Resurrected Over Hate
If we must have someone to despise or hate, it should reveal to us that we are not yet like our Lord. Hate belongs to another kingdom. Hate belongs to the realm of death. Jesus triumphed over hate. His resurrection proves it. When we are risen from the dead with Him, we will seek
Christ the Victor
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:15 ESV). The resurrection of Jesus was the vindication of Christ as Victor. 1) He was victor over political and religious powers, those who thought that by killing Him they would be done with Him.
The Resurrection Answer
The Resurrection of Jesus answered the Psalmist when he asked, “Will the departed spirits rise and praise You?” Jesus provided a living example of Resurrection when His Father raised Him from the dead. Jesus is our true hope over death. His resurrected-new-creation body foreshadows the body we will have. In our Messiah, death does
Saturday Preaching
Preachers sometimes preach in their sleep. Jesus’ spirit preached to all the souls in Hades (Sheol) as His body slept in the tomb. “He descended to Hades”; this is the place where all dead people go, and preached there (Read 1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:5-6; Ephesians 4:8–10). Every person who ever lived before him was
The Cross Was
A revelation of the Suffering Servant. Self-emptying sacrifice. Self-surrender without self-pity. Obedience without self-righteousness. The Lamb of God dying without protest. Suffering love whispering. Mercy shouting forgiveness. God singing a lament. Non-violent resistance to political expediency and religious corruption. Power choosing weakness to conquer. Submission to nails, thorns, and a sword. Brokenness for human
Cross Ornaments
I love the cross. I have one on the outside of our house; we have many on the walls inside of our house. I have an olive-wood cross necklace that I often wear during the seasons of Christmas and Easter. Many wear them as jewelry. But all of us must be careful that the
Lose Your Life
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24 NASB). What does the cross mean?
Meaning of Cross Bearing
Bearing the cross is not bearing the sum total of our personal problems. The cross is a place of death to our selves. The selfish self that needs to die may have been exposed by our problems. Problems have a way of revealing and unpacking who and what we are. More often than not,
Turning Over Tables
Jesus turned tables over in His temple. He saw His house become a house of merchandise, devoid of real worship, and was outraged by it. Well, let’s bring this closer home, since we are the temple. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
Who is this Jesus?
He is the seed of the woman who will bruise the head of the serpent! He is the promised Messiah of David’s line! He is the Suffering Servant that Isaiah saw! He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah! He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world! He is
Partner with the Spirit
The speaking of the Spirit is more than important to our formation. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Revelation 2 & 3). He is not through speaking yet. We hear the culture! Do we hear the Spirit? We are well versed in our
Spiritual Equilibrium
The elderly have learned that you just don’t jump up from a chair and start walking; it takes a minute to gain your “dignity”, i.e. equilibrium. If you start walking before you get that you are going to look foolishly unstable. Well, here is the point. Don’t just go charging through your day without
On Loving Strangers
“Love the stranger” was a unique command to Israel not found in the surrounding religious cultures of the day. This was rooted in their experience in Egypt. Egypt extended hospitality to the hungry Israelites strangers. “Strangers” were also sometimes angels. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained
On Cherishing People
Cherished items become valued items! People are valuable because they are made in God’s image. Value them for that. Cherish all people; God does. Add value to the people around you by recognizing their God-given value. Value others as much as you value yourself. Celebrate their lives and learn how to rejoice with them
Our Present Suffering
If we think we are going to get through life without suffering, we are in for a rude awakening; this way of thinking creates even more problems. We may repeatedly say that life is not supposed to be about suffering; but be sure, it will not change what life will dump into our laps.
Attractive Fruit
The Old Serpent knows how to make forbidden fruit look good. By sleight of words, promising a better way, and diversion from the command, he leads us in his way to our demise and our decay. In the wake of partaking of the forbidden, we hurt ourselves and all those around us. Observe what
Pilate’s Politics
The words, ”If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend” (John 19:12) struck terror in the soul of Pilate. Three times he had said, “I find no fault in him.” (John 18:38, 19:4, 19:6) but now his politics “forced” him to crucify the promised Messiah, King of the world. His political
All Kinds of Greed
In the NT greed was taken seriously. Paul forbade the church to associate with or fellowship with a greedy person (1 Corinthians 5:11). The church throughout its history has patronized greedy persons because of its own greed. Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15). “Love of
Pray With The Spirit
We are called to pray with Spirit as the Spirit prays through us. Pray until you hear the Spirit praying through you. This is hearing from Heaven. Pray until your asking is changed to what He wants; “we do not know how to pray as we ought”. “If you abide in me, and my
No Chummy God
Jesus taught us to address God as Father in our prayers. Father speaks of close familial relationship. But Jesus also taught us to say, “Our Father, hallowed be thy name.” Our Father is beyond chummy; He is holy. We are to come to Him with complete reverence and high awe. We are never to
Life Will Test Our Love
The privileged have their own particular set of complaints that the poor cannot relate to nor even comprehend. We complain about goods and services not being the best, when sometimes the poor have none of the things of which we complain. Jesus said, “The poor you always have with you”; He certainly did not
Precious Connections
Some of the greatest shaping of my life has been the positive influences of brothers and sisters in the church network. It has been more than fellowship, though I love the ties that bind us. It is being connected with fellow believers that have modeled Christlikeness in the tough and trying places of life.
Follow The Lamb
Follow the Lamb? We prefer to follow a lion. Mr. Lion gets our vote. We want someone who is strong, commanding and triumphant who will devour our enemies. We forget that Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Following the Lamb to His sacrificial death, who dies in weakness and not
The spirit of antichrist
The spirit of antichrist is that which denies the incarnation; it is to deny that the eternal Christ came in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth (1 John 4:2-3). It is to deny that there is a perfect oneness of Father and Son in Jesus Messiah. God the Father declared physical matter good in
Seven Ways To Emotional Anxiety
Try to please everyone. Try to change other people. Try to fix other people. Try to compare yourself to others. Try to take responsibility for other people’s actions. Try to change the past by your regrets. Try to carry tomorrow’s burdens today. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.