Questions

Jim Belcher's book, "Deeper Church", contains testimonies from people who come to believe in Jesus. One such testimony reveals that a young man came to Belcher's church and enjoyed it because "it was a safe place to ask questions". Sadly, the church has not always been a safe place to ask questions. I guess questions can catch the church by surprise (although they never surprise God). I'm not sure why this is the case, especially if we are familiar with the Gospels. For example, who would expect John the Baptist to send runners to question whether Jesus is the "one to come or should we look for another?" (Luke 7:20) Rather than a chastisement, John receives quite an endorsement from Jesus. Even though John the Baptist is a pretty special guy, to say the least, there's a message for us. As representatives of Jesus, we should be ready, anxious and willing to respond to questions. They may be stark questions about the "who", "what" and "how" of our Savior and the church. Actually, I have come to find questions refreshing.