The Cross‏

Hello Friends!

What sets Christianity apart from every other belief system or religion? For more than 2,000 years, the facts about Jesus Christ of Nazareth have been proclaimed on every continent and to people from every walk of life. When someone considers the Christian message, what exactly are they accepting or rejecting? Let's explore this eternally important subject... 

The Cross

The Cross - the instrument of torture upon which Jesus died - is the most well-known symbol of Christianity. What could possibly explain a two millennia-long fixation on something so horrible? One clue is found in Jesus' final words in which He uttered as He died - "It is finished." (John 19:30). That victorious declaration, spoken in the midst of what looked like humiliating defeat, tells us Jesus saw these events as an accomplishment. But how could a tragic end to Jesus' amazing teaching and miracle-working ministry be an accomplishment?

Jesus taught that He came to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10) and "to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). On the Cross, a divine transaction took place. It was His life for ours - a ransom paid to buy us back from our lost and sinful condition. That's why the day Jesus died is called "Good Friday," not "Tragic Friday." Jesus' death on the Cross completed the work God gave Him to do, because His mission was not just to teach us but to die for us. All that is left for us to do is to personally accept that wonderful gift for ourselves. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

As grand as the accomplishment on the Cross was, the story doesn't end there. On the third day, the stone that covered the tomb was rolled away and Jesus came back from the dead. He was alive, never to die again. "He is not here," said the angel in Luke 24:6 to the startled disciples looking for Him at the tomb. The Resurrection declared Jesus as Victor over death - humanity's most unsolvable problem. By rising, He showed that even death was no match to His power! Without the Resurrection, Jesus' life was unique but His end was just like every other human who has ever walked the earth. Faith in Him under those circumstances would be foolish - a criticism understood by both Christianity's adherents and detractors. "If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile," wrote the Apostle Paul just a few decades after this event (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Yet if, in fact, the Resurrection did occur, Jesus' life and mission become the most powerful events this world has ever seen. Therefore, faith in Him makes sense. And if we fail to trust in Him - in light of what He did for us - disbelief seems foolish. The Resurrection assures us that power beyond human comprehension is available to the followers of Jesus Christ. Everything changes when we visit the foot of the Cross and stare in wonder at the open doorway to the tomb.

And there's more! The power of the resurrected Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit. After His resurrection, Jesus told His followers that the same Holy Spirit who showed up at His baptism in the form of a dove would be in them. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8). God's desire was for every Christian to have access to His personal presence and power. At Pentecost, 50 days after His resurrection, that's what happened.

What doe this powerful Person do in our lives? Jesus was clear: the Holy Spirit comes on us so we can be His witnesses by being like Him. The character and power Jesus had, we can have. His Spirit produces fruit in us, and the Apostle Paul describes exactly what that looks like: "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, the Christian life. These characteristics demonstrate that God is at work in Jesus' followers. And when His power produces these qualities in us, the natural result is that non-Christians sit up and take notice. If the fruit of the Spirit is the Christian life, the fruit of the Christian life is more Christians.

The Cross, the Resurrection and the Holy Spirit. These set Christianity apart from every religion. Take any one away and you don't have the whole story. Embrace them all and your life will never be the same. What you do with Jesus determines what Jesus will do with you.

 

We are not guaranteed tomorrow - tomorrow may be too late!  If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late?

Today is the day of Salvation!  

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

What is Truth?‏

Hello Friends!

Truth. "What is truth?" This question was asked of Jesus Christ by Pilate as Jesus stood before him just hours before He would die on the cross in Jerusalem...

What is truth?

Jesus had answered Pilate's question a few hours before His appearance in the Judgment Hall. Pilate actually questioned Jesus on a number of issues (John 18:28-38).

The first question directed at Jesus was, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33). Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world, or His servants would have fought to keep the Jews from crucifying Him. Pilate's response was another question. "Art thou a king then?" Jesus then told Pilate that He was born to be a King. That was the reason that He came into this world. As a King, Jesus was to bear witness of the truth.

This statement brought out several other questions from Pilate, "What is Truth?" However, this time Pilate did not wait for an answer and Jesus never responded. This was because He had basically already done so. Jesus had said that He was bearing witness of the Truth, and therefore what He had been saying is Truth.

It was earlier in the evening, in the Upper Room with His disciples, that He had revealed to them that He was the Truth (John 14:6). In that Upper Room, John the Apostle was one of those who heard Jesus' claim to be the Truth. John had been traveling with and learning from Jesus for over 3 years at this time. John knew that indeed Jesus was the Truth. It was that Truth that Jesus bore witness of that all who would come to Him; He would take to be with the Father.

Despite his many faults and failures, John would go from Passion Week to establish a number of churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3). It was his ministry of teaching the truth about Jesus Christ that was such a personal blessing to John. But John's greatest joy was to see and hear of those he had ministered to that were "walking in the truth" (III John 4).

In these Last Days men will pervert the truth. They will have difficulty telling the truth because they do not have Him who is the Truth. The Truth therefore is a "Who" not a "what." False teaching and deception will get so intense that The Truth Himself will return to make everything right. Until that time, we must spread the Truth, walk in the Truth, and teach others the Truth. And like John, this will give us great joy!

Thank you Lord for the Truth that sets me free! Help me to spread the Truth to others.

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

God's Gospel

Hello Friends!

 

What is the Gospel? Gospel means Good News. Have you heard it? Do you understand it? Do you believe it? If you were to die today, are you ready? If the Lord returns today, are you ready? Heaven or Hell? Do you care? Does it really matter to you? Why am I asking you all of these questions? Because I care about you and your eternal soul!

In a world of sin and suffering, we each desperately need God’s Good News. For people to believe the Gospel, they must not only hear the story itself, they must also understand its meaning. Not only must people hear that Christ died and rose again - these brute facts of history do not yet bring us to the heart of the message - they must also be confronted with the why of His death and resurrection. They must understand that God acted in Christ on their behalf.

The Apostles in the New Testament and the true Biblical evangelists of today never merely retell the details of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. They always share the story in the context of its meaning: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). This is an essential part of the good news. 

But before we can understand the Gospel (good news), we must understand the bad news…

God's Gospel

In the beginning God created everything very good (Genesis 1). The Lord placed man in a garden paradise (Genesis 2). However man was given a free will and a choice (Genesis 2:16-17). Though mankind lived in a perfect environment, he chose to rebel against His Creator (Genesis 3). As God warned Adam, sin resulted in suffering and death. The curse described in Genesis affected all creation, and today we see the horrible results (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:20-22).

Scripture also explains that, like Adam, we have all "sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). To see if this applies to you, please review God’s Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Have you ever told a lie? One lie makes us a liar in God’s eyes. Jesus explained that lust was equivalent to adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). Have you ever had lustful thoughts? Scripture explains, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer ” (1 John 3:15). Have you ever despised another person? The Lord even warned: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Have you ever gossiped or spoken foolishly?

Whether our sin is envy, greed, pride - which was Lucifer’s sin - (Isaiah 14:12-15; 1 Timothy 3:6). or using God’s name lightly – we must admit that we are all guilty of sinning against our Creator. The Bible explains that the penalty for any sin is death – both physical death and spiritual death – which is eternal separation from God (Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23). The final destiny for those who spurn their Creator is the lake of fire, which is the second death: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

However, there is Good News! Before time began God had a plan to rescue mankind (1 Peter 1:20). Because the penalty for sin is death, the Creator came to earth as the God-man, Jesus Christ, (Matthew 1:23) lived a sinless life, (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5) and died to pay the penalty for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; Romans 6:10; Hebrews 10:10). He then rose from the dead – defeating death – and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who will trust Him (Matthew 28:6-7; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Romans 10:9).

Scripture states that God is love (1 John 4:8). And while we were yet sinners, He demonstrated His own love toward us by stepping down from heaven to offer His life so that we might be reconciled to Him forever (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ is the Creator (John 1; Colossians 1; Hebrews 1). On the cross He bore our sins and then rose for our justification (Isaiah 53; Romans 4:25). The Lord now offers everlasting life to all who will repent from their sins and trust in Him personally (John 3:36)

By placing your faith in Jesus Christ you can enter into a relationship with the Creator of the universe that will last forever! This is His free gift and His desire for you (Romans 5:15-18).

God our Savior “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). But remember, because God is completely just and holy, (Leviticus 19:2; Psalm 37:28) every sin will meet with a just punishment (Matthew 10:26; Revelation 20:12). Therefore, only Jesus – who alone is perfect and righteous, who alone died for our sins, who alone rose from the dead – can save you (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21). If you neglect God’s great salvation, the consequences are eternal. Scripture warns “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). God will pour out His “indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil” (Romans 2:8-9).

Therefore, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15). Instead, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) If you do, you will live in Heaven with our awesome Creator forever!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Morality: Relativism vs. Absolutes‏

Hello Friends!

The confusion about moral relativism and moral absolutes in our American culture is quite widespread. One hundred years ago there would have been no debate - even among the majority of the secularists. This is because our society had been raised to believe in absolute standards of morality. Sadly, this is certainly not the case today...

Morality: Relativism vs. Absolutes

Since the 1960's, the standard of morality in our culture has become increasingly standard-less. The hippie generation cried, "If it feels good, do it" and "Do your own thing" - and we certainly have. Today the educational community, made up of largely 45 to 65 year-old hippie generation thinkers, has consistently taught our children that right and wrong are in the mind of the beholder. In other words, what ever a person thinks is right and what ever a person thinks is wrong is their own business an there is no such thing as absolute or unchangeable standards for morality. Bible believers know much better. I contend that the shift away from absolutes to a relativistic moral view is primarily due to the widespread abandoning of Biblical principles held everywhere around us. It should be noted that this is the same value system employed by pagans, witches and New Age religious groups. Their mantra has been "since each person is a law unto himself, no one has the right to impose his ideas about morality on another." This is sad indeed.

History has shown that any society that rejects morality is destined for destruction. Regardless of America's great achievements, it will be no different for our nation - unless we decide to change. Our responsibility as Christian is to "Train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). We may not be able to affect society in such a way that the culture would revert back to and embrace moral standards from a bygone era. In fact, we have gone too far down the relativistic path and that is just not going to happen. However, we are to try to influence every person possible, and pray that they might individually institute change. Above all, we are accountable to God for the moral, ethical and spiritual standards that we impart to our young - the next generation.

Hollywood and the entertainment industry in our society has become an absolute abomination to the Lord - anything goes and nothing is off limits. The occult is running roughshod throughout the American landscape. 

Our standards and rejection of immorality are very important to God, as is evident below in the study notes for Romans 1:32, which appear in The Full Life Study Bible. The following words written by its editor, the late Donald C. Stamps, powerfully remind us that, for both our benefit and that of those around us, there can be no silence concerning evil and no agreement with it in our midst.

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. - Romans 1:32 (KJV)

"'Have pleasure in them that do them.' Paul's last word on human sinfulness is God's condemnation of a condition even more damning than the practice itself, i.e., supporting and encouraging evil by taking pleasure in the immoral actions of others. This disposition is the ultimate in depravity - vicarious enjoyment of lust and evil. Sin becomes entertainment.

"Being entertained by watching other people sin and engage in ungodly actions, even while you yourself abstain, brings you under the same divine condemnation as those engaging in such evil practices. Sin is intensified in any society wherever it meets with no inhibition from the disapproval of others.

"Those (and especially those who profess faith in Christ) who use the immoral actions of others for entertainment and enjoyment are directly contributing to public opinion favorable to immorality and therefore to the corruption and eternal damnation of an indefinite number of people." - The Full Life Study Bible

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)