Tag: Jesus

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Resurrection-Part 1 Why Bother?

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The Resurrection by Claude Mellan
The Resurrection by Claude Mellan
Image in the Public Domain

Resurrection Part 1-Why Bother?

In the past, I have been accused (with an inference of derision) of being a Christian “apologist”. In case you don’t know, an apologist is defined by Webster’s as someone “who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something”. Well, I thought that’s what guys like me are supposed to do. In fact, isn’t that what we’re all supposed to do? Isn’t that what Peter meant when he said:

(1Pe 3:15)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

I don’t believe in arguing about the things of God. I normally don’t engage in debate about these sorts of things but I have and will continue to present the things of God in a way that will allow the listener or reader to make an informed decision. If you want to call that “defending” the Faith; that’s fine with me. I simply want to encourage a habit of critical thinking and I believe that’s God’s Way, as well. God is not afraid of our questions. He’s not afraid of our doubts. He knows our limitations because, frankly, He set them. He established the boundaries of our intellect, for some reason, and so He is aware of how much we can learn and it is obvious that He has a lot more confidence in our intelligence than most of our church leaders do.

All of that to say that, in this ministry, I won’t apologize for being…an apologist. I trust you and I trust the Spirit of Truth to do His job and guide you (and me) into all Truth (John 15:26). This lesson is the beginning of a series and this series is going to challenge you. We will be taking a detailed look at the most important event in human history: the Resurrection of Jesus. Why is that important? Well, that is the point of this first installment. It is here that we examine whether or not believing Jesus rose from the tomb is important. I mean, we talk a lot about the “Risen Christ” in church. At Easter time (I don’t like that word but that’s for another day) we plaster all over the place “He is Risen!” We see it on church billboards, in the pastor’s newsletter, we post it on Facebook and even occasionally (with ever-dwindling frequency) give each other greeting cards that tell us that the tomb was empty. But, do we really believe it? It’s pretty spectacular, when you think about it. A dead man is placed in a grave and He is not there 3 days later. And, listen, that does not mean He’s now a ghost…whatever that is. We don’t have trouble with the concept of someone’s spirit going…somewhere after they die. That is NOT what happened in this instance. His BODY rose. He had a body. What was once dead flesh got up and left that boulder-sealed cave. Can you believe that? By the way, that’s a legitimate question. I want to know. Can you believe that Jesus rose, BODILY, from the dead because if you can’t or you won’t then Paul says your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:17) Now, if you need more information to make a decision, I get that. That’s okay. That’s why this series is here. We want to make sure to give you as much information as possible so you CAN decide because decide you must and, if we fail at that, we hope that, at least, this series gives you a genuine desire to learn enough to make a decision. I am hoping you’ll see how important this is and that you take it upon yourself to seek out Truth…no matter the personal cost. This is NOT to be taken lightly. The Resurrection is the central, pivotal fact of human history. The Resurrection is the dividing line between the saved and the damned. Those that accept its Truth will live and those that don’t…won’t. So, I implore you with every ounce of my being to find a way to bring yourself to full acceptance of the Truth of the Resurrection. May I humbly suggest that you start by listening in to this series. If nothing else, it should give you a foundation upon which to build your continued pursuit of the most startling claim in human history. BUT before you do ANYTHING take this to God in prayer. Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to show you Truth and, I believe, He will open up His Word to you in ways that may surprise you. If your heart is sincere and you truly want what He wants, God will answer your doubts and strengthen your Faith.

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Pray Without Ceasing

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Family praying together.
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Pray Without Ceasing

(Luk 18:1)  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

In this ministry we quite often teach on the subject of prayer. It is one of the most wonderful blessings we’ve ever been given…probably second only to Salvation itself. In fact, you’ve heard me argue that Salvation isn’t even possible without prayer and, so, it prayer actually be the MOST wonderful blessing of all. However, as wonderful as it is, I am convinced that we know almost nothing about it. Like so many other things in our so-called religious lives there is a lot of church tradition surrounding prayer. I would say that probably the vast majority of what we know and how we practice prayer is strictly tradition; so much so that the Bible’s version of prayer is almost completely foreign to us. Now, the reason this is so important to point out is that, as quoted above, prayer is something Jesus says we should be doing ALWAYS. That is a mighty high standard…which is, pretty much, the case with everything Jesus expects out of us. Jesus says we ought ALWAYS to pray and not to faint. That sounds impossible; doesn’t it? If you answer “yes” to that don’t feel like you’re alone in your opinion. Today’s podcast is centered on this most enigmatic statement of Our Lord’s. Have a listen…and make sure you stay all the way to the end because we’re going to go into some depth on this one and, believe me, there will be a few bends and curves along the way but hopefully by the time you get to the conclusion you will, at least, have a little better idea of what God considers prayer and maybe, just maybe, you’ll see that what Jesus is asking isn’t so impossible after all. Remember; pay close attention, pray for God’s help in your understanding (do that before you hit the “play” button) and open your Bible.

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The Alabaster Box

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Illustration of an old Alabaster Vase Found at Alexandria.
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The Alabaster Box

The story of the Alabaster Box, as found in the Gospels, is a dynamic window into the mind of God. Through it we get to see what He values and expects from us. Here we see the tender heart of Jesus toward the humble and contrite sinner. Simon the Pharisee is presented to us as the contrast to the “sinful woman”. His judgmental self-righteousness receives a dignified yet effective rebuke from Our Lord and, as always, there is a lesson in all of this. We learn that it takes far more than an outward show of church-approved piety to get God’s attention. In this podcast we point out that this beautiful story is given to us to demonstrate how a true child of God expresses nothing less than a deep-felt, sincere love and gratitude for what they have received through Grace. This story is not given to us to command anything. It is given to us to simply lay out what it truly looks like when forgiveness is truly felt by the forgiven. This is Part 1. Part 2 is next week.