial Pilate said, \"I find no fault in him.\"",[16,77,78],{},"Christ fulfilled detailed prophecies about the place he was born and the manner of his death. He was \"accredited by God\" through numerous \"miracles, wonders and signs\" he performed (Acts 2:22). He died as a sacrifice for sin, but then \"God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him\" (Acts 2:24). After 2,000 years he remains the source of our hope.",[16,80,81],{},"Christ—the Focus of Our Message",[16,83,84],{},"The Lutheran minister Martin Niemoller suffered persecution under the Nazis and was imprisoned by Adolf Hitler, but after World War II he was released and went on a speaking tour in America. After hearing him speak, a secular journalist complained about Niemoller and said, \"All those years in a Nazi prison, and all he can talk about is Jesus Christ.\"",[16,86,87],{},"May the same be said of us all.",{"title":89,"searchDepth":90,"depth":90,"links":91},"",2,[],"First Look","2004-05-02","md",null,{},5,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fkeeping-christ-at-the-center","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":18},"articles\u002Fkeeping-christ-at-the-center",[105,106,107,108],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","Perseverance in Suffering","hAr3PEeY-nvsL4x_gM2KQXx-6QyIXINoROb5pR8X2GQ",[111,116],{"title":112,"path":113,"stem":114,"description":115,"children":-1},"Keep Them Together","\u002Farticles\u002Fkeep-them-together","articles\u002Fkeep-them-together","Do you \"have it all together\"? The concept of togetherness often appears in Scripture. \"All the believers were together and had everything in common\" (Acts 2:44). \"I pray that you . . . may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ\" (Ephesians 3:17, 18). \"Let us not give up meeting together\" (Hebrews 10:25).",{"title":117,"path":118,"stem":119,"description":120,"children":-1},"Keeping the Dream Alive","\u002Farticles\u002Fkeeping-the-dream-alive","articles\u002Fkeeping-the-dream-alive","Goldilocks has a lot of company. In the search for a church, you may have discovered that some churches seem too hard—they bash and bruise people with the truth. Others seem too soft—they claim to love people, but don't teach God's Word with conviction and power. Where can you find a church that's \"just right\"?"]