The Holy Spirit is anything but a silent guest. When He is present, things are different. It was the Holy Spirit that convicted the hearts of about three thousand people when Peter preached his first sermon at Pentecost. Those whose hearts were changed devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and joining in their fellowship. When the ... [Continue Reading]
Do you really love me? (John 20-21)
That question must have just been devastating to Peter when Jesus asked it. Only a few days earlier Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times! And that came after a promise was made by Peter to Jesus to never leave His side. Now Peter was confronted by the One he had followed for three years: do you love me? Of course Peter loved Jesus. ... [Continue Reading]
The Master ‘ s Master Plan (Luke 24)
As Jesus prepares to send out His followers He lets them in on the "Master Plan": they are to spread the word of what they've seen to all nations. That seems like a pretty lofty request to a ragtag group of fishermen and tax collectors. How would they be able to accomplish such an enormous task? Pause on that thought for a second. ... [Continue Reading]
How did Mark really end his book? (Mark 16)
Believe it or not, there is actually some debate about how Mark really concluded his Gospel account. When the Bible was originally assembled (truly it is more like a library of many books than a single book on its own) Mark 16:9-20 were included. Since that time older manuscripts have arisen that do not include those verses, which is why every Bible printed ... [Continue Reading]
Go quickly (Matthew 28)
There was an urgency behind the message that the angels gave to the two Marys as they found Jesus' tomb quite empty: go quickly. They had just been told that Jesus was, indeed, alive and that they must share this good news with the disciples. The women followed the command for we read that they "departed quickly" to go tell the others. ... [Continue Reading]
Better late than never (Luke 23)
We can assume that the thieves on both sides of Jesus were hardened criminals - after all, crucifixions were reserved for the worst of the worst. I think that's why reading of the thief who cried out to Jesus for help both touches us and frustrates us. The same is true when we hear about the Ted Bundy story: a serial murderer who received the death ... [Continue Reading]
Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? (John 18-19)
When Jesus was brought before Pilate He stated that "everyone who is of the truth listens to [His] voice," (John 18:37). That bold claim led CS Lewis in Mere Christianity to remark that Jesus could only have been one of three things: a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. After all, Jesus was before Pilate, the man who could get Him out of the death ... [Continue Reading]
The one set free (Mark 15)
It just doesn't seem right that Jesus, the innocent religious leader, was sentenced to death while Barabbas, the notorious criminal, was released as a free man. Where was the justice? How could this be? Doesn't your stomach just churn when you read those words of the people demanding that Barabbas should be set free? I cringe at that ... [Continue Reading]
A death like no other (Matthew 27)
Jesus' death could never be characterized as routine or uneventful. Not only were the events surrounding it abnormal, but the way He died was unusual, too. He was offered wine with gall (a probably narcotic for easing the pain) but refused to partake of it because He wanted to fully accept the death that we deserve. When Jesus offered up His spirit ... [Continue Reading]
Unity (John 17)
It's interesting that Jesus spends so much time praying for unity among His followers; perhaps He knew that Christians would tend to magnify their differences rather than their similarities. After all, how did we get so many different denominations in the modern Church? People saw things differently and broke off to start a new group. Certainly ... [Continue Reading]
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