A number of years ago, I went to see friends in San Antonio, TX. Now of course, I wanted to see my friends, but I really wanted to see the Alamo, San Antonio’s premier attraction!
You’ve heard of the Alamo haven’t you; the Spanish mission that became a dramatic symbol of liberty, resulting in the creation of the state of Texas.
The Alamo’s transformation occurred during the battle of the Alamo as Davy Crockett and others shed blood, taking on the evil Mexican Santa Anna. Well at first it looked as if Santa Anna had won; I mean, after all, Santa Anna technically won the battle of the Alamo. But the shed blood of the Alamo brought the ultimate victory, as Sam Houston went on to defeat Santa Anna at San Jacinto, rallying his troops with the battle cry: ‘remember the Alamo!’
The Alamo’s transformation occurred during the battle of the Alamo as Davy Crockett and others shed blood, taking on the evil Mexican Santa Anna. Well at first it looked as if Santa Anna had won; I mean, after all, Santa Anna technically won the battle of the Alamo. But the shed blood of the Alamo brought the ultimate victory, as Sam Houston went on to defeat Santa Anna at San Jacinto, rallying his troops with the battle cry: ‘remember the Alamo!’
And so the final victory was won, because of the sacrifice made at the Alamo; in fact the document declaring that victory and the independence of Texas, was signed with blood shed at the Alamo!
And so knowing all that, you can imagine my excitement in wanting to actually visit the Alamo. But here’s the shocker: when I asked my friends to take me to the Alamo, they resisted! “If you insist.” they said. “Insist? I mean: don’t you remember the significance of the place?” “Not really. I mean people in San Antonio don’t go to the Alamo anymore. Why the Alamo’s old hat, the Alamo’s ‘the same old, same old, the Alamo is all too familiar.”
In many respects our ‘Alamo,’ Christ’s shed blood at Calvary is too familiar too. I mean Christ at Calvary gained our final victory, but in spite of such heroic effort, Calvary, for a lot of us, has become ‘old hat.’; we don’t ‘visit’ there anymore. But we must visit Calvary. We must remember our ‘Alamo’: the incredible sacrifice of Jesus, assuring our independence and freedom from sin.
Frankly that’s why God is pouring out His Spirit, so that, in the words of Acts 2:17 “young men will see visions [and] old men will dream dreams…” (Acts 2:15); that all of us, at any age, will wake up from our lethargy, from our over-familiarity with the Gospel, and see again the wonder -- the power -- the glory of Jesus. And then share that glory with all!
It’s amazing to see this pattern in the early church. The early preaching of the Apostles centered on a repetitive declaration of the basics: the shed blood, victory and Lordship of Jesus. Commonly called the kergyma or Gospel, it declared ‘what God has done in Jesus.’ It was followed by what the early church called the didache or catechism which declared ‘what we are to do in Jesus.’
Frankly, we need both kergyma and didache; what God has done in Jesus, and what we are to do in Jesus. But kergyma is key, for unless we comprehend what God has done in Jesus, we will never be empowered to do for Jesus.
For we can only do, we can only work out, what first has been worked into us: the Work of Jesus, on Calvary, on the Cross.
For we can only do, we can only work out, what first has been worked into us: the Work of Jesus, on Calvary, on the Cross.
And so remember the 'Alamo,' your spiritual Alamo -- the blood shed for you -- what God did for you -- at Calvary.
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