CHURCH IN A BOX
One thing that has bothered me about "believers" today is a tendency to forget that Jesus didn't spend his time in pursuit of converting those who knew nothing of the foundations his teachings were built upon.. He specifically concentrated his efforts on those who were once part of, then rejected, and judged to be sinful by those foundational beliefs.. Most importantly when the status quo began attacking and persecuting him for perceived offense and violation of status quo he didn't retreat to the desert nor did he damper his voice or conceal his message with slight of tongue... He remained shrewd, matter of fact, publicly visible, and ever more loving, accepting, and forgiving of the "sinner".. In this time when society, governments, and the world as a whole is dismissing, falling away from, and in many cases attacking our beliefs the greatest sin we as Christians can commit is to retreat to saftey. We can not simply fall back to our comfort zones and isolate ourselves to like minded communities... We now more than ever must walk amongst the sinner and nonbelievers and thru actions not words witness the good news.. to do anything but is to place faith into the constraints of a box and allow it to be easily locked away.