NO, IT'S NOT A WES CRAVEN MOVIE. ZOMBIES REALLY ARE WALKING THE EARTH.
In the Holy Land there are two seas. The one to the north is
called the Sea of Galilee. Further south is the Dead Sea. The Jordan
River enters the northern side of the Sea of Galilee and exits to the
south. It keeps running southward until it comes to the Dead Sea. The
waters from the river enter the Dead Sea, but never exit, because the
Dead Sea has no rivers flowing out of it. The Jordan River and a lot
of mountain streams flow down into the Dead Sea, but the only way for
water to leave is through evaporation.
Now the Jordan River carries a lot of salt along with the water.
Normally, in bodies of water like the Sea of Galilee, the salt enters
with the river on one end, and exits along with the river on the other
end. So the amount of salt in the sea stays pretty constant. But
because there is no exit from the Dead Sea, the salt can't escape.
Salt doesn't evaporate along with the water. As a result, water enters
the Dead Sea from the river then evaporates leaving all the salt
behind. Then more water flows in, evaporates, and leaves even more
salt. The result is a huge concentration of salt in the Dead Sea.
This high level of salt is actually what caused that Sea to get its
morbid name.
No marine creature can survive in such highly salty waters. Any
fish that come down the Jordan to the Dead Sea have unfortunately just
signed their own death warrant. No sooner do they enter the Dead Sea
than they end up floating sideways on the surface. Hence the name
"Dead" Sea.
So what does all this have to do with zombies or Christianity for
that matter? Well, zombies are the walking dead, and believe it or not
there are plenty of dead people walking all around you. They're not
physically dead like the zombies in a Wes Craven movie, but they are
spiritually dead. You see, when we enter into a relationship with
Christ we have a choice. We can either be like the thriving Sea of
Galilee, with plenty of fish and fishing villages, or we can be like
the Dead Sea and be walking zombies. Christ wants us to be like the
former, not the latter. So let me explain the difference.
First, let's start with James' poignant description of the problem faced by many professing Christians today.
What good is it my brothers, if a man claims to have faith
but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or
sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him,
"Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about
his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:14-17
Are you the type of Christian James was talking about, a so-called
Sunday morning Christian? Do you feel that church is all well and good
for an hour or two Sunday mornings, but the word "Jesus" doesn't even
pass through your lips for the rest of the week? In short, is your
faith "dead"?
If so, how do you bring your faith to life? The apostle Paul gives us the answer.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the
comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God wants us to be the Sea of Galilee, not the Dead Sea. You see the
Sea of Galilee is generous with its waters. It takes in the water that
gives it life, just as we are to take in the blessings that God bestows
upon us. But the Sea of Galilee also passes those same life-giving
waters along. In the same way, God wants us to take the blessings we
have been given and share them with others.
A Christian "zombie" takes in all the blessings from God, but
doesn't share them with anyone else. The result is the same as the
Dead Sea. It takes in all the water it is given, but refuses to pass
any of that water on. In reference to water, the result is a dead
sea. In reference to God's blessings, the result is a dead faith.
We have a great example of a living faith from the Old Testament.
When God was speaking to Moses out of the burning bush, the following
conversation took place. God had just told Moses about his mission to
Pharaoh and that he was sending Moses to free the Hebrews.
Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from
it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the
tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned
back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they
may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers - the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has appeared to you."
Exodus 4:1-5
Notice Moses' reaction when the staff first turned into a snake. It
was probably the same reaction you or I would have if we were holding a
staff that suddenly turned into a snake. He ran! Moses was scared!
No sooner did Moses run from this snake than God told him to pick it
up. I think my reaction would mirror that of Bill Cosby in his sketch
about Noah when God tells him to build an ark..."Right!" Or, "You MUST
be kidding, God. If I get anywhere near that snake, I'm going to have
a couple of brand new puncture wounds on my wrist."
But that's not what Moses did. He was obviously scared or else he
wouldn't have run from the snake to begin with. But when God told him
to pick up that snake, he stopped running and he picked it up.
You see Moses had faith. He knew that if God was going to send him
out on this grand mission, He wouldn't allow Moses to be killed by a
snake before the mission ever began. So despite his fear, he did what
God asked.
Now not too many of us are going to see a speaking, burning bush in
our lifetimes. So how are we supposed to determine what God wants us
to do?
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he
has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe.
Hebrews 1:1-2
The "last days" refers to the Messianic era in which we all are living
today. So whereas in former ages God spoke to mankind through
prophets, today He does it through Christ. So how do we know what
Christ is sending us out to do? If only He would have left us some
kind of instruction manual. Oh, wait...He did. That's the beauty of
the Bible.
The passage from 2 Corinthians quoted above tells us what God wants
of us. He wants us to take the blessings we've been given and share
them with the world. This doesn't just refer to financial blessings.
After all, the biggest blessing we've been given is the gift of
salvation. God wants us to share that gift with others.
Now that may seem pretty difficult. You may try to give God the
same excuse Moses did. "Gee, God, I'm not a very good speaker, so I
think you'd be better off sending somebody else." Well, God never
promised that when He sent us out to do something that it was going to
be easy. Do you think it was easy for Moses to grab the tail of that
snake, or to tell Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go? Do you think it was
easy for Abraham to raise that knife in preparation for killing his own
son?
So God doesn't promise us that our tasks will be easy. But He does promise to send us some help.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
John 20:21-22
When God sends us out into the world, he sends the Holy Spirit along
with us. When your strength isn't enough, always remember that God's
strength is propping you up. After all, if God is sending you on a
mission, that mission is not about you. It's about God! It's not your
strength that will determine the success of that mission; it's God's
strength! Moses had to learn that lesson too before he returned to
Egypt. So be assured, you're in good company.
So you've made a commitment to Christ, but now its time to live out
that commitment. Is your faith alive or dead? Are you the Sea of
Galilee or the Dead Sea? Are you living your life as Christ wants you
to or as a spiritual zombie? If you leave your faith at the church
house door, then perhaps its time you kneel in prayer and ask God what
He wants for your life. If His answer scares you, remember he won't
leave you hanging out there on your own. God is the great "I AM." He
existed before time began, He exists now, and He will exist at the end
of time. Given His eternal nature, is it that hard to accept that He
will always be with you? That should give us the comfort we need to
stop walking in the dark like a zombie and start living in the light.
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