Are there areas in your life where you feel like giving up because you’re tired of struggling with them? Perhaps your health isn’t the best and you’re tired of doctors visits and taking medication. Are there family members who are difficult to get along with so you’re tempted to avoid them? Are there issues in your marriage where you’re just tired of trying to move forward so you’re quitting? Has God failed to answer some of your prayers so you’re giving up on Him and your faith? Is school so hard you’re ready to quit trying?

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German economist and communist Karl Marx’s famous quote states that “religion is the opiate of the masses.” Gotquestions.com’s commentary on Marx says that when he made this statement, “he was denouncing religion in general by using ‘people’ in a demeaning sense to mean the poor, ignorant, and easily deceived. The essential argument of the ‘opium of the masses’ saying is that religion is for weak-minded and emotionally disturbed people who need a crutch to get through life. Atheists today make similar claims.”

Is Marx right? (more…)

The church began in a culture that placed a lot of emphasis on the concept of honor/shame. It was the duty of every citizen to act it ways that brought honor to one’s family and the society in which they lived. Anyone who did this was accepted and perhaps even praised for their actions.  The opposite of this was acting in ways that brought shame to one’s family or society. Those who did this faced rejection and perhaps even death if the offense was serious enough.

This is the society in which the Apostle Paul lived. As the first century progressed, it became more and more offensive to the Romans for someone to be a Christian so the Roman authorities began persecuting them. This is why Paul wrote 2 Timothy from prison. In this letter, he writes that even though he is in chains for the Gospel, he is not ashamed (2 Timothy 1:1-14). He also encourages Timothy to continue in his work for Jesus and to rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We live in a modern society that is becoming more hostile to Jesus. The question we have to wrestle with is: Are we  ashamed of Jesus or are we willing to take a stand for him and share the Gospel with others?

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