As we drove around the curve we peered anxiously, straining our eyes, trying to see if it was still standing. "Can you see it?" - "No, do you?" I replied. We were looking for the 7 meter high wooden cross which the day before had taken 7 men to put up prominently on a hill, located
near the front of our new property. It had rained heavily in the night and our fear was that perhaps the strong winds and wet soil had not held the structure because cement takes several days to dry. Then suddenly... "There it is! It's still standing!" We breathed a sigh of relief. There it was, the simple tall, thin wooden cross on top of a grassy knoll. It reminded me of the "old rugged cross" - nothing special (by sight), but to the believer, it holds a lot of meaning.
A POWERFUL LANDMARK
There has been a lot of curiosity in the community lately centered around the new church property. Whenever we are there, people stop by to get a closer look, wondering what is going on. They stop and ask, every time. How fitting it seemed that the first thing erected would answer all their questions, a simple wooden cross, which says it all. The location of the property is on a popular route for a number of local residential areas. Members of our church have mentioned that, not a few times, while driving past on the public minibus transportation, they have overheard people talking about it. That cross! That is what we are talking about, and that is what we are pointing people to. Now, it's a landmark! As we meet people daily, we mention it. And it seems everyone has seen it. "Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you" (Galatians 3.1)
"PREACHING SALVATION"
As we drove closer to the property, fixing our eyes on the cross, our minds flashed back to a conversation we had a week earlier. When we first engaged Reuben, the man who organized the leveling out of the land, we asked him if he was born again. He was, and seemed pleasantly surprised that we were more concerned with the state of his soul, than just his line of business. He was eager to hear about the church and the vision of the ministry. As we told him, he listened intently, and said, "You know, few churches preach salvation anymore." The comment reverberated in our minds. So many people seem to be lost in the cloak of religion, but have no understanding of the cross and of salvation. Every generation needs to be evangelized. We much preach Christ, crucified. What else really matters? The cross still stands.