During the summer of my sophomore year of high school, God changed my life my unbelief in him to belief in him. In the first two years of high school I had been going through some hard times in my life until God used my Young Life leader, Loren Jones to lead me to Frontier Ranch. I had heard the gospel all of my life but during the week at Frontier Ranch the message of Jesus Christ dying for my sins and resurrecting from the grace on the third day made sense to me.
Most of my life I heard the gospel and who Jesus was, I did not believe in him until the end of my sophomore year of high school. In my junior year of high school, because of this car wreck I doubted who God said he was in my life. This lead to some unbelief in my life. I doubted God and his goodness in my life. I was frustrated at God at the time.
In some of the resurrection accounts, the disciples see Jesus but still do not believe. In Matthew 28:17 NIV, it says, "When they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted."The disciples saw and worshiped Jesus, yet still did not believe.
While in the account in Mark 16. After the disciples had heard and seen Jesus they still did not believe him. It says in Mark 16:12 that he appeared to two of the 12 disciples. After they had reported this to the others, the other disciples still did not believe in him. 16:13 says "These returned and reported it to the rest but they still did not believe them either."
In the resurrection account in Luke the disciples were with him in on their road to Emmaus but they still did not recognize him. The two disciples could not recognize Jesus was with them in their unbelief in Luke 24:17-24. Jesus even rebukes them in verse 25-26 saying, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart are you to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not Christ have to suffer these things and enter into his glory?" They did not believe him until verse 31 after Jesus had explained the Scriptures to them.
In John's resurrection account, Thomas doubts that Jesus was resurrected because he did not see him. In 20:25 the disciples said, "We have seen the Lord." Then in his response Thomas says, "Unless I see the nails marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side I will not believe it." A week later Jesus came back and confronted Thomas with his unbelief and let him put his hands in his side and touch the nails in side. He finally came in believe in verse 28.
As followers of Christ, we have to be quick to not doubt certain things about Jesus. Unbelief can detrimental to our future on Christ. He died on the cross for our sins to take away our sins and rose for the grave on the third day.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Coming to grips with the death the Jesus paid for us
As Easter draws near, we fellow Christ follow have to remember what Christ went through on the cross to pay the death penalty for our sins. I take for granted this amazing gift God has given us through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus died as and was punished as an innocent man. We are not innocent but sinful creatures that Jesus died on the cross for. In Mark 15:15-37, describes how the only charge against Jesus was that he was the King of the Jews and he was even mocked for this in verses 17-18. A sign was even hung on his head that said this in Mark 15:26. All he was guilty of was being who he said he was the Son of God and King of the Jews.
Jesus was our sinless sacrifice for our sins. Isaiah describes how he was beaten and broken for our sake in 53:4-6. 1 Peter 1:18-19 describes how he was to be an acceptable and spotless sacrifice for our sins. God sent his son, in his justice and mercy to take on the wrath of God to restore us to him. This is known as propitiation.
He was also a sinless man, a form of God in human flesh. He was an image of the invisible God; Colossians 1:15-16; God incarnate; Hebrews 1:1-3 and John 1:14. Humans in their sinful nature crucified him to the cross. This was to accomplish God's plan that day, Romans 5:1-6. God used the death of his Son to restore us back to relationship with him. Romans 5:8 says,"But God demonstrated his own for for love in this while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." His atoning work on the cross, restored our sinful and broken relationship back to the Father.
I have been doing an paper on atonement and studying it in systematic theology this semester. It has helped me realize the depth of my depravity from God. By looking at the various theories of atonement and doing a research paper on one, I am able to see how much Christ has atoned us our sins through his work on the cross. Atonement means at-one-ment. This means Jesus died for our sins once and for all.
Easter should be a time of rejoicing in our Savior. At times, we as Christians go through the motions on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. As believers in Christ, we need to deeply experience and remember his death on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday remember what God has done in our life by sending his Son for us and how our life has been changed through him. I hope your life is changed by this blog today.
Jesus died as and was punished as an innocent man. We are not innocent but sinful creatures that Jesus died on the cross for. In Mark 15:15-37, describes how the only charge against Jesus was that he was the King of the Jews and he was even mocked for this in verses 17-18. A sign was even hung on his head that said this in Mark 15:26. All he was guilty of was being who he said he was the Son of God and King of the Jews.
Jesus was our sinless sacrifice for our sins. Isaiah describes how he was beaten and broken for our sake in 53:4-6. 1 Peter 1:18-19 describes how he was to be an acceptable and spotless sacrifice for our sins. God sent his son, in his justice and mercy to take on the wrath of God to restore us to him. This is known as propitiation.
He was also a sinless man, a form of God in human flesh. He was an image of the invisible God; Colossians 1:15-16; God incarnate; Hebrews 1:1-3 and John 1:14. Humans in their sinful nature crucified him to the cross. This was to accomplish God's plan that day, Romans 5:1-6. God used the death of his Son to restore us back to relationship with him. Romans 5:8 says,"But God demonstrated his own for for love in this while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." His atoning work on the cross, restored our sinful and broken relationship back to the Father.
I have been doing an paper on atonement and studying it in systematic theology this semester. It has helped me realize the depth of my depravity from God. By looking at the various theories of atonement and doing a research paper on one, I am able to see how much Christ has atoned us our sins through his work on the cross. Atonement means at-one-ment. This means Jesus died for our sins once and for all.
Easter should be a time of rejoicing in our Savior. At times, we as Christians go through the motions on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. As believers in Christ, we need to deeply experience and remember his death on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday remember what God has done in our life by sending his Son for us and how our life has been changed through him. I hope your life is changed by this blog today.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Thorn in my flesh
There has been a thorn in my flesh most of my life. It revolves around these driving problems I have had that hinder me in my life. The apostle Paul describes the Thorn in the Flesh in his life.
Paul discusses this thorn in the flesh in his life in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. This thorn in the flesh was given to him to make sure he would not become arrogant or conceited, showing him his weakness and enabling him to depend on God for everything. He says in 2 Corinthians 12: 7, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpasingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." He describes this thorn in the flesh as something that will not go away. He precedes in verse 8, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me."
He then continues to describe this thorn as a hardship, weakness, that was put in place to help him depend on God and see his grace. He further describes in verse 9, "But he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Paul goes into discussion of how this weakness in him has given him the ability to depend on God. This thorn has given him the ability to trust in God's grace and made him humble.
Paul ends this discussion of his Thorn in the Flesh by describing how depending on God in this struggle has shown the power of Christ's movement within himself. In the last section of verse nine and ten the apostle says, "There I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power my rest in me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul ends this his diatribe on his Thorn in the Flesh concluding that in essence that Christ's power is made perfect in his weaknesses. This weakness has helped Paul realize how much he needs to depend on God in his grace and mercy. It has given him perspective and humbled him in how much he is nothing without his relationship with Jesus Christ. Before Christ, Paul persecuted Christians, now Paul is persecuted for the sake of Christ. Paul describes in verse ten of how Paul has come to accept this weakness for the trouble that is means in order for Christ to be shown through him even if it means that he is persecuted for the sake of Christ.
This weakness that I have has been really hard in my life. It has made me doubt God early in my walk with him in my junior year of high school. I almost gave up my faith during that time. I was mad at God and the world after this car wreck in which was my fault. God put some friends in my life to lead me back to relationship with him.
Other times, it has helped me see my need for God and how much I need him in his power. It has made me humble as well and given me perspective. This Thorn in my Flesh has been hard but it has helped me realize that God is in control and is sovereign. It helped me not to boast in myself or things of this world as Paul describes. Jesus Christ is made perfect in my weakness.
This Thorn in My Flesh has developed my prayer life as well. It has increased my ability to depend and abide in Christ at times. It has helped me realize as Paul says in verse 10, when I am weak then I am strong. God has made me realize that I can't do this life on my own. God knows everything about me, every thought I am thinking, and what I am going through because he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, who knows what he go through on a daily basis.
Another important aspect I have learned through this weakness is that I am not my own. God bought me though his Son's death on the Christ for our sins. For he chose us before the world began as it says in Ephesians 1:11, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." He is sovereign and in control of our life despite the struggles that we have to go through in order for him to conform his to his image and get to where we wan to go in life. God's plan may not always end up what I want, I just have to trust him through it all.
As this post comes to as conclusion I just want to say though this struggle has been really hard I am just trying to trust in God's goodness through it all. Though this weakness has killed me at times, looking back on my life I can see the God is sovereign in through it all. In our weakness, we are strong.
Paul discusses this thorn in the flesh in his life in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. This thorn in the flesh was given to him to make sure he would not become arrogant or conceited, showing him his weakness and enabling him to depend on God for everything. He says in 2 Corinthians 12: 7, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpasingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." He describes this thorn in the flesh as something that will not go away. He precedes in verse 8, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me."
He then continues to describe this thorn as a hardship, weakness, that was put in place to help him depend on God and see his grace. He further describes in verse 9, "But he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Paul goes into discussion of how this weakness in him has given him the ability to depend on God. This thorn has given him the ability to trust in God's grace and made him humble.
Paul ends this discussion of his Thorn in the Flesh by describing how depending on God in this struggle has shown the power of Christ's movement within himself. In the last section of verse nine and ten the apostle says, "There I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power my rest in me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul ends this his diatribe on his Thorn in the Flesh concluding that in essence that Christ's power is made perfect in his weaknesses. This weakness has helped Paul realize how much he needs to depend on God in his grace and mercy. It has given him perspective and humbled him in how much he is nothing without his relationship with Jesus Christ. Before Christ, Paul persecuted Christians, now Paul is persecuted for the sake of Christ. Paul describes in verse ten of how Paul has come to accept this weakness for the trouble that is means in order for Christ to be shown through him even if it means that he is persecuted for the sake of Christ.
This weakness that I have has been really hard in my life. It has made me doubt God early in my walk with him in my junior year of high school. I almost gave up my faith during that time. I was mad at God and the world after this car wreck in which was my fault. God put some friends in my life to lead me back to relationship with him.
Other times, it has helped me see my need for God and how much I need him in his power. It has made me humble as well and given me perspective. This Thorn in my Flesh has been hard but it has helped me realize that God is in control and is sovereign. It helped me not to boast in myself or things of this world as Paul describes. Jesus Christ is made perfect in my weakness.
This Thorn in My Flesh has developed my prayer life as well. It has increased my ability to depend and abide in Christ at times. It has helped me realize as Paul says in verse 10, when I am weak then I am strong. God has made me realize that I can't do this life on my own. God knows everything about me, every thought I am thinking, and what I am going through because he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, who knows what he go through on a daily basis.
Another important aspect I have learned through this weakness is that I am not my own. God bought me though his Son's death on the Christ for our sins. For he chose us before the world began as it says in Ephesians 1:11, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." He is sovereign and in control of our life despite the struggles that we have to go through in order for him to conform his to his image and get to where we wan to go in life. God's plan may not always end up what I want, I just have to trust him through it all.
As this post comes to as conclusion I just want to say though this struggle has been really hard I am just trying to trust in God's goodness through it all. Though this weakness has killed me at times, looking back on my life I can see the God is sovereign in through it all. In our weakness, we are strong.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Shack: Part 3: What the book teaches us about loss
In my last post about the book The Shack, the discussion will revolve around the emphasis of God not being there in the midst of tragedy and loss. This is an important topic in theology and Christian circles today. It is a topic all of us as believers deal with in regards to tragedy.
In the book, the author loses his daughter when she is abducted and murdered in a Shack in the wilderness while his him and his family were camping. He goes through this hard time in his life where he blames himself for her death. If he wouldn't not have gone after his other daughter Kate when she was in the lake then Missy may have still be alive. The main character feels guilt and pain for allowing this tragedy to happen. He then blames God for allowing this to happen.
The main character, Mack, can't believe God would allow this happen to him. In the same way, he doubts God's presence everywhere.
Mack doubts that God was with Jesus on the cross. Mack says (98), "At the cross? Now wait I thought you left him on the cross." Papa, who is personified by God, says in response to Mack's doubtful nature, "You misunderstood the mystery there. Regardless of what he felt at that moment I never left." Mack distances himself from the thought of God's presence his life.
As sinners, we fall away from our hope in Jesus Christ. We forgot the beauty of God's presence everywhere in our lives. The great thing about the God we put our hope in is that he is everywhere, if we turn to him he will welcome us into relationship with us daily.
One important thing that I was able to conceive from this book is that God is with us wherever we go in life. His presence will never leave or forsake us despite the fact that we fall away from him or the pain that is in our life. His omnipresence is not too be questioned because of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture that shows how God speaks to him daily. God is with us in the Old Testament and in the New Testament through Jesus, the Apostles, Paul, and many other believers. At times, I have lost sight of this fact in my life, during junior high of high school but God worked in that time in my life, putting friends in my life to reminds me of God's presence in my life. God helped me realize who he was in my life and I rededicated my life to him at the beginning of my senior year.
God's presence is always with us in the midst of pain and tragedy. He is faithful when we are not.
In the book, the author loses his daughter when she is abducted and murdered in a Shack in the wilderness while his him and his family were camping. He goes through this hard time in his life where he blames himself for her death. If he wouldn't not have gone after his other daughter Kate when she was in the lake then Missy may have still be alive. The main character feels guilt and pain for allowing this tragedy to happen. He then blames God for allowing this to happen.
The main character, Mack, can't believe God would allow this happen to him. In the same way, he doubts God's presence everywhere.
Mack doubts that God was with Jesus on the cross. Mack says (98), "At the cross? Now wait I thought you left him on the cross." Papa, who is personified by God, says in response to Mack's doubtful nature, "You misunderstood the mystery there. Regardless of what he felt at that moment I never left." Mack distances himself from the thought of God's presence his life.
As sinners, we fall away from our hope in Jesus Christ. We forgot the beauty of God's presence everywhere in our lives. The great thing about the God we put our hope in is that he is everywhere, if we turn to him he will welcome us into relationship with us daily.
One important thing that I was able to conceive from this book is that God is with us wherever we go in life. His presence will never leave or forsake us despite the fact that we fall away from him or the pain that is in our life. His omnipresence is not too be questioned because of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture that shows how God speaks to him daily. God is with us in the Old Testament and in the New Testament through Jesus, the Apostles, Paul, and many other believers. At times, I have lost sight of this fact in my life, during junior high of high school but God worked in that time in my life, putting friends in my life to reminds me of God's presence in my life. God helped me realize who he was in my life and I rededicated my life to him at the beginning of my senior year.
God's presence is always with us in the midst of pain and tragedy. He is faithful when we are not.
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