Marcella had an enviable life as the daughter of a prominent Roman family who married a wealthy man. But less than a year after her wedding, her husband died. She was given a chance to continue living in wealth when she was proposed to by the wealthy consul Cerealis. She chose instead to convert her mansion into one of the earliest communities of women, where she and other noblewomen formed a group known as the "Brown Dress Society" and used their riches to help the poor. Marcella said she preferred to, “store her money in the stomachs of the needy than hide it in a purse.” In 410, when the Goths invaded Rome, they broke into Marcella’s home. When they demanded money, she calmly responded that she had no riches because she had given all to the poor. Though she was an elderly woman, they beat and tortured her mercilessly. Her attackers were eventually shamed by her piety and she was released.

The following video contains a creative and interesting illustration about evangelism for modern Christians.  I definitely believe that it's worth viewing and thinking about as a follower of Christ integrated as a member of society and that it does speak a lot of truth in regard to the current state of the Church and how the Christian community (in general) views evangelism and sharing their faith.  I hope that you find it equally as thought provoking, creative, and entertaining.



 

"Your church isn't good enough. Come to mine instead."

Many times I feel like other Christians are saying this to me when we talk about where we attend church, although maybe not in so many words.

Sometimes I think we as Christians spend too much time evangelizing to other Christians. Sometimes we may think that because we go to a certain church, then everyone else needs to go to the same church too! Well, I've got to be honest with ya--that's just not true.

Creative Commons Photo Credit

No one is perfect, and that includes the Church. Sometimes it is important to take the time to look at what we are doing wrong, and what we can do better... even if it hurts.

From what I've observed, there are two major problems that I see in the Church today, and I'm not sure which one of them is more detrimental to the progression of Christ's Kingdom.