The 4 L's of the Cross

This weekend my hubby and I went to a leadership retreat for the NW district of our church. It was fun to see people and have some time away. The speaker for the retreat was a professor from the seminary. The topic of the retreat was speaking the message of the cross to the post-modern world. While we are aware of the fact that we are indeed living in a post-modern world, it was quite sobering to hear what our world is becoming.

In a post-modern world, all authority is to be questioned. History (ancient or recent) is not to be trusted. Everything is merely a matter of perspective, it cannot be taken as fact. There is no absolute truth. Everyone has their own truth. Absolute truth means that someone else's perception is wrong and their's is right. That leads to oppression and a lack of freedom. In a post-modern world, there is an emphasis on experience and relationship. And that is where we have hope.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God "has set eternity in the hearts of men..." The post-modern lives in hopelessness and eventually they will come to see the emptiness of their way of thinking. This is because God has made a "God-shaped hole" in their hearts that only He can fill, and has made us with a need for relationships with others.

As Christians, we hold the key to that hole. It is the message of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." But how do we get them to listen and believe what we are telling them? It is a long, slow process that has it's foundations in time and relationship. It is done by the 4 L's of the cross. They are:

1. Cross living: living our lives so that Christ shines in all that we do. Matthew 5:16

2. Cross loving: this is loving others with the same sacrificial love that Christ has for us.

1 John 4:9-12

3. Cross listening: this is the part that takes the most time but communicates love to the post-modern. Really listen to them, they won't listen to you until you have listened to them.

James 1:19

4. Cross language: this part has to come last and has to be spoken with love and truth.

Ephesians 4:15

We cannot save anyone, only God can do that. But we need to be praying for relationships with those who need the Lord and asking Him for His help. It is only through His power that we can live out the 4 L's of the cross.

On a lighter note, what do you do during your free time when the weather on the coast is rainy, windy, and cold? You shop and play mini-golf! By the way, I made my first hole-in-one (sad isn't it?) and I beat my hubby! We had a great time and can't wait until next year!