In a compilation of Charles Spurgeon’s works, DISCOVERING THE POWER OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST, I read a new and exciting ( new to me, anyway) attitude of looking at the Cross of Christ. Spurgeon calls IT, “ THE MARVELOUS MAGNET”. In this particular teaching, Spurgeon describes the work of Christ on the Cross in these terms. The attraction of the Cross is …the death of the Son of God and “it is to this shameful death upon the tree that He is able to draw all men unto Himself”.
Jesus said, “if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” It is only through the teaching of the agony and humiliating death that Jesus endured on the Cross, that the ignorant, the unbelieving, the rebellious can be drawn by so great a love. “All” men are drawn. But some resist that drawing even though the attraction of the suffering Servant , dying for our sins, is extremely powerful. It is only and primarily that our telling and speaking and teaching to men about the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ that that is the magnet that attracts “men” to Himself.
In a related vein, I heard a radio report that said that we are at the cross roads. I sensed the Holy Spirit saying to me, ‘we are not only at the cross roads, but we are in the cross hairs and our only hope is to be AT THE CROSS’.
thedailylily.com 
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
I imagine that those who suffer persecution for the cross of Christ are not only those who die or are martyred for their faith in faraway nations…i e the souls under the altar…but also Christians who cling to the Cross of Christ and serve Him with all their hearts and souls and minds, despite criticism, censure, rejection….that is….persecution, often by close family members. But Jesus says in Matthew 5: 10 -11, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.
In that great hymn of the Church (Rock of Ages), it sings:
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
This is an interesting article in light of this blog and book.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/27/church.scandal/index.html?hpt=C1
MG has told me a number of times she does not think our blog controversy
enough. I would like to hear from MG about what she thinks would fall in that category. Write some comments here and some blogs. Then go out on web and find some followers. Not sure what the hold up is?
Certainly plenty of controversy in the above article…enought to polarize and separate people.
Also, I was thinking that some magnets both attract and repel.
“But some resist that drawing even though the attraction of the suffering Servant , dying for our sins is extremely powerful…” (Quote from my article above). Definitely, tho all will be drawn (because Jesus Christ said so in the quote, “If I be lifted up I will draw ALL men unto me” that doesn’t mean that some won’t resist the Holy Spirit’s drawing them.
Maybe the following is somewhat controversial…..
This is a partial quote from the link Sara posted. “She said some parishioners cannot leave a pastor because they credit him or her with a life-changing event, such as inspiring them to overcome drug addiction or turning around a disastrous marriage. (cnn.com)
To accept such a pastor’s guilt, she said, would lead them to contemplate another possibility: Is my life-changing event just as fraudulent as the pastor who inspired it?
I am wondering why some cannot credit the Lord Jesus Christ for THEIR life-changing event. Why cannot they look to the Holy Spirit Who brought about the change in their lives? They do not have to worry about Jesus Christ’s betraying them, for there is no fraud in Him.
St. Paul writes in the book of 1Corinthians, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife, And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?, “v.5…hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”
Paul’s text should raise some hackles. What about grace, one may ask. It is not the grace of God that HE allows the immoral one’s spirit to be SAVED on the day of the Lord, when he/she stands before God’s judgment Seat. Is that not grace and mercy instead of the pretending that all is well, now and that person who sinned faces an eternity in hell? Jesus Christ gives a way out…repentance and crucifixion of the flesh.
More clearly, what I mean is…why cannot Christians look to the Lord and Holy Spirit to keep them, to help them, to maintain them instead of a “man/woman” to maintain their deliverance and salvation?
“Now all glory to God, who is ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING AWAY and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault” Jude 1:24
I thought the controversy was to draw others to our page?
When controversial subjects, comments, etc. appear on some blogs people rush in to give their 2 cents to agree or refute or show arguments for or against with lively give and take concerning the Word. The Bible is very controversial, true.
What are the controversy blogs we could visit and study so we can see how to get followers. That is the blogs you have spoken about recently of having followers because they were more controversy.
news@zionica.com conservativebyte.com americanvision.org
patriotupdate.com visiontoamerica.org
Some of these are very controversial subjects.
Still don’t understand how you plan to get people to your article. Didn’t see anything on sites of much interest for me.
MG, I visited this site and don’t see any comments or ways to comment. I see where a few people here and there shared the article on FB. Not sure I have understood your comment that you have pages where lots and lots of people visit. And, if we were more controversial we would have visitors. http://americanvision.org/
I try to work to follow through on what I am told. But, the leads so often dead end. If you have more help, more articles, more ways to get others to your articles, do it. That is why you write, I would think. A writer needs readers.