Easter: The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ
With painted eggs, baskets full of candy, bunnies everywhere, and a three to four-day weekend, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Easter. So lets take a look at John 20: 1-7 and see what happened that first Easter morning.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? (more…)
Jesus Christ 101: Son of God
Last post we took a look at Father God and now we are going to take a fresh perspective on Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It has taken almost 20 days to put this post together. I really feel I have been under attack by the Enemy lately in regards to the blog but we all know the battle is already won!
I wanted to take a fresh look at Christ and what he really means to us. I spent many late nights and early mornings in scripture and Jon Courson’s Application Commentary New Testament trying to get down on paper with some sort of justice who Christ is.
By no means will this be the end all post on our Lord and Savior but I pray that it will encourage you to dive into to scripture and find for yourselves just who Jesus is.
We are going to hit up 14 attributes of Christ the Son of the Living God!
1. Christ is God’s final Word.
If we look at John 1:1-4 confirms that Jesus is the word and was with God from the beginning and is God. (more…)
Father God 101: 17 Attributes of the Father
Last post we took a look through scripture at who the Holy Spirit was. This week we are going to take a look at God the father, from here on out called Father God! He is the second part of the trinity being God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
I have never really looked at life, the cross or our relationship with God through the vantage point of the Father until I read He Loves Me. Wayne Jacobsen shows the character of Father God in a way I have never seen before.
I always viewed him as distant and wrathful. His book inspired me to me to dive into scripture and paint for my self a picture of Father God.I pray that this post will shed some light on his character.
Here are 17 bullet points highlighting who Father God really is.
1. Father God is relational. In the creation story (Gen. 1:26-27) we hear God say,” Let us make man in our image, to be like us.” This shows us that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we all present. God has always been in a relationship, being Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three-part trinity.
We were created out of a relationship for a relationship with God.
In John 14:20 Christ tells us again that he is in the Father and we are in him and Christ is in us.
During the fall the relationship that God created for fellowship was lost and it is in Christ that this relationship has been restored. (more…)
Holy Spirit 101: The Theology of the Forgotten God
When I started this post I was going to write an article solely on the Holy Spirit. Now I feel lead to do another 3 part series this time on the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As Christians I think we have a good understanding of God the Father and Christ the Son, but when it comes to the Holy Spirit we tend to be forgetful.
In this post we are going to shed some light on the Spirit of God, in hopes that we have a better understanding of who He is.
Francis Chan has done just that in Forgotten God and that is where the basis of this post comes from. Well, that and writing Our Possessions in Christ. I advise you to read the book, it has really brought me to an understanding of the Spirit of God!
We will take a look at the Holy Spirit as a person, the Holy Spirit as God, the Holy Spirit as eternal and holy, the fact the Holy Spirit has his own mind and prays for us, the fact the Holy Spirit is emotional, the fact He has His own desires and wills, and that he is also omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. Let’s unpack these attributes together shall we? (more…)
Valentine’s Day 101: The History Behind It
In honor of Valentine’s Day I wanted to do a post on the history of it and see how it has grown into a $17 billion dollar a year industry.
Valentine’s day, a holiday on Feb. 14, started out honoring one or more Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It is a day on which one expresses his or her love for another through cards, flowers, candies and now even clothes and jewelry. These gifts are commonly known as valentines.
Geoffrey Chaucer, in the High Middle Ages, helped to 1st associate it with romance.
The holiday’s roots are traced back to an ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration on Feb. 15. Pope Gelasius I, in 469 AD, established the festival as a Christian Feast on Feb. 14, making it Valentine’s Day.
The Facts
There were several Christian martyrs named Valentine. The ones honored on Feb. 14 were Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni.
Valentine of Rome was martyred in 269 AD and was buried in Via Flaminia.
Valentine of Terni became bishop of Iteramna about 197 AD and was said to have been martyred under persecution of Emperor Aurelian. He was also buried in Via Flaminia.
There is talk of a 3rd Valentine who was martyred in Africa, but not much is known about him.
Not until the 14th century was St. Valentine’s Day associated with romance. (more…)
Our Possessions in Christ: What We Have
Last post we took a look at who we are in Christ. We saw that we are saints, a new creation, his workmanship, that we are being conformed to his image, ambassadors, kings & priests, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, chosen, and we are now the Temples of God filled by the Holy Spirit! If that doesn’t have you ready to take on the world nothing will!
In this last of a 3 part series, summing up the fundamentals of who we are, we are going to look at our possessions. That is to say what we have in Christ. These outlines come from Charles Stanley’s work. If you want to grow deeper in your walk I advise you to check him out!
Now that we are caught up lets see what we have in Christ!
1. We have every spiritual blessing! The NIV Bible dictionary defines spiritual as anything having to do with God and it defines blessings as happiness, praise, divine favor or heavenly reward.
This is to say that God has given us Godly happiness, divine favor, and heavenly reward!
If we look at Ephesians 1:3 Paul tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
2. We have inherited the Kingdom! In Galatians 3:29 Paul tells us we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to his promise.
Well, what is the promise? (more…)
Our Person in Christ: Who We Are
Last week we took a look at our position in Christ if you missed it is a must to go back and read! I believe its safe to say that not only knowing where we stand with God in Christ is important, but who we are in Christ is crucial to our walk! Do you truly know and proclaim the person you have become because of what He has done?
Charles Stanley has done a great job outlining who we are as people in Christ over the years. We are going to dissect 10 points through scripture to see exactly our person in Christ. That is to say who we are!
It is easy to get caught up in the world, especially when you are getting beat down and think that you are battling it alone. It is easy to forget what Christ has done for us. It is easy to get stuck in rut and feel like you have to charge your way through life. I pray this post reminds us all that our best friend has died for us and that through his resurrection we have also risen to new heights.
With out further a do lets remind ourselves who we are:
1. We are Saints! The NIV Bible dictionary/concordance defines a saint as one declared righteous by God! Think about that you are made right with God by God. Due to the work on the cross by Christ we are now able to approach the throne of God. In Christ we are all saints!
In 1 Corinthians 1:2 in The KJV Bible we see that Paul is writing to the church of God there, those “sanctified” in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.
2. We are a new creation! In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis put it like this. (more…)
Our Position in Christ: True Freedom
Understanding our position in Christ is crucial to our walk and freedom. Ever since I was a child I struggled with insecurity. I always felt out of place and unsure of where I belonged. Have you ever felt out of place with friends, family work, or just in life in general?
I am sure we all have!
Knowing our position in Christ can and will put an end to all these feelings. You see God wants us to move away from a place of feelings and start proclaiming fundamental truths about who we are!
These truths really came to life for me when a good friend let me listen to How the Truth Can Set You Free by Charles Stanley. I felt like he was describing me when he spoke on inferiority and insecurity. The truth is knowing our position in Christ will eliminate all these and more!
I wrote about this a while back in A Look At Who We Are In Christ Jesus.
If you are like me and are hungry for the freedom of who we are in Christ then pay attention and start claiming these fundamental truths for yourself! (more…)
The World Around Me
A while ago I prayed a very dangerous prayer. I mean dangerous in the sense that if you really aren’t ready for it, prayerfully God will not answer it. But if you earnestly seek it and ask Him you will forever be changed.
“Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours.”
Simple yet it’s inherently profound.
When He does answer it you begin to see the world around you in such a way that you nearly walk around crying. You are able to see the brokeness in everyone around you. You see His lost sheep nearly everywhere you turn.
However, you are also able to see those that love Him. Discerning between an act of kindness and an act out of devotion to the Father is much tougher.
Today, as I sat in a restaurant I saw a gentleman who was obviously not all there mentally. One of the workers showed him such kindness and compassion, as to assist him as well as offer him food. Then as she walked back to the counter to prepare his meal, a mailman gave her some money and said get him whatever he wants.
This was beautiful to see, just as I was sitting here wondering about the world. Ben was his name and he was very grateful for the food. As he was sitting there eating, a lady who was leaving gave him some money and said use this to eat a good meal. (more…)
Beatitudes 101: The Pathway to Happiness
Have you ever really study the Beatitudes? Have you heard of them? Well we are going to run through all 8 today! The Beatitudes are the 8 characteristics of the true Christian. Christ sets before us the core of the Christian character. They are the basic fundamental traits that make up the Christian person.
In Jon Courson’s Application Commentary New Testament, he tells us that “Beatitude”, literally beatus in Latin, means “happy” and everyone of the eight verses begins with ‘blessed” or “happy’.
“Jesus’ constitution points to the pathway to happiness as He delineates the attitudes that lead to happiness.”
What we are going to do is explain the 8 attitudes, show the anticipation in the Old Testament, how the attitude clashes with the world’s view, the reward God will give us, and how to develop the attitude. We will cover a lot of ground in a quick amount of time so feel free to leave questions and statements in the comments. Hold on here we go!
