THE CROSS

By Brother David Shortt Now days you see the cross everywhere, on church buildings, embroidered into clergy robes, on clergy stationary, on pulpit cloths, in stained glass windows of church buildings and worn around the neck of Christians and none Christian alike. Yet just a few years ago this was not the case. When I was young you very seldom saw an evangelical church with a cross adorning their building whether from a steeple or any other part of the building such as stain glass windows or from pulpit cloths. The only churches up to 30 or 40 years ago that used the symbol of the cross was the great whore of all churches - the Roman Catholic church along with a few of her harlot daughters of the Protestant group. Even my mother who was not a particularly religious woman knew the reason why a church should not have a cross anywhere about it, or worn on the person, and she taught us that from a young age. This is only 50 years ago or so!! Why is it that Evangelical churches never wore the cross on the church building or never had any on any part of the interior of the building or clothes of the pastor - nor worn around the neck or wrists of individuals . There is a reason - a very good reason which is being lost to the modern day Christian. Even Baptists are getting into the habit of wearing this symbol (idol) around their neck or on their body somewhere. Church buildings are springing up everywhere with this symbol prominent over it. I would like to go over the reason why churches of Protestants and especially Baptists did not "wear" this cross. I hope on learning the facts many Baptists will give up this pagan practice - because that is exactly what it is. Any where you get a physical 'symbol' to take the place of the actual event is not of Christ - it is an idol and of the devil. Please read the reason why our forefathers would not adorn the symbol of the cross on, in or around a church building or on themselves as stated by themselves. The following is from writings of different people of the many centuries since Christ. The cross as a sign of Christianity did not come into public use in the church until towards the end of the fourth century, when there was a definite falling away from "The faith", and when Pagans with their symbols and rites were admitted into the Church of Rome on condition that they submitted to her baptism. Dr. Choul, the learned Romish antiquarian, writes thus: "if we closely investigate the subject, we shall perceive that many institutions of our religion have been taken and translated from Egyptian and heathen ceremonies. Of this kind are tunics and surplices, the crowns made by our priests, their bowing around the altar, sacrificial processions and litanies. These, 'et plusieurs autres choses,' which the folly and superstitious ignorance of the heathen refer to their gods and deified men with pomp, the music of their temples, adoration and supplications. Our priests adopt them in our mysteries and refer them to the one sole God Jesus Christ." Another Romish authority, Didron, admits that the Romish Church found it NECESSARY to appropriate the images of paganism (quoted by the Baron Porcelli in - The Cross, it's History and Use) A PAGAN SYMBOL The cross is one of the oldest and best authenticated emblems of pagan worship. It existed in Asia, Africa and Europe fully two thousand years before the Christian era. The same sign of the cross, wrote Hislop, "that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian mysteries, was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes, was honoured with the same honours. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldees and Egyptians. The true original form of the T- the initial letter of Tammuz - That mystic Tau was marked in baptism on the foreheads of those initiated in the Mysteries, and was used in every variety of ways as a most sacred symbol. It was marked on the official garments of the priests, as on the official garments of the priests of Rome. The Vestal virgins of Pagan Rome wore it suspended from their necklaces, as the nuns do now. When, therefore, multitudes of the Pagans, on the conversion of Constantine, flocked into the Church like the semi-pagans of Egypt, they brought with them their predilection for the old symbol. Thus by the sign of the Cross, Christ has been crucified anew by those who profess to be His disciples." The sign of the cross was unheard of in the days of the Apostles and the primitive Church. Dean Burgon, in his "letters from Rome" - says, writing on the Catacombs: "I question whether a cross occurs in any Christian monument of the first four centuries." Witherowin his book - "The Catacombs of Rome" - states: "The first dated example of a single, undisguised cross in the catacombs does not occur 'til A.D. 407. It was not till the eleventh century that art attempted to represent either the agony or the death of the son of God." "The mystic Tau of ancient Babylon, the letter T, the initial letter of Tammuz, is now all-predominant in the idolatrous worship of the Church of Rome. No prayer can be said, no worship engaged in, almost no step can be taken, without frequent use of the sign of the cross. The cross is looked on as the grand charm, as the refuge in every season of danger, in every hour of temptation as the infallible preservative from the powers of darkness. The cross is adored with all the homage due only the most High" (The TwoBabylons, by Rev. Alex Hislop.) THE ILLUMINATED CROSS The illuminated Cross has its origin in the pagan cross of fire, the sign of Tammuz, the Sun-god and the Fire-god of ancient Babylon. "As there is not reason to believe that the pagan festival of burning lamps was observed in commemoration of the ancient fire-worship, so there is a ceremony at Rome in the Easter week which is an unmistakable act of fire-worship, when a cross of fire is the grand object of worship. This ceremony is thus graphically described by the authoress of 'Rome in the Nineteenth Century': 'The effect of the blazing cross of fire suspended from the dome above the confession, or tomb, of St Peter's was strikingly brilliant at night. It is covered with innumerable lamps, which have the effect of one blaze of light. The whole church was thronged with a vast multitude of all classes and countries, from royalty to the meanest beggar, all gazing upon this one object. In a few minutes the Pope and all his Cardinals descended into St Peter's and room being kept for them by the Swiss guards. The aged Pontiff .. Prostrated himself in silent adoration before the CROSS OF FIRE. A long train of Cardinals knelt before him, whose splendid robes and attendant train bearers formed a striking contrast to the humility of their attitude.' What could be a more clear and unequivocal act of fire-worship than this?" (The Two Babylons, by Rev. Alex Hislop. P. 144 For a picture of this flaming cross taken recently click on URL below: http://dshortt.homestead.com/THE_CROSS_OF_FLAMES.JPG THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS Let’s read this scripture - 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18 -- "For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness: but unto us which are saved it is the power of God"  What is meant by 'the cross' here? It does not mean the material cross upon which Christ died, for it would be but a poor gospel to preach the instrument by which Christ was put to death instead of the purpose of the act. As well might one take Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ, as a subject for preaching; or it would be as reasonable to extol and praise the crown of thorns as a subject for preaching; but that would be a despising of Him who endured in order that we might be saved. It is clear that the Apostle does not here mean the material cross upon which Christ laid down His life. In the Church of Rome a great deal is made of the material cross. It has a great place in their public worship, and on their death-beds a cross is set before the eyes of their people that they may look on it in their last moments. They are directed to look upon the cross as their Saviour, instead of to Him who actually suffered and died on that instrument of death. The Apostles never used material crosses in preaching the gospel. You may examine the whole of the Acts of the Apostles and you will find no mention of a material cross connected with their work as ambassadors of Christ. In searching for the origin of the material cross in the Church of Christ we find it was brought in after the Apostles left the earth by the enemies of Christ and not by His friends; and not only so, but it is kept in by His enemies to this day! Who but His enemies would pollute the pure saving Gospel that Paul spoke of when he said in: GALATIANS 1:7-8 -- "..but there be some that trouble you; and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have (already) preached," unto you, let him be accursed (damned) It is a MOST SERIOUS MATTER for people to maintain in a Christian church anything brought in by the enemies of Christ. Some would say that the material cross is a symbol. A symbol of what? "Oh, a symbol of Christ's death." NO. To say such a thing is to confess ignorance. Even little children going to school can tell you from their Bible instruction that the symbol of Christ's death is the Lord's Supper, which He Himself instituted - "as often as ye do this, ye show forth the Lord's death till He come". What a pity it is that people who have had the Bible in their hands and in their homes for so long should be under the delusion that the instrument upon which the Saviour laid down His life should be the symbol of His death. I tell such people that they are ignorant of the word of God, and I tell them that, not from any ill-feeling, but from a sincere pity, and from a desire and prayer that they should learn the truth of God's word. What then, is meant by 'the cross' here? It means the doctrines of the gospel of Christ. The apostle speaks of the preaching of the cross: 'Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel: not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.' That is, lest the sufferings of Christ revealed in the Gospel should be made of none effect. The Gospel is Christ Himself. For the Gospel, Christ is preached -- NOT - a picture of Him, not a representation of Him. No: but CHRIST HIMSELF. His atonement is preached in the gospel as that which satisfied Divine justice and as the only ground of reconciling sinners to God. There is no other foundation upon which a sinner can be saved but the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God in Human form, and that ought to satisfy the guiltiest sinner, because it has satisfied Him against whom we sinned. It ought to satisfy the guiltiest sinner on earth because it is the only sacrifice which has satisfied the Divine Law in all its demands., and so Paul, who wrote this epistle says; 'This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief'. ( Extract from sermon by the late Rev. D. MacFarlane, Dingwall). ICHABOD The material cross belong to the worship of Tammuz or Baal the Sun-god of the Babylonians as surely as Easter, Lent and Christmas. It is not of divine but of Satanic origin. The Lord's Churches who would not bow their knees to Baal or Rome down through the centuries, from Christ's establishment of the Church to the present, have not adopted the pagan custom of using crosses as aids to worship or devotion, or as symbols of faith. Do we want to identify with this symbol that our lord did not instruct us to use in any way or for any reason? To ignore the command to "Touch not the unclean thing" 2 Corinthians 6:17-18) would be to place oneself in a dangerous and shaky position. The apostle Paul reminds God's people, who are members of the church at Corinth and of Churches everywhere, of their responsibility, and the result of fulfilling that responsibility. OUR RESPONSIBILITY -"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing", RESULT OF FULFILLING OUR RESPONSIBILITY: "and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." When the cross is placed on or in a church, can one safely conclude that the everlasting gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is in that church, and not "another gospel"? I hardly think so. If a church is willing to identify with any of Pagan Babylon's symbols, whether through ignorance or otherwise, how many other Pagan symbols and beliefs might it identify with? Our concern must be whether or not it could be truthfully said: there ICHABOD is - "The glory is departed." (From that church) It is no longer a church ofChrist - if it ever was) The cross is not the sign of Christ but of anti-Christ. How much we need to give heed to the exhortation: 2 CORINTHIANS 15-18 -- "And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saiththe Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. This article is taken out of a book written by: Joe Bell Pastor Grace Missionary Baptist Church PART TWO "Take up Your Cross" I want to continue on in this sermon about the "CROSS". Here I would like to discuss the uses of the word cross. What it was and how it is used figuratively in New Testament usage. In preparing this sermon I noted that there are at least 15 places in the New Testament where the word "cross" is used. The problem with this word is that it is used in a couple of ways. First it is used to mean the actual "CROSS" on which the Lord died - other times it is used in a figurative sense - that is using the word "CROSS" to cover a whole series of events which would be hard to spiel off every time one wants to talk about those events. so we use the phrase "THE CROSS" - or "one's cross" - or "THE CROSS " of Jesus Christ. But I noted one important thing - that the "CROSS" was never used to mean a trinket or idol that was worn or carried on their person or displayed on or in the place of worship to represent the actual cross Jesus died on. That practice in fact is frowned upon by the law. Idols are nothing but stone, wood, gold, silver, metal or whatever, representatives of something else spiritual or physical. The use of these objects were forbidden in the law - especially when it came to worshiping them or looking on them as holding some sort of special power. Just what ways is the word "CROSS" used in the New Testament? Lets first determine what the "CROSS" was that Jesus died on. Was it the t shaped structure that is so widely believed as the instrument of death? Not according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance - a very trusted and widely used Bible concordance - it was not the t shaped structure at all. Just stop and think on this a minute - look at that shape - It is not a 'CROSS" at all but a tee Why is this symbol recognized everywhere else as a tee and yet when used by the Christian religion it suddenly becomes a "CROSS"? The symbol of a cross is something else entirely different. These are a crosses: + + +. Every one is familiar with the Red Cross flag - that is a proper cross. So is the Swiss flag which is just the reverse colours of the Red Cross. For instance - is my last name (Shortt) spelled S H O R Tee Tee or S H O R cross cross. Why is my name recognized to be spelled with two tees and yet when the t is used as a Christian symbol it suddenly becomes a cross. The answer is simple. As usual it is Roman Catholic deception. It is true that the cross is two bars crossing each other much the same as the letter tee. But there is a difference. The difference is that the bars of a cross, cross each other in the centre of each other - not a short bar crossing the long bar 2/3 or 3/4 the way up the longer bar. That is a t.(tee) Why did the Roman Catholic Church want to deceive the world about this? Because the Roman Catholic Church in fact does not worship the true God but a false god that has existed many years before Christ came on the scene in ancient Babylonian mythology - the false god Tammuz. This has already been covered in the first part of this book so I won't repeat that here - but that is why we have the letter t for the initial tammuz disguised as the cross in Christianity. But if that is the case what was the "CROSS" that Jesus died on? The cross was mentioned in the New Testament as the instrument of death so that would mean the only difference there would be is that the bar was in the centre of the longer bar and not further up the long bar. Wrong again. If we look at Strong's Concordance we will find that the Greek word for cross actually means a pole - a pole that has been set upright in the ground. We can picture that quite easily by thinking of a hydro pole or a lamp post - although I doubt if they were as smoothed off as a hydro pole or lamp post. The Greek word for what is interpreted as "CROSS" in English is "Stauros" - from the base meaning & uses --- A stake or post (as set upright - i.e. cross as an instrument of capital punishment. (used figuratively - exposure to death such as self denial). From this Greek meaning of what we interpret "CROSS" there is no doubt that what Jesus died on was a single upright pole. But I can hear those objecting to that by saying - but David that is against all the tradition we in the Christian religion hold so dear. But dear brother - that is the problem - it is only tradition brought in by that religious organization - the Roman Catholic church to cover her worship of their god 39) Tammuz of the ancient Babylonian religion with its t as the initial for tammuz. Quite convenient to have the t looking so much like a cross which the English word implies, it was easy to fool unsuspecting, uncaring people into believing this symbol was in fact a Christian symbol. I can hear others protesting that Jesus would have to have had His arms nailed above His head. Exactly right - is there anything wrong with that? The protests may go on and say that having His arms nailed above His head would cut down on the suffering he would have endured and Jesus was meant to suffer the maximum He could while on the cross. Wrong again. Jesus would have suffered more by having His arms nailed above His head. Just hold your hands together above your head for just a couple of minutes. Within a very short time you will start getting severe cramps in the abdomen. While if you stretch your arms out to your side it relaxes the muscles in your abdomen. Your arms may get tired if unsupported by something but no cramps. Someone else might object and say - "but does it really matter whether He died on a single pole, a + or a t shaped structure? The answer to that is no - except - taking into account what the t really is representing. As already mentioned the t is the initial for the false god tammuz of the ancient religion of Babylon. Even if it was proper (which it isn't) to use a physical cross of any material to represent the cross of Christ do you want any part of using the wrong shaped structure that has replaced the proper structure so that in fact you are representing a false god and not the true God at all? Be careful - you are treading on dangerous ground if you do - or if you don't care. Now the uses of "CROSS" figuratively mentioned are: abide, bring, continue in something started, covenant, establish then hold up or continue, stanch, standby something you have begun. I mentioned that in the New Testament the word cross was mentioned at least 15 times. Let's look at some of these places and try to determine from Strong's Concordance what is meant by each use - and they are all basically the same - either as the actual "CROSS" Jesus died on or as a figure (not a representation - that is something entirely different altogether) Matthew 27:32 -- and as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear His cross. From context there is no doubt the actual instrument of death was meant. 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 -- Christ sent me not to baptize, but preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the CROSS of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the CROSS is to them that perish foolishness: but into us which are saved it is the power of God. Here it is used in both senses- the factual death of Christ on the cross as well as figuratively as the doctrines and practices He established and stood by so staunchly He was crucified for them. Another scripture: Philippians 3:18 -- For many walk, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction. Here it is clearly in the figurative sense. Warning those who fight those doctrines and practices which Jesus established and stood for unto death are in fact the enemies of Christ as well as the doctrines and practices He established as well as the followers of Christ who take up His cause after Him as their way of life. Now lets determine just what is meant when we use the term "THE CROSS OF CHRIST". What was the "CROSS" that Christ had to bear? We already know He suffered and died on the actual tree which the pole he was crucified on was also called. (1 Peter 2:24) But there is more to Christ's "CROSS" than that. I believe the "CROSS" that Jesus bore used in the figurative sense was far more than just the pain and suffering He suffered on the actual pole He died on although that certainly was the culmination of all He suffered. The "CROSS" in the figurative sense points to ALL His suffering he had to endure from the time He left heaven and all its glory to live in this old world system with all its pain and suffering that comes with just living in such a harsh place - this world. That in itself must have been a tough cross to bear. to leave a place of no suffering and pain and great glory on His part to a hostile world. A world that is too hot in summer, too cold in winter - and even when it is pleasant we have bugs and flies and other pests - and maybe more than just pests but downright dangerous. We are forced to work for a living some in a pretty hostile place. Then He had to live among people who were so much different than He was - people who do not like others that are different than they are. Just stop and think of this for a few moments. Remember Jesus the Christ the son of God was a perfect human - the only perfect human that has ever lived on the face of this old world of ours. Can you imagine what kind of a life He must of lived being so perfect alongside the not so perfect humans He lived with? As you know and I know people do not like others that are different than they are. This is shown in politics, religion and even a person with a disability is just not welcome around the healthy. I know - I have a disability that makes me alien to those about me. Many do try not to show the impatience but it comes out very soon. I can relate to Jesus and His what must have been a very lonely life. And so can any other Christian - and the more "Christ like" we are, the more knowledge we have the more alienated we are from world about us. Yet we can not even compare what Jesus' life must have been like from the time He could walk and play with others He would not be able to fit His perfect way of life with those imperfect playmates about Him - probably not even His own brothers and sisters who were just normal imperfect beings. It would be like fitting a square block into a round hole - it just can't be done. Being a perfect child that brought no frustration to His parents. He must have been wonderful to them - but to his siblings He must have been what would call a "sissy" in our day. They in all probability would want to do things their parents had told him not to - and being a perfect child Jesus could not go against those instructions. It is hard to even imagine the ribbing He must have got from his younger siblings. I don't think it would get any better throughout His life. In His youth he must have encountered others of His own age that wanted to do things His parents instructed Him not to but His companions wanted to do out of their sight. He couldn't because He was perfect. This would drive Jesus to spend most of His time alone. Alone with God being instructed by Him. Then came His adulthood. Things would not change at all. We don't know what age He started working but I would expect by the time He was 15 or 16. Things in those days were not the same as our day. They went to work at an early age and married at an early age and died at an early age - 40 being the average. Nothing like our day where people go to school learning their trade until they are thirty years old or there-about. Jesus was a carpenter taught by His step father. We don't know when Joseph died but it was before Jesus' own death. What kind of carpenter - and probably business man was he? A perfect one of course. He would be a perfectionist - probably even to the frustration of His step father who although no doubt honest was still not perfect. Then at age thirty Jesus left His trade as a carpenter and the business if that was what He was involved in and took up His ministry. This was to be full of frustration, disappointment and mental anguish too - all part of "THE CROSS" Jesus must endure to set us free from our sins. We saw Jesus pursued by the crowd as long as they were being fed but as soon as they were taught doctrines like the sovereignty of God and the doctrines of Grace as we call them they quickly dispersed. Even His own disciples were a disappointment at times. They fought over who was the greatest etc. Then of course at Jesus' arrest they all fled leaving Him all alone to face His tormenters. Even Peter who had previously showed to be the staunchest of Jesus' friends told a lie that He did not know who Jesus was. There was a couple of things leading up to Jesus' death on the cross that must have hurt Him more than any other thing that happened to Him. Oh yes, the time on the tree must have been very painful physically, but what I mean to mention now must have been terrible to bear. We have first the refusal of God to answer His prayer when Jesus asked to be excused from what was in store for Him the very next day - His crucifixion on the tree. Did you ever stop to think of that? This is the only time that God ever refused to grant a prayer of Jesus. Note that Jesus ended His pray with the words "but not my will be done but thine be done". Even Jesus had to pray for things within the predetermined plan of God. In this case it was in God's plan that Jesus die on the tree. The next painful event was when God turned His back on Jesus while He hung there on the tree. You can just hear the cry of anguish as Jesus cried out on the cross - " My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me". Yet he did not make a sound during the physical suffering He endured hanging there for hour after hour on the tree. Yes - these two terrible events were all part of the "Cross" Jesus had to bear - all of this mental anguish was all part of the "CROSS" that Jesus had to bear. But of course the culmination of all this was the last days of His life. His friends disowning Him - the betrayal by one of His so called friends and his part in Jesus' arrest. The abuse at the hands of His captors including the placing of the crown of thorns on His head which must have torn his head to pieces because I doubt if it was placed there any too gently, was all just a prelude to the final act of giving His life there on that tree for the sins of His people. I don't think many people have ever stopped to think of the horrible suffering one endured on that cross. It was one of the most painful deaths one could imagine even by a sin depraved human being. Not only was it grotesque in that it mutilated the body but a person could live for a long as 72 hours on that pole. Seventy two hours - three full days of unimaginable pain and suffering you would have to experience to have any idea just how bad it was. In Psalm 22:14 it gives a hint of the horrible experience death on the tree was. Let's read it. PSALM 22:14-15 -- I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax: it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd: and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws: and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. This is only a very gentle hint to the actual suffering one went through on the tree. I have read in more detail what a person went through. 1. Of course the first thing to happen was the driving of heavy spikes through each hand and each foot - that in itself must have been pure torture. But that is only the beginning. 2. The next was the lifting of the tree - or pole upright from its lying position from where they did the nailing. Once again the pain must have been excruciating as the wounds with the spikes in them took the weight of the body. Makes me shiver to even think of it. 3. Then came the long wait, the weight of the body hanging on the wounds of the spikes. But there was something else now. There was nothing but the muscles of your body holding the body up in any kind of upright position - or bodily form. He was in mid air with only the spikes in those four wounds holding him up there and in any kind of human form. The muscles of his body would soon start screaming for relief - you know yourself you can not even hold your arm out in front of you for any more than a few seconds before they start paining and wanting relief. Now his whole body is doing this - trying to keep his body upright in some sort of bodily shape. They soon give out and when that happens that body becomes like a bowl of jelly held together only by the skin surrounding the body. Even the joints of his limbs become disjointed. He is as I said like a bowl of jelly with his bones floating around inside him. And of course all this time He is not given any food or anything to drink in the hot Palestinian sun. You can imagine the hunger and thirst He must have endured. And yet he lives on for up to 72 hours total - probably 60 hours or more in this condition of a bowl of jelly. I think it would be with great relief when he does expire after enduring this torment for this long. And that dear bro - sister is what I believe is meant by "THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST". Would you like to relate all that instead of those few words every time 'THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST' is mentioned? It would be much too cumbersome to do so. But we should make sure our listeners or readers do know what is behind that phrase so there is no confusion as to what is meant. But what about the phrase - "each of us must take up our own "CROSS"? Or something to that affect. What is our "CROSS" that we must bear? I have my own definition of the term based on text surrounding its use and the definition given in Strong's concordance. I Believe what is meant by "taking up "YOUR CROSS" of Jesus Christ is: "Making a stand for Jesus and His cause patiently enduring the persecution and suffering you will receive as a direct result of your stand for Christ. Matthew 16:24 -- Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. You are promised by God that you will suffer persecution if you do take a stand with Jesus in His cause. And anyone who has knows that that promise is true. The more or stronger a stand we take - the greater persecution we will get at the hands of the unsaved of this world - sometimes the most religious are the greatest persecutors. So every time you hear that phrase that is what is meant - to stand for Christ staunchly enduring patiently all the persecution and suffering you will get as a direct result of that stand. It is a lot to say isn't it each time you refer to taking up the cause in this manner - it is too cumbersome to say all that every time so we use the expression "take up our cross" to mean all that was said above just the same as when we talk about the "CROSS" Jesus bore means all that I said about Him above. We do the same when we refer to the heart. When we talk about believing with all ones heart (and other uses of the term) we do not mean the literal heart that beats within us keeping us alive. Rather we understand "the heart" to be the spiritual us - the unseen part of us - the central core of life that makes us tick - think the way we do, act the way we do etc. We use a short phrase to mean something that is too cumbersome to say all the meaning behind the word every time we speak on the subject. The only trouble is that all too often we don't explain what is meant by these phrases to new converts and the meaning gets lost and confusion results. Note that in no way could the wearing of a cross or having it displayed on you or about the church building can take the place of the meaning and what you will go through as a result of your walk with Christ. In fact the wearing of some trinket to represent all that Jesus did and bore for our salvation destroys the meaning of the "CROSS and rends His work useless. A great victory for the Devil. But of course there are those who want to use the physical cross made of wood, or marble or whatever to ever remind them of the cross of Christ. But why? How can something made of wood remind anyone of "THE CROSS" as has been discussed here? There istwo things seriously wrong with doing this. A. as has already been discussed - the cross as used by the religious world of Christians is NOT the shape of the tree which Jesus died. Instead their cross is in the shape of a tee which is in memory of the false God Tammus of the Ancient Babylonian religion. Wrong God - do you want to remember this false God. B. The next thing that is seriously wrong with using this kind of cross is that God in His Holy Book - The Bible - never ordered it. In fact He gave instructions to how we were to commemerate the memory of "The Cross" - and I mean by that all the sufferrings of Christ as I went over above. We remember His work in two ways - By baptism and The Lord's supper. These are God ordered methods of remembering Christ and His sacrifice. Any other way of remembrance is man made and therefore null and void because they add to what God has instructed of us. Adding to God's instructions is absolutely forbidden with this kind of warning. Proverbs 30:6 -- Add thou not unto His words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Do you want to be called a liar by God? Well stay away from the use of the cross in your Christian worship - it does not belong in a Christian household or place of worship or on their person - it is an abomination to God. Jesus Christ did take up His cross from the moment He left His home in glory to walk this world in a very un-welcoming environment - suffered at the hands of a very un-welcoming population which culminated in His death on the literal pole or tree. We are also called to carry our cross - make our stand for Jesus knowing we to will suffer at the hands of the world for this stand - possibly even unto death too. Let's dwell on that and not on some piece of wood or metal, or stone no matter how expensive a stone or any other material it may be - that is in the shape of a tee - not a cross anyway.