The Mystery of Christ
Whether it be eastern religions, new age mysticism, or paganism, more than ever, people are interested in the spiritual and the mystical. People are attracted to the mysterious. Spirituality, in its very nature is mysterious. What does this mean for the church? Well, it means we should embrace the mystery of Christ. We can use this mystery, which Paul speaks of in Colossians 4:3, as a way to reach out to those pre-Christians (unchurched) who long to fill the spiritual void in their lives.
There are a lot of ways in which to study this mystery of Christ. He was present at the beginning of the world but wasn’t fully revealed until the first century. Prophecies concerning Christ were written centuries before his birth. The book of Mark has a theme about the secrecy of Christ. The themes of the Trinity and the way in which the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us are filled with mystery. Then there is His virgin birth and His resurrection. Come on, you can’t get much more mysterious than that! And to top it all off, living a Christian life pleasing to Christ is down right mysterious at times. Having self-control and patience is a mystery to me more often that I’d like to admit.
You too may have some mysterious aspects about Christ of which you’d like to delve into a bit deeper. We should not allow eastern religions and the realm of the new age to capture the market on mystery. We should not allow seeking souls to reject Christ because we’ve made Him so bland and plain. I think the most mysterious thing in the world is how a man named Jesus would suffer a torturous death on a cross for me and for you.
