May you learn from them, be inspired by them, and be challenged by them.  When you run across a new name, dig in and learn something new about one of the great heroes of the Christian faith. But ultimately, my encouragement is this: Follow the dead guys to the cross.  The cross is where they want us to go! Dead men are talking.

The heroes of church history can rightly inspire us, motivate us, challenge us, and fuel our resolve for living the Christian life.  But in the final analysis, these godly people remind us about the power of the gospel, and in so doing, lead us to the cross of Christ.  “For in the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theater,” Calvin says, “the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world.  The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures high and below, but never more brightly than in the cross.”  Nothing would please the French Reformer more than when followers of Christ stand humbly at the foot of the cross.

Every one of the dead guys we have learned about over the last several days lived a long time ago; a time when everything was different.  Cultures were different.  Clothing styles were different. Technology was virtually non-existent, at least by our standards.  There was no internet, no television or radio.  No motor cars or airplanes.  Almost everything was different.

Read More