KLUJICS

Even though I had not seen one in a long time, I knew immediately what I was looking at when I saw KLUJICS in bright orange letters on the small card sitting on the sink in the bathroom at Lowe's.  Actually, they were a lot of them placed in strategic places where folks would be sure to see them.  Curious about the meaning of the letters, I picked one up and read, "Keep Looking Up Jesus Is Coming Soon."  Of course, the rest of the religious tract was filled with the expected scripture about salvation, Jesus, and eternal options.  I put it back on the counter for the next person.

I have never really been comfortable with "tract ministries."  I am sure some have picked one up, read it, and had a life changing experience.  God uses all sorts of avenues to connect with His people.  My aversion to them is more about me than knowing the degree to which they are useful.  And then, too, there is this thing about believers slipping in some public place and secretly leaving religious literature which tricks people into reading.  I guess I have an aversion to this kind of "hit and run" ministry.

But, there is another side to it.  Religious tracts have a way of getting right to the point.  The church and those of who us give spiritual leadership sometimes seem to have trouble focusing on things essential to the gospel.  Confessing that the church is often more interested in ministries of self preservation than soul preservation ministries is not an easy thing to acknowledge.  Getting better is not the thrust of the message of Jesus.  Being changed into something new is what He has come to make reality.  Maybe the aversion to religious tracts really is more about me and the way I wonder if ministry has been more church centered than Christ centered.