Crossroads of Agony

Book excerpt: Have you ever felt a dissonance between the joy-filled Sunday school messages and the difficult sayings attributed to Jesus in the scriptures? There is a movement in American churches today that separates the Gospel into two parts: attractive and repulsive. It is probably surprising for many to know that there is more in the latter category than in the former. Church leaders know that preaching about suffering and demanding personal sacrifice for the sake of discipleship is not going to win over many converts. In fact, people tend to leave and seek out worship centers that portray Christ in kinder, gentler ways. After all, how many of the most applauded preachers of the present generation focus on Jesus teaching of self-sacrifice? More likely, sermons emerge from a prosperity gospel where God will reward the faithful and give bountifully to those who believe. The problem with this movement is that it makes Christianity one-dimensional and shallow. When hardship becomes an unwelcome visitor in our lives, the gospel of rewards doesnt hold up or provide the slightest degree of comfort. Crossroads of Agony is an anti-thesis to the current trends in American Christianity by revealing the call to suffering that Jesus gives to all who wish to follow him. True discipleship must contend with all sides of the faith, not just the ones that make us smile or feel warm and fuzzy inside. Jesus came not to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34)! As believers, we need to embrace suffering and see the value that comes with hardship undertaken for the sake of the Gospel. This book launches its readership into an investigation of the early church through a survey of scripture, historical events, and emerging literature. Without studying the foundations of the church, contemporary communities of faith are adrift without a dependable point of reference. As Woodrow Wilson said, Those who do not know their past are doomed to repeat it. Our heritage is rich with tradition and reveals the highs and lows of human achievement. Our past is the key to unlocking a future that is keeping with Gods will. Crossroads of Agony exposes readers to a side of Christianity few opt to know about it, let alone use to guide their faith. Those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for knowledge will discover that suffering is recast in a different light through Jesus message. What most of us have been trying to run away from is in fact something Christ is calling us towards: a life of suffering for the sake Gods message of salvation. We run because we do not find any value in hardship, but instead see it as something life-draining. Jesus, on the other hand, finds immense value in suffering and even life-producing when undertaken with a spiritual purpose. Jesus puts his life on the line for this truth: Suffering yields lifelife that is everlasting. Crossroads of Agony is a look into the darker side of the faith, one meant for advanced Christians. The deepest truths of the faith are not attractive to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18-19), but are quite repulsive. Only when we find ourselves in the pitch black darkness of our faith heritage are we able to emerge into the light of the Gospel that shatters illusions and unites our souls with the divine. If we run from suffering, the best we can achieve is a superficial relationship with God because it means we still value our life above the Gospel. Jesus demands the opposite: the saving Word of God above all else. This level of faith development requires a new understanding of suffering, one where this world is seen as a testing ground, not the end. Reverend Troy Ehlke writes this text in the hopes that people will read it in small groups, devote time to discuss the questions at each chapters end, and develop a renewed sense of call to labor for the kingdom of God. While we experience distress in this lifetime, it is not without reward. In this world, we have the satisfaction that results from spreading the Wor