The cross, for the most part, seems to be accepted in our society. People seem to be comfortable with that old rugged cross. No offense is taken by it as it hangs around one’s neck in wood, silver or gold. Furthermore, culture accepts and even appreciates the rows upon rows of white crosses at Arlington. And so, the cross is accepted…. or is it?
Responsibility…. that is what I am after. Who’s to blame, who can we fault, who might we charge for Christ’s bloody death? Certainly, there were a lot of participators. But, who is ultimately responsible for the death of the Son God, Jesus Christ? Was it Judas, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, or….?
Walk with me, it is worth the journey because the answer to the question will lead us to Gospel glory.
“While the Gospel is something worth contending for, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about this business.” D.A. Carson
I like a good mystery! Not the predictable sort; I like the ones that challenge the mind and stretch the imagination. The kind you almost feel like you have to work for to understand.
There is a mystery found in God’s Word. It is the ultimate mystery – A mystery of mysteries. No earthly mystery compares to the mystery of the gospel! Sadly, we do not dwell on the contents or the characters of the mystery enough. But when people do, I find the response is either worship or rebellion. Some behold the mystery and worship, while others grow angry and defiant.
In considering both responses, let’s first unpack the mystery.
“Salvation doesn’t come on Air Force One.” Chuck Colson
I find the current cultural view of politics…. concerning. On both sides of the aisle there are winners and losers and perhaps both are in need of an adjustment. Not unlike a visit to the chiropractor, perhaps our culture needs an adjustment for our aches and pains.
I do not have time to write my own post today, but I do think the below article is very important and worth your time.
Please click the link below and take a minute to read:
No man has a right to be idle. . . . Where is it that in such a world as this, health, and leisure, and affluence may not find some ignorance to instruct, some wrong to redress, some want to supply, some misery to alleviate?
William Wilberforce
Let’s take a few seconds and think about this: When was the last time you asked someone how they are doing, or they asked you the same, and your answer wasn’t something along the lines of, “I have been really busy!”
“As a pastor, I constantly pray and engage the people of the Village Church to keep what is “of first importance” at the center of their thinking, in both their justification and their sanctification. Over the years, I have become painfully aware that people tend to drift away from the gospel soon after their conversion and begin to try their hand at sanctification. In other words, they operate as if the gospel saves them but doesn’t play a role in sanctifying them. In the end, people become exhausted and miss out on the joy of knowing and walking with the Spirit of God. They miss out on intimacy with Jesus.”
Matt Chandler
Only at Christmas
Might we hear
Prepare Him room
And Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer
I have never posted a prayer. I am not sure if I will ever do so again….I don’t do so to in any way impress anyone… I don’t think I am impressive nor are my prayers!! Prayer that seeks to show off and impress is not really prayer at all.
But, prayer IS…. revealing. It exposes you, shows your heart, and what makes you tick. With that in mind, the below is raw and unedited….I am not trying to be grammatically correct or polished. It is just…. me sharing with you my prayer as a pastor. And so, I make myself vulnerable and invite you to read my journal and prayer to God one morning last week.
Time, where does it go? Is it just me or does time seem to move increasingly faster the older you get?!? You know the saying…. time flies when you are having fun. But, doesn’t time fly even when you aren’t having fun? Recently, I have been considering some things related to time. Challenging myself about the use of time, and considering God who created time and is beyond time.
Have you considered the stunning news of Genesis 1:27? “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said:
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
Continue reading “Silence In The Face Of Evil Is Itself Evil”