The Cross and the Church

By Emma Liddell

The cross and the church are inseparable; one cannot exist without the other. When Christ died on the cross, the church became alive. Although each of us has a cross to bear, there is always more to learn about the mystery of the cross and how it relates to the church and society today.

In a vibrant testimony that blends scripture with personal experiences, Emma Liddell invites believers on a spiritual journey to learn how to become more passionate about the life God has given us and fulfill our divine purposes. While detailing the meaning of the church and illustrating how the Word of God is still applicable in modern society, Emma also reveals insight into her own path as she faithfully carried out God’s orders, bravely faced the demons of a cruel world, adjusted to the changes within the church, attempted to guide lost souls away from bad choices, and learned from others around her who overcame incredible obstacles in life.

The Cross and the Church is a testimony of faith that intertwines scripture and personal experiences to educate believers about the cross and how it still relates to the church and today’s modern world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: May 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781489741622

Emma Liddell

Emma Liddell was born in Tennessee and later moved to California with her husband where she attended Providence Theological Seminary. Prior to retirement, she worked at UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District, and as an entrepreneur and co-host of a local television show. Today, Emma resides in LaGrange, Tennessee, where she is active in her church.

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Copyright © 2022 Emma Liddell.

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4161-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4162-2 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/16/2022

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 The Meaning of the Cross

Chapter 2 The Meaning of the Church

Chapter 3 The Meaning of Baptism

Chapter 4 The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper

Chapter 5 The Bible 18

Chapter 6 Social Justice 21

Chapter 7 Racial Injustice

Chapter 8 Let’s Do Better

Chapter 9 What Path Should We Take?

Chapter 10 Helpful Scriptures

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the Liddell, Elsberry, and Jones families and to all future generations in loving memory of Mag Nora Liddell, Eartha Elsberry, Lawrence Thomas and Mary Guyton.

I thank my heavenly Father for giving me the opportunity to leave this legacy for the present and future generations. I pray you will be as blessed reading it as I was writing it.

CHAPTER 1

The Meaning of the Cross

In Today’s Society

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. That was the first full sentence I typed when I was learning to. I typed every opportunity I had until I remembered the keyboard without looking. It took time and hard work, but I was persistent.

One day during my meditation hour, I was reading my scripture for the day, and an uncomfortable feeling came over me, a feeling I had never experienced before. I did nothing to make it go away. As I rehearsed in my mind some of the hardships I had endured during my childhood and as an adult, I felt an urgency to put it all in writing to help others who had experienced the same or similar things I had been through. I started to write that day.

In a couple of months, I had my first book published, The Trail and Tribulations of my Journey. After my first book and several short stories, I thought that was the end of my short writing career. Having that perspective caused me to relax and put my lifestyle on hold and do some traveling as soon as the pandemic allowed traveling without a mask, but I realized it was time for me to write about the cross and the church.

The cross represents Christ, and the church represents us, his children.

I prayed to God to help me leave a legacy for families to follow the cross and the church, which come from the Word of God. The cross and the church are inseparable; one cannot exist without the other. Christ died on the cross, and the church became alive. We are the church because the church lives in us. Each of us has a cross to bear, but first, let us learn and acknowledge the mystery of the cross and how it relates to the church and society today. There is so much unrest in the world, and if you are not in the Word of God and understanding it, you will be surprised and devastated by the conditions many people put up with.

It may appear that I am writing two books in one, but that is not so. I am starting with the beginning, when God’s Word was established, and I continue to today. I will be writing about the cross, the church, and social justice versus social injustice in the past, the present, and the future, when Christ comes back to receive the church. Let us read and understand the most important parts first—where and how the cross and the church began.

Have you wondered why you were born and if there was a purpose for your living? Have you or someone you know had a plan for life? How, when, and where they were going to live their lives? We are born, we live, and we die. What we do in between is up to us; we can make good or bad choices.

After taking an early retirement due to health problems, I and my family moved back home to where my husband and I had grown up. All I wanted to do was come home, relax, and take trips with my great-grandchildren as I did with my children and grandchildren. I didn’t want a computer. The only phone I wanted was the kind that flipped open. I had a telescope ready and waiting for me to watch the birds and all God’s creation up close while relaxing on my screened porch.

I thought my busy lifestyle was over, but I soon learned that it had just begun. The first few years were peaceful but sad. I was ill and had to spend most of my time in bed. While healing, I thought about and meditated on my life—where I had been and where I was going. I became restless and confused, and that caused restless nights and weary days. This should have been the best time of my life, but memories began to surface—some good, some not so good. Not knowing what to do, I began to write as I often do.

When I started writing, I began to feel a great weight lifting off my shoulders.

One day, I went window-shopping at the mall. I noticed a beautiful piece of jewelry loaded with diamonds embedded in a gold symbol shaped like a cross. I thought, Can I afford this? Stretching my neck, I read the price tag—a four-digit figure. That was not in my budget, but that didn’t stop me from gazing at it and dreaming about wearing it. In fact, I would never have taken it off if it were mine.

The excitement prompted me to go into the store to get a closer look. While I was looking at it, the young woman behind the counter asked me if I wanted to try it on. Try it on? I asked, repeating her words. Yes, she replied. She removed it from its case, and the diamonds were even more beautiful. I looked on as she placed it around my neck. The gold reflecting next to my skin was impressive.

But it was still too expensive for me. I thanked her for allowing me to try it on. She suggested that I look at a pair of earrings with diamonds in the shape of a cross. I thanked her and said no. I had punished myself enough by allowing myself to dream of something that was out of my budget and impossible for me to buy.

But while driving home, I couldn’t take my mind off that cross. Why did I want it so badly? Was it because it was beautiful, shiny, and expensive? Why had it captured my imagination? I began to think about the cross Jesus died on and wondered if it was beautiful as the cross in the store. Do I want to wear the cross of death around my neck? I asked myself. I allowed my imagination to take control of my mind, and it took me to Calvary, where Jesus Christ died for our sins. I became anxious to learn more about the meaning of the cross and the church and what they meant to Christianity today. When I think of the cross on which Christ suffered and died for our sins, I envision nothing like the shining cross in the jewelry store.

The cross is a symbol of Christianity. However, simply put, the meaning of the cross is death. The cross was an instrument of brutal, painful execution. Those who were crucified were tied or nailed to a wooden cross and left to hang until they died. It was done in public.

I often wonder if there were people who