Friday: Further Study – Jesus in Jerusalem
To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul.
Image © Phil McKay from GoodSalt.com
Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being.
So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated.-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 389.
Discussion Questions:
- Consider the scenes in which Jesus cleansed the temple. In what ways can we put our faith and fidelity on sale? How can religion be used for profit, prestige, and position? More important, how can we as a church make sure we don’t fall into the same deception?
- Atheist writer Alex Rosenberg believes that all reality, all existence, is purely materialistic. That is, everything can and must be explained through physical processes and only physical processes. These processes are, of course, without design, goals, or purposes, or God.
What is the purpose of the universe?
he asks.There is none. What purposes are at work in the universe? Same answer: none.
If, though, the meaninglessness and purposelessness of the universe makes you depressed, Rosenberg warns against taking yourdepression seriously.
Why? Because our emotions, including depression, are nothing but specific arrangements of neurons and chemicals, and what’s so serious about that? Rosenberg, however, does have an answer for those discouraged by the meaninglessness of their lives. Because depression is merely a particular configuration of neurons, simply rearrange the neurons-and you can do this with pharmaceuticals.If you don’t feel better in the morning . . . or three weeks from now, switch to another one. Three weeks is often how long it takes serotonin reuptake suppression drugs like Prozac, Wellbutrin, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, or Luvox to kick in. And if one doesn’t work, another one probably will.
The amazing thing about his answer is that he is serious: if depressed, take drugs. Contrast this view of life with what we believe regarding Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on the cross. Why, in a very real sense, is our participation in the Lord’s Supper an open and defiant refutation of the nihilism and meaninglessness presented by Rosenberg and his atheism?
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Praise the LORD who gives meaning to our lives, who gives us a reason to carry on, who promises us eternal life in a perfect world with no more sighing or dying.
I don't agree with Alex Rosenberg that depression is merely a particular configuration of neurons, I believe depression is a serious matter, particularly if it continues over a long period of time. The person that suffers from ongoing depression needs love and counselling to help them gain a better perspective. However those who suffer from clinical depression which means they have chemical imbalance in their brain also need medical help.
Jesus gives us an example in the paralytic who was lowered through the roof:
this man couldn't help himself his friends brought him to Jesus - just so a person who is clinically depressed can't help themselves they need outside help
Jesus' first & main concern was to heal him spiritually but he also healed him physically - just so one who is clinically depressed needs healing of their mind and body
And the Good News is that Jesus does both either by a miracle or by working through the means He provides of a counsellor and medicine.
No wonder the bible ascribes the word "fool" to thinkers such as my learned friend Alex Rosenberg! Now we see the valuable treasure that we possess simply by just "Knowing Jesus" .... imagine the many times we've been depressed, worn & frustrated and a simple prayer, prayer meeting or worship gathering made us feel alive n back on track again! Oh what potency & efficacy WITHOUT any drug..isn't our Lord awesome!!! Partaking worthily of his spilt blood & broken body shows that we've acknowledged, accepted and are assured that of his utmost power to redeem and save us. "Lord may I be pleasing to see, when holy eyes gaze upon me..." Let this be our prayer in Jesus name...Amen! Remember, "WE'VE BEEN MADE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!" 🙂