Many Bible students have noticed the connection in the Bible between the number five and the topic of death. For instance, a number of people in the Old Testament died after being stabbed under the fifth rib. Well, today's newspaper shows another connection. It reports that a Somalia sheikh has urged the execution of any Muslim who does not pray the required five times a day. Do your five prayers or face death. What a unique way to bring people closer to God! Such a sad reason to pray.
I read a letter to the editor in our local newspaper a while back expressing the marketing strategy of atheism. A summary is as follows. Atheism is the direct result of intelligent minds looking at the facts (Implication: those who believe in God are a bit dull). Atheism frees the mind from the slavery of religion (Implication: all who believe in God are slaves). Atheism delivers mankind from the cruelty of religious enthusiasm (Implication: if all people were atheists, the world would be a peaceable place).
Note: What follows is an introduction I just wrote to a lesson on Mark 6:1-26 entitled "Changes in the Ministry of Christ." I thought it might be an encouragement to someone who is presently going through some great changes.
Christians often choose their heroes in much the same way as the world does. They look for glamor and spectacle and not for true Christian character and service. A case in point is the great popularity in Christian circles of David Livingston (1813-1873). David Livingston was truly a great African explorer and was the first to discover much of the interior of that country. He may be best known today in reference to the purported line of reporter Henry Stanley upon finding Livingston in deepest Africa: "Dr. Livingston, I presume." However, he is also portrayed in many biographies and much Christian literature as a great missionary. In 1973, Geoffrey Moorhouse in ""The Missionaries" (p.111) stated that in the middle of the twentieth century, "historians would still acknowledge him as the greatest missionary of them all."
According to a study completed by a team of sociologists (as reported in the July 3, 2006, edition of "Time"), people in America are losing friends. From 1985 to 2004, the number of people with whom we can discuss "important matters" has dropped by one-third. That is, if people had three close friends twenty years ago, they only have two today. When considered that this is based on averages, this is a serious drop and it points to a continuing disintegration of the bonds of society. In order to "enjoy" our newfound freedoms, we are splitting up our families and communities. In order to "enjoy" our entertainment, we are immersing ourselves in private video viewing and computer surfing. We are leaving the churches and becoming strangers to our neighbors.
