'Jesus' Tagged Posts
Three Intercessors
The Christian life by its very nature is dependent on other people. This is especially true when it comes to prayer. Every Christian has three people interceding for them: JesusOur Lord Jesus finished His work on earth when He ascended to heaven. But He continues His work in heaven by “interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). Holy SpiritAccording to Paul, the Spirit “intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). The question may be asked: how is…
A Discipleship Lesson for Every Christian
During Jesus’ short three-year ministry on earth, He taught us much on how to minister to others. One of the important ministry lessons Jesus taught (which we need to be reminded of again and again!) and borrowing the words of one pastor, is this: “Don’t let what God wants you to do get in the way of who God wants you to be.” This simple truth is so profound and helpful. In a real way, God is more concerned about…
What Does Chalcedon Have To Do With Christmas?
Chalcedon is a city in Turkey that was the sight of the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451. The Council of Chalcedon produced the Chalcedonian Definition which explains the incarnation of Christ. The Chalcedonian Definition says that Jesus Christ was one person in two natures—fully human and fully divine. This means that . . . At the moment of incarnation, Christ was fully man and fully God, being fully God from eternity. In the incarnation, Christ not only assumed flesh,…
What Is Christmas About?
What is Christmas about? Christmas is about the incarnation of the glory of God. Allow me to unpack this. What is the glory of God? The glory of God is the display of all that he is. Each of God’s attributes (e.g., holiness, goodness, justice, etc.) tell us what God is like; they tell us about who he is. The glory of God is the display of his attributes, of all that he is. To use an imperfect analogy, on…
What If the Resurrection Never Happened?
Easter has come and gone. So why post a blog about Easter? The simple reason is because the resurrection is not a holiday to celebrate once a year; the resurrection matters every day of the year. I know this because of what would be true about us if the resurrection never happened. If Christ were not raised, three devastating realities would be true about us: We would be liars. If Christ were not raised, “we are then found to be…
What is the Bible About?
I am convinced that many Christians functionally read their Bible as if it is about them. For example, the temptation of Jesus by the devil in the wilderness is a well-known event. What many Christians do (I have done this in the past) is they read Matt 4:1-11 and ask the question, “How does this passage apply to me?” What they take away many times is this: Jesus memorized the Scriptures; during his hour of temptation he quoted Scripture to…
I Love Jesus But Hate the Church
Susan, a professing Christian, began her Facebook comments with a curse on all pastors and churches. One of Susan’s friends on Facebook asked her in response: “Do you hate churches and pastors?” Susan responded, “Yep.” Her friend then asked a very insightful question: “Then I guess that means you hate Paul and Peter and Jesus too.” Susan proclaims: “Oh no not them, just all the ones around today,” Then she adds, “Jesus and I are doing great.” I remembered this…