A desire to truly experience God runs deep within our veins. However, for most Christians, experiencing God is either elusive and frightening or impossible and improbable. But to the thirsty pilgrim, God’s presence is a wellspring of life. Do we fight for it, or let it fade away? Do we contend for a deeper walk with God, or complain about our life? Do we pursue God like never before, or postpone intimacy?
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. During Hajj, there is an expectation for physically and financially able Muslims to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lives. Meaning “pilgrimage” in Arabic, Hajj is an event that unites Muslims worldwide as they shed social status and celebrate equality in a holy city. As Christians engage in conversations with their Muslim friends, knowing the background and purpose of the spiritual pilgrimage of Hajj can help equip us to be ready to encourage our Muslim friends toward a saving hope in Christ.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Hollywood actor and professing Christian Chris Pratt shared that he is “not religious” but has a personal relationship with God.
We didn’t choose to be in this cultural moment, or to face the challenges it presents. Our time and our place in history are chosen by God. Our moment in history is not an accidental context in which we try to follow Jesus. It’s actually part of the calling to follow Jesus. He invites us into His life and to join in the advance of His kingdom and His story right now.
We must never allow our skeptical, secularized culture to persuade us that sharing and standing for our faith is an imposition of our values on others. To the contrary, such bold witness is the most compassionate way we can love our neighbor as ourselves.
In his recent book, Mark Mittelberg tackles the challenge and calling to communicate faith in this cultural moment. It’s called Contagious Faith, and it teaches believers to communicate to a world looking for better answers.
It is always too soon to give up on God. No matter how much we distrust our government or grieve for the direction of our culture, the King of the universe is still on his throne.
Some 81 percent of American adults say they believe in God, marking the lowest percentage since Gallup began its poll on the belief more than 70 years ago.
Building a life around cartoons is disturbing and sad. But the problem isn’t people who love fantasy too much. It’s people who have nothing better to love, and a culture that tells them they may just as well wish upon a star as call upon the Lord.
Lifeway Research data found that nearly six in 10 believers do not know any methods for telling others about their faith in Christ.
