Resurrection

Jesus is the Solution

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” – Titus 2:11 Yesterday we talked about how a Kingdom worldview addresses the problem of sin and shame in the world. Today, I want to discuss the fourth and final question a worldview must answer (and it’s the most important of all): “What’s the solution?“ Quite simply, the cross and resurrection of Jesus are the only true answer to the problem of sin, wickedness, guilt, and shame on the earth. The grace, or favor, that comes to us because we are seen through the Father’s eyes (in the same way He sees Jesus) has the power to break chains and set us free eternally! When Jesus went to the cross, He took every sin you’ve ever committed — past, present, and future — upon Himself, and it was nailed there, never to emerge again. When He died,

November 27, 2022 No Comments

Sudden Resurrection

“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?’” – Luke 24:1-5 What an awesome truth we celebrated this past Sunday! I can’t stop thinking about it! Though the road to the cross was dark and filled with pain and His death was bloody and horrible, Jesus’ resurrection overcame it all! Naturally, when His mother and friend came to the tomb to tend to

April 20, 2022 1 Comment

The Suffering Savior

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they slapped him in the face.” – John 19:1-3 Having just celebrated Easter, the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus is fresh on our minds. There’s no better time to remember the long and painful road our Savior endured to get to the cross. After three years of difficult public ministry that were no doubt physically, emotionally and spiritually draining, He was betrayed by one of His own disciples. He was turned over to Roman authorities, who, after pressure from the zealots among His people, agreed to have Him killed. As if the sentence of death by crucifixion wasn’t horrendous enough, He was beaten to

April 19, 2022 No Comments

You Cannot Be Destroyed

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” – 2 Corinthians 5:1 One of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century is that energy can’t be destroyed. Known as the first law of thermodynamics or “The Law of Conservation of Energy,” it means that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. While I am not a scientist and don’t pretend to understand all the ramifications of this law, I do know that it speaks to and verifies the eternal nature of our lives. Since it can’t create itself, energy then, must have been created by a force outside of itself — a Creator! As Christians, we believe that the One who created both matter and energy

February 17, 2022 No Comments

Holy Healing

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” – John 12:24 Today, I’d like to share with you about the Paschal Mystery, an ancient Christian principle that we don’t often discuss, unless perhaps during Easter. In essence, to become Paschal is to become anti-fragile, and this occurs when we recognize that in our salvation, we were given the gift of redemption, not just of our souls, but also of all of our earthly circumstances. This means that whenever we are hurt, attacked, or have a dream die, if we respond in faith, fresh life will eventually emerge from the unpleasant experience. Things that die in Christ come back to life with even more strength! You were given death when you were baptized into Christ. Did you realize that?

December 2, 2021 No Comments

Dry Bones Come Back to Life

“Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” – Ezekiel 37:4-6 If you know anything about me, you know that I “geek out” over history. Thus, a while back, I listened to a guy named Donovan Webster on a podcast he hosts called “Hardcore History.” In this particular episode, he talked about taking a bunch of trains and buses to get to a remote farmer’s field in the southern part of Russia. It just so happens that

July 21, 2021 No Comments

A Visionless Church

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” – Colossians 2:8 Yesterday, I told you about my uber-religious elementary school teacher who instilled major fear in me and my fellow classmates. By reinforcing the idea that we should live with constant anxiety about going to hell so that we continually confess our sins, she introduced a toxic theology that was focused exclusively on what you can’t do. Unfortunately, she was not alone in her dogmatic and fear-based beliefs — such thinking has pervaded many sectors of the church for generations. The major problem with this kind of dogma is that it stifles our souls. When we’re constantly fixated on giving things up without having a greater reason, we become joyless and lackluster. If we need proof of

June 10, 2021 No Comments

A Shoot From a Stump

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” – Isaiah 11:1-3 Isaiah is an Old Testament prophecy about the destruction of Israel. Even though God took His people out of darkness and set them apart to be an oasis of truth in a brutal and harsh world, they were often too weak to stand alone. As is common for humans, they were influenced by the secular culture around them and succumbed again and again to its idolatry and paganism. Though the Lord was repeatedly merciful to His people, His anger burned, and He ultimately allowed them to be

February 27, 2021 2 Comments

“Because He Lives”: Life is Worth the Living

Dawning the Hour of Power stage last Easter, Marla Kavanaugh graced us with her operatic vocals a beautiful rendition of “Because He Lives,” accompanied by Dr. Marc Riley and the Hour of Power Orchestra. While this song perfect compliments the Easter season, it can be encouraging all year round. It was written by Gloria and William J. Gather in 1971, during a time of societal distress, when negative headlines of assassination and war clogged the media and the minds of all who read them. During this time, Gloria and William were expecting their third child. It was because of this miracle they were able to clear a path within their troubled minds to write the clarifying lyrics: How sweet to hold our newborn baby, And feel the pride, and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance, This child can face uncertain day because He lives The assurance that

February 1, 2018 No Comments

Jesus is the Solution

Sudden Resurrection

The Suffering Savior

You Cannot Be Destroyed

Holy Healing

Dry Bones Come Back to Life

A Visionless Church

A Shoot From a Stump

“Because He Lives”: Life is Worth the Living

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