Last week, we discussed the difficulties of navigating all the so-called expert voices in the world today. Today I want to think a bit more about why these voices are so appealing and one of the best ways to avoid the dangers of this media-driven world.

We are all drowning in information every day thanks to the internet. And Christians have the voices of a thousand teachers clamoring for our attention non-stop, each with their particular spin on whatever topic you might imagine. What are we to do?

What is it about children that Jesus loved so much? I often read this passage without stopping, thinking it’s obvious; they’re cute, they’re innocent, and they’re trusting. Well, they are all of that, but is that all? What was he trying to teach his disciples, and what did he want them to hear?

Today, I want to push into this question a bit more and see what we might learn from these simple interactions with children. Let’s begin in the gospel of Mark.

This Substack is about walking the path of Jesus. But since the lion’s share of my audience is already trying to walk this path, I have not spent much time discussing why this path is better than all the other paths on offer. Today I want to go back to first principles and look at why the path of Jesus is the only possible path to life.

Our life is not a gift that was delivered to our door in a box for us to use as we will. It is a gift we only find and have in Jesus. Our life is in Jesus like a fish’s life is in water. There is no life apart from Jesus.

There are two phrases that are repeated often in the Bible, and when taken together, they seem a bit puzzling.

* Fear God

* Fear Not

Today I would like to give each of these statements a little thought.

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:15-19 [ESV]

Christians not only have Christian t-shirts and merch; we carry the name in a deeper way as well.

Pentecost is like the Christian Sinai. God appears in fire, and we see the people of God redefined and empowered. God was expanding His people by adding the faithful from every nation to the faithful believers of Israel. Now, God’s people are forever defined by faith, rather than ethnicity. At Sinai, God was a distant fire that most of them could not touch or even approach. At Pentecost, the fire of God’s Spirit came down to them and rested on each one. Giving each of them—and all of them together—the power to become the people of God. To become the true Body of Christ.

Last time, we talked about the context and structure of the seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor found in Revelation. I would like to continue that study as we work to answer the question, “How are we to live while we wait for Jesus?”