The Real Christ: Reevaluating How We See Jesus, According to Scripture (1920, 2020, audiobook) by Reuben A. Torrey, Book Review

Any book by the late R. A. Torrey is worth reading and listening to. Like Charles Spurgeon said about John Bunyan, "His blood is Bibline," meaning to say read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. In this book, Mr. Torrey desires to portray the real Christ, the Christ of actual fact, in all of His many characteristics and complete love, holiness, zeal, and glory. That portrait is from God’s own Word, the Bible. My favorite chapter is Chapter 8: His Manliness. Here are some quotes that I would like to highlight:

"While Christ was more gentle than the gentlest mother, He was at the same time the strongest and most vigorous of all the sons of men."

"To be a true follower of Jesus, one must be a fearless fighter as well as a gentle comforter."

"Remember, meekness is not weakness, and humility is not servility."

"The manliness of our Lord Jesus was manifested in His unhesitating acceptance of torture and agony in order to save others from suffering and ruin, rather than yielding one iota of the truth. Our Lord Jesus could have escaped the cross if He had been willing to compromise with the religious rulers of the day who oppressed the masses. Yes, He could have escaped easily, but He would not. He pursued the path of absolute allegiance to God and His truth though the cross loomed black and threatening in the path. He did not deviate one step in order to avoid the cross."

Chapters on His Holiness and His Prayerfulness are also very good - and challenging. As I said earlier, any book by R. A. Torrey is worth reading and listening to. You can read the PDF updated version online and listen to the audiobook on YouTube by Aneko Press HERE: https://anekopress.com/product/the-real-christ/ 

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheRealChrist #ReubenATorrey #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Total Commitment to Christ: What Is It? (Updated Edition, 2020) by A.W. Tozer, Book Review

 Total Commitment to Christ: What Is It? (Updated Edition, 2020) by A.W. Tozer

When I was having a crisis of faith a few years ago, I pressure myself to make one of the most important decisions in my life: If Jesus Christ and Christianity are false, I must leave everything that I believe and quit as a full-time worker (with my skills and talents, I can fairly earn more money!); but if He is truly God, Lord, and Saviour, then, I must give up everything, commit and follow Him and preach the Word for the rest of my earthly life (with humility, I will be His joyful-slave). I read lots of books on Christianity, against Christianity, other religions, atheism and - the Bible - and pray with even little faith that I have at that time and sometimes with zero feelings. To cut the story short, after about 4-6 months (I'm not sure exactly when the doubt appears) of struggling, the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, increases my faith even more than before. Somehow, without God-speaks-to-me-audibly, the joy of knowing Christ is flooding in my heart as I read the Gospel of Matthew. There and then, with no moon-splitting miracle but perhaps what I perceived as the work of the Holy Spirit's illumination and assurance, only by grace, I returned home to Him. In fact, He already runs toward me and is ready to embrace me. While I was "still a long way off, [The Father] saw [me] and was filled with compassion for [me]; he ran to [me], threw his arms around [me] and kissed [me]" (Luke 15:20, bracket mine]. I was lost and now was found. So, when I saw the title of this book on YouTube - Total Commitment to Christ - I immediately found and read the ebook and listened to the audiobook. This book (or booklet, to be exact) is a good reminder of why I'm called to commit and follow Christ until today. I recommend this book to you, for, what's the use of being a nominal, passionless and powerless Christian? We are either cold or hot, no in-between! A.W. Tozer, who is called a 20th-century prophet (not the kind of OT or NT prophet, but his writings were deemed as 'prophetic.' I think we should avoid the charismatic idea of a prophet altogether): "Christ is preeminent. He is above all things, underneath all things, outside of all things, and inside of all things. As the old bishop said, 'He is above all things, but not pushed up; He is beneath all things, holding it all up; He is outside all things, embracing it all; and He is inside all things, filling it all.' Our relation to Him is all that really matters. A true Christian faith is an attachment – a devotion – to the person of Christ. The attachment of the individual person to Jesus Christ is intellectual, volitional, exclusive, and irrevocable." Are you committed to Christ? Take up your cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24) #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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#1Book1Week June 2020

This year I have the surge and desire to reread Christian books :) And what great books they are! Here are my #1Book1Week book lists for June 2020 (to see Jan-May listings, go to https://instagram.com/legasi.tv/):

1) The Cross: Crucified with Christ and Christ Alive In Me (this version, 2019) by J. C. Ryle. Ryle, an English Anglican Bishop, is a wise man of old. I love his expository thoughts on the Gospels. This book used by God to save me from the burden of my sins. So timely and richly Word-centred. "As the sun gazed upon makes everything else look dark and dim," writes Ryle, "so does the cross darken the false splendor of this world." True!

2) Jesus, A Visual History: The Dramatic Story of the Messiah in the Holy Land (2014) by Donald L. Blake Sr. Very scholarly and yet fun to read - a combination (seem rare nowadays) that excites me to explore the topic. This book reminded me of another similar book with colorful pictures, graphics, historical titbits, and Scripture explanations by Stephen Miller's The Jesus of the Bible. I recommend both!

3) The Coming Chinese Church: How Rising Faith In China Is Spilling Over Its Boundaries (2013) by Paul Golf. In the past, the West send missionaries who were willing to sacrifice themselves (even die) to preach the Gospel to the Chinese people. The minorities that become Christians were being persecuted, and just like in the Book of Acts, they strive and prosper during hardship. As they grew in numbers, God moved their hearts to bless other nations, too, by sending missionaries to preach the Gospel back to the West and the rest of the world. They do this to honor their spiritual heritage and driven by the vision that God has called them to, namely, Back to Jerusalem.

4) The Disease of the Health & Wealth Gospels (2006) by Gordon D. Fee. These so-called 'Gospels' or 'Christian' teachings are prevalent and damaging in the Church today. I appreciate this book because of its fair treatment of these controversial themes, and it is based on solid exegesis of the Scripture. Mr. Fee is known for his co-author book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth... and true to its title, it is worth reading it.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeader #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #TheCrossOfChrist #ChineseRevival #JesusTheMessiah #HealthAndWealthFalseGospels

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One of the Best-Selling Books of All-Time, Pray Faith Love (Colossians 1:3-4)

“We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people…”
(Colossians 1:3-4, NLT)

PRAY. So many of our prayers are just “Give me, help me, bless me.” Here Paul and his protegee, Timothy, write to the Colossian Christians, “We always pray for you...” And what was the essence of their prayer? Thanksgiving, praising God. Other-centeredness. The focus of their prayer is to God and for “God’s people.” Notice this one word: “always.” Someone said to me, “Honestly, I don’t have any joy in reading the Bible and praying.” Well, we don’t quit taking shower just because we don’t feel joy in doing it. We need it just the same. This is my advice, “When you don’t feel like reading or praying, that’s the time to read and pray!” We need it just the same. Always. “We always pray for you.”

FAITH. “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus…” Wonderful! This is what I always said to my students: the difference between Christian faith and other religion is that our faith is “in” Lord Jesus, the God-Man. I believe having faith in yourself in a healthy dose is good. But in terms of salvation, faith in Jesus is the ONLY way. It’s not faith in ourselves or in some religious deeds or ‘just’ faith that saved us but in the One who “purchased our freedom [with his blood] and forgave our sins” (1:14). Believe very hard and be very sincere also won’t do. We can be sincerely wrong. Once I argued with my friend that he doesn’t come for our appointment. I was about to prove him wrong but when I checked my calendar, I was one day early! I was sincere… but sincerely wrong… So, it’s not about mere faith in a higher power but in The Living One, Jesus Christ.

LOVE. “…and your love for all of God’s people…” or saints. Earlier, Paul writes, “May God our Father give you grace and peace” (1:2) and even there is no mention of God’s love for us in this verse, obviously, He does! If the Father loves us, so does the Son, Jesus Christ (inseparable, see 1:3). And the highest expression, example, and display of God’s love is “the cross” (1:20). Loving God is, therefore, the only reasonable response that we should have. So, what’s the connection? “Now I am giving you a new commandment,” said Jesus, “love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34). There is a connection here: If someone lacks fellowship with God, he or she will find it difficult to really love God’s people; and if someone does not love God’s people, he or she could not love God very much either.

Way before Elizabeth Gilbert wrote her bestseller book, Eat Pray Love (2006), the Apostle Paul already wrote, Pray Faith Love (around AD 60-61). Pray always, have faith in Jesus, and love God’s people. Amen!

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Two Wonderful Words In One Sentence! (Colossians 1:2)

“May God our Father give you grace and peace” (Colossians 1:2b, NLT)

God’s grace and God’s peace. Two wonderful words in one sentence! What is God’s grace? It is God’s love for the undeserving. By grace, He has called guilty sinners and made them into saints (see Colossians 1:2a). Such grace as this can only be appreciated when we take a good look into the mirror of God’s holiness and realize how absolutely undeserving any human being - you and I, especially - is to be chosen of God. Also, God’s grace is free. But it is free only because our Lord Jesus Christ has borne the cost of our sins and guilt on the cross.

Last year, I read a wonderful book by Philip Yancey entitled What’s So Amazing About Grace? I underlined a few sentences on page 70. This is what Yancey wrote, “Grace makes its appearance in so many forms that I have trouble defining it. I am ready, though, to attempt something like a definition of grace in relation to God. Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God loves us more - no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no amount of knowledge gained from seminaries and divinity schools, no amount of crusading on behalf of righteous causes. And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less - no amount of racism or pride or pornography or adultery or even murder. Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.” Now, let me warn us: don’t misuse God’s grace. Only after you look into the mirror of God’s holiness and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, then, you can fully appreciate what Yancey is describing here.

With grace comes God’s peace. Peace with God is salvation but the peace of God is experienced. Both are the result of God’s grace. Paul writes in Romans 5:1-2, “[Therefore] since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into the place of undeserved privilege where we are now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Once we have peace with God, then we experience the peace of God. That means we can rest and trust in Him in and with all things. I said to my friend one morning, “I don’t want to die early. I’m curious how I will die, Lord, have mercy! But I’m not afraid to die.” Call it supernatural faith… call it the peace of God!

Thank you Father for Your grace and peace that you gave to the saints “in Christ” (Colossians 1:2a). Amen.

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Young Men and Women, Christ Is The Centre of Everything

"Remember always, as the centre of everything, Jesus Christ…"

(2 Timothy 2:8, Philips)

As Paul advice the young Timothy on how to be a faithful minister, he injects this powerful exhortation: Remember always, as the centre of everything, Jesus Christ. Only when Timothy keeps this in his mind and heart he will be able to keep his priorities right. We, too, do well to observe it. The risen Christ is the centre of everything for Christianity is – Christ.

He is central in history, for in a very real sense history is His Story. Time is divided by His birth (BC = Before Christ; AD = Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord). The course of world history has been defined by His presence on earth. If Christ is omitted, history does not make sense. Nations may ignore Him, but He controls the destiny and sways the future of them all. Ernest Renan wrote, "All history is incomprehensible without Christ"; Kenneth Scot Latourette declared, "Gauged by the consequences that have followed, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus have been the most important events in the history of mankind"; and Charles H. Spurgeon observed, "Christ is the great central fact in the world's history. To Him, everything looks forward or backward. All the lines of history converge upon Him."

Now, who can deny that He is central in art? Visit the famous art galleries of the world and note the subject of the greatest paintings. In literature, He occupies the central role and subject. The greatest masterpieces of music found their inspiration in Him. In architecture, no structures combine such symmetry, beauty, and grandeur as the buildings created for His worship.

He is the centre of the human race. In His alone do we find ideal humanity. He revealed in terms of human life the full perfections of Deity. In many places, Scripture introduces Him as the central figure. We see Him in the midst of the teachers, the experts in religious instruction, to learn of His Father's world purpose (read Luke 2:46-47). He is seen in the midst of sinners, bringing salvation (read John 19:18). He died as a criminal and He was in the central cross.

He appears in the midst of the churches, Revelations 1:13 says, "And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man…" Having triumphed over death, He now judges over the work and witness of His Church. Our final glimpse of Him is in the midst of the throne in heaven. "I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne…" (Revelations 5:6). Oh, what gladness and joy to see Jesus Christ reigning and being worship by the whole redeemed creation! He occupying the central theme of the universe! Wow!

Surely this must be the climax. But no, there is something more wonderful. Jesus Christ is in the midst of us all. He said, "For where two or three gather together as my followers (or gather together in my name), I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20). Christ is the centre of everything!

Remember always, as the centre of everything, Jesus Christ.

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Young Men and Women, Consider the Love of Jesus

“[The] love of Christ… this love that surpasses knowledge”
(Ephesians 3:18-19, NIV)

Love expresses itself in a seemingly contradictory way. Parental love expresses itself in a wholesome and loving discipline, not in the indulgence of a child’s every whim. But not every child appreciates this expression of love. It is the same with the Lord’s children. In the gospels, three expressions of Christ’s love are recorded for our instruction. In each case it is stated that the Lord loved the person involved.

We learn first that Christ’s love corrects the one whom He loves. Speaking of the young ruler, Mark says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (10:21). And what did His love move Him to do? Jesus saw that the young man had many attractive qualities, but he lacked the greatest essential. He discerned the fatal flaw in the life of the ruler and dealt faithfully with him about it. The young man clinging to his great possessions, he sacrificed the greatest Possession. So will our divine Lord put His unerring finger on our fatal flaw, the thing that will rob us of His highest blessings? Shall we ask him to show us what that thing is?

Next we see that Christ’s love allows suffering by His loved ones. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Jesus spent more time in their home than in any other. Was He soft and indulgent with this favoured family? No, He was not. He did not intervene to prevent Lazarus from dying. He did not spare the sisters the heartbreak of seeing him slowly slip away. Rather, He waited two days before responding to their appeal for help. Did He not care? He cared so much that He permitted their suffering.

And what was His purpose? “So that you may believe” (John 11:15). The cultivation of faith was the object of the discipline. After their trail, they had an immeasurably greater Lord, and their suffering has been used to impart comfort and insight to succeeding generations of believers.

Last, Christ’s love cleanses us. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end… [He] began to wash his disciples’ feet” (John 13:1, 5). At that moment, He was on His way to cleanse their defiled souls with His blood, but He paused to give a matchless demonstration of the humility of love. No task is too menial for love. Jesus washed their feet with water, and then with blood from the basin of the cross.

[Edited, modified and modernized from Consider Him (1976) by J. Oswald Sanders]

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Young Men, Consider the Crucified Jesus

“They crucified him” (John 19:18, NIV).

Jesus Christ was unique in His death as in His birth. In a perceptive and picturesque statement of a great truth, Martin Niemoller said, “The cradle and the cross of Christ were hewn from the same tree.” The incarnation was sole with a view of the crucifixion.

Our Lord’s death was unique in that it was the only death that fulfilled the millennia of prophecy. The sufferings and death of the Messiah were not only foreshadowed in meticulous detail in the Jewish sacrificial system, but they were foretold by the prophets. It has been stated that even in His tragic hours on the cross, thirty-three separate Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled.

He was the only person to whom death was not inevitable. “I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:17-18). To Him, death was deliberately chosen. He “gave himself for us,” wrote Paul to Titus (2:14). He was not dragged to the cross but drawn by quenchless love.

To Him alone, death was not a result of sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23); but as He did no sin, He did not need to collect its wages. This left Him perfectly free to assume the burden and guilt of the world’s sin and to provide deliverance from its bondage.

His was the only death accompanied by miracles. It was appropriate that a life replete with miracles should conclude with a series of miracles. There was the mysterious darkness which was no eclipse since the moon was then at its farthest from the sun. And it lasted not for a few minutes but for three hours.

There was the miraculous rending of the curtain veil, sixty feet long and thirty feet wide, requiring three hundred men to handle it. “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). A mighty earthquake accompanied His death. Rocks were split, and graves opened. “The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life… and appeared to many people” (27:52-53), conclusive evidence of His power over death.

Finally, His was the only death that made possible the forgiveness of sins – and experience to which myriads can testify.

When Thou didst hang upon the tree

The quaking earth acknowledged Thee

When Thou didst there yield up Thy breath

The world grew dark as shades of death

(Author unknown).

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Young Men, Consider the Head of Jesus

“On his head are many crowns”
(Revelation 19:12, NIV)

The head is the control tower of the body. From it, impulses and messages are transmitted to the farthest limb. It is the dominant part of the body. Our Lord’s head is mentioned several times in Scriptures, sometimes in its humiliation, sometimes in its exaltation.

He was a homeless head. “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). In these graphic words, Jesus indicated His rejection by His people. There was no bed for Him in the inn. Many were the night His head never touched a pillow. During His ministry, He had no home and was dependent on the hospitality of others.

But it was also an anointed head. In the extravagance of her love, Mary broke the priceless box of the fragrant anointing oil and poured it over His head (see Mark 14:3). Her act of love was to Him a green oasis in the dreary desert of rejection, a refreshing drought on the desolate road to the cross. Not everyone rejected Him.

His head was callously struck by His tormentors. “[They] twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head… They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again” (Matthew 27:29-30). The staff, mock royal scepter, was used to bruise and degrade the head of the Son of God. “He was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). And those who struck Him were representative of us all.

His head was crowned in mockery (see Matthew 27:29). Thorns, a symbol of curse, adorned the brow of the Lord of glory, every thorn a point of fire.

“Is their diadem, as monarch,

That His brow adorns?

Yea, a crown, in very surety,

But of thorns”

(Author unknown)

“He bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). All through the ghastly ordeal of crucifixion, His head had remained erect. The curse broke His heart but did not bow His head. Now His work was finished.

Again we see His head in dazzling majesty. “His head was white like wool, as white as snow” (Revelation 1:14). It is again erect and radiant. Never again will He bow it before His creations. In His hand, there is no longer a mocking staff, but the scepter of universal dominion.

Our final view of His head is crowned with many crowns (Revelation 19:12). He is crowned with glory and honor, the reward of His obedience unto death.

[Edited, modified and modernized from considering Him (1976) by J. Oswald Sanders]

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Jesus' Success Principle: The Way to Up is Down (Mark 8:31-38)

“[After Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus] then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns’”
(Mark 8:31-33, NIV, bracket mine).

Jesus, the Son of God gave up His life in order to save the world. To some, Jesus’ death on the cross looks like an unnecessary surrender, a ‘loser’. But we now realize that without His death and subsequent resurrection we would be “unredeemed” and the daily personal guidance of His Spirit would not be available to us (see John 16:7). That’s why it is necessary for Jesus to take up His cross…

Now, Jesus began to tell His disciples of His coming death. But these men, particularly Peter, refused to hear of it. They have misconceptions and misunderstanding of what the Messiah first came to do. “You’re the Saviour, you’re great,” they were thinking. “You’re going to smash our enemies and we’re all going to ride to glory with you.” They were rightly concerned, but they were wrongly concluded Jesus’ mission. That’s where Jesus had to cut Peter short and introduce one of the most important principles Christians must learn: the way to up is down. In other words, the way to success in God’s plan is not to rely upon our own intelligence or strength to push to the top. That’s the pattern of the Satan-influenced human nature – “Get behind me, Satan!” “…merely human concerns” – smash and grab, look out for yourself first, do unto others before they get a chance to do unto you.

But Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Roughly translated, that means to set aside the primary goal of pleasing yourself first, to accept willingly the unpleasant or uncomfortable situation that may result from denying yourself, and then leave the outcome to God. That’s Jesus’ pattern for success in the Kingdom of God. I love Jesus’ honestly; it hurts, but it is sweet and necessary. Jesus doesn’t promise any easy way. True discipleship is costly, but worth it. David Hewitt writes, “Jesus is very honest about things; he does not hide the unwelcome demands in small print. Neither does he ask anything of us that he is not prepared to give himself. He has the right to ask us to take up our cross because he has carried his own. The call to follow Jesus is not a call to give up certain things, but to die. In this way, Jesus sifts out the true disciples from those who are merely camp followers.”

On the surface, Peter’s way of success looks like more fun and happier, but remember: after Jesus’ cross came His resurrection. After His resurrection Jesus was more glorious and victorious than before. But it would not have been so without the Crucifixion. If we follow Jesus through the Crucifixion (deny self, take up the cross) we are also privileged to “follow” Him in the glory of Resurrection. In the early Book of Acts, Peter eventually experienced Jesus’ style of success. After received the power of the resurrected Christ, Peter committed to deny self, take up his cross and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down for his faith.

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:35-37). Jesus challenges our values. Do we want to follow Him or not? If we cling on to life selfishly, worry too much on our rights and privileges, we lose out in the end. That kind of life is not worth having. It is foolish to sacrifice eternity for a moment. Jim Elliot, a Christian martyr, says, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Think about it.

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words… the Son of Man will be ashamed of them

when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

Have you been ashamed to identify with a ‘loser’?

When Jesus returns, who will be the loser?

Take your stand for Jesus now – deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Is the Son of God: Three Witnesses, Come Forth! (1 John 5:6-8)

“[Jesus] Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross – not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. So we have these three witnesses – the Spirit, the water, and the blood – and all three agree”

(1 John 5:6-8, NLT)

Not only we can “achieve victory through our faith” (1 John 5:4), but we can know for sure that our faith is correct and based on facts! The Apostle John has mentioned that we need to believe that Jesus “is the Son of God” (5:5), God became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14). But how can we know for sure that this is true? You know how important it is to have more than one witness when there has been an accident or a crime. This has been true in courts for many centuries. As in Deuteronomy 19:15, “…The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”. Well, John realizes that we would be surer about our faith if there was more than one witness to verify these faith-beliefs. So he mentions three key witnesses to our beliefs about Jesus:

Witness #1: The (Holy) Spirit. Again and again, in the New Testament, we read that “the Spirit” opens our eyes to the truth, that the Spirit will help us realize that Jesus is “God’s Son”. The Spirit is an inner witness to what we hear and see. For example, in John 15:26, Lord Jesus says that the Spirit “will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me”; the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (see also John 16:13-14; Romans 8:14-16). In other words, we do not just come to the conclusion in our heads that Jesus is God’s Son; we also have an inner witness, a divine Person that helps us know that this is true.

Witness #2: The water. There is some disagreement over what John meant here. Since John says that Jesus came “not by water only,” some people, in fact I think that he is referring to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (read Matthew 3:13-17). A voice came from heaven as Jesus was being baptized by water at the Jordan River and said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” (Matthew 3:17). That experience certainly would have been a witness to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. Soon after this event Jesus began His ministry. Others suggest that the reference to “water” is really to Christians being baptized, which is also a witness to the work of Jesus in our lives. This again would be a witness that we make as we are baptized. Some others suggest that “water” refers to Jesus’ birth, but I doubt it.

Note: You could probably build a case for either position. But it seems to me that the first interpretation – that the baptism of Jesus was a witness to His being God’s Son – makes the most sense, for this was an outward, obvious witness to all who saw Jesus being baptized. They saw Him baptized; they saw the Spirit come in the form of a dove; and they heard God’s voice announcing that Jesus was truly “God’s Son.” This idea, in the context of this passage, makes the most sense to me.

Witness #3: The blood. This witness was the death of Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins [In theological terms this is called substitutionary atonement]. Jesus not only told us that He loved us; He showed that He meant what He said by giving His very life for us (see His love actions in Matthew 27:50-54). A phony or liar would stop short of that action, saying, “Uhhh… I really love you, but dying is just too much…” No, Jesus went to His death, and later even came back to life – resurrection – so that we would know that what He had said and promised was really true!

We have these three witnesses:

The Spirit, the water, and the blood – and all three agree.

Agree about what? That Jesus is really the Son of God. Amen!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus knows the Cost of Grace, He Offers It Anyway

"Seeing [the four friends'] faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man,
'My child, your sins are forgiven'" (Mark 2:5).

Max Lucado retelling a story in Mark 2:1-5 in his book He Still Moves Stones (1993): “Whether he was born paralyzed – the end result was the same: total dependence on others… When people looked at him, they didn’t see the man; they saw a body in need of a miracle. That’s not what Jesus saw, but that’s what the people saw. So they did what any of us would do for a friend. They tried to get him some help…

By the time his friends arrived at the place, the house was full. People jammed the doorways. Kids sat in the windows. Others peeked over shoulders. How would this small band of friends ever attract Jesus’ attention? They had to make a choice. Do we go in or give up?

What would have happened had the friends given up? What if they had shrugged their shoulders and mumbled something about the crowd being big and dinner getting cold and turned and left? After all, they had done a good deed in coming this far. Who could fault them for turning back? You can only do so much for somebody. But these friends hadn’t done enough.

One said that he had an idea. The four huddled over the paralytic and listened to the plan to climb the top of the house, cut through the roof, and lower their friend down with their sashes.

It was risky – they could fall. It was dangerous – he could fall. It was unorthodox – de-roofing is antisocial. It was intrusive – Jesus was busy. But it was their only chance to see Jesus. So they climbed to the roof.

Faith does these things. Faith does the unexpected. And faith gets God’s attention… Jesus was moved by the scene of faith. So he applauds – if not with his hands, at least with his heart. And not only does he applaud, he blesses. And we witness a divine loveburst.

The friends want him to heal their friend. But Jesus won’t settle for a simple healing of the body – he wants to heal the soul. He leapfrogs the physical and deals with the spiritual. To heal the body is temporal; to heal the soul is eternal… So strong was his love for this crew of faith that he went beyond their appeal and went straight to the cross.

Jesus already knows the cost of grace. He already knows the price of forgiveness. But he offers it anyway. Love bursts in his heart… And though we can’t hear it here, the angels can hear him there. All of heaven must pause as another burst of love declares the only words that really matter: “Your sins are forgiven.””

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus can Transform Us: From Self-Centeredness to God-Centeredness

Phote taken from: holidaycamps.org.au

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?’”
(Matthew 16:24-26, NLT).

Recognizing and confessing belief in Jesus as the Messiah is only the beginning of discipleship. Jesus invites every person, but those who want to follow him must be willing to “turn from,” “take up,” and “follow.” Jesus didn’t make being his disciple sound easy. To those who were hoping to have special positions in Jesus’ earthly Kingdom (see Luke 22:24), these statements would have been tough to hear. Denying their personal desires and taking up a cross in order to follow this man was not the life they had imagined.

To “turn from your selfish ways” means rejecting the “me first” attitude. Our normal, sinful human tendency is to take care of ourselves, focusing on personal desires and security (I just describing myself). Jesus was saying that anyone who wanted to follow him first had to turn away from those selfish desires and earthly security and put him in charge. This attitude transforms self-centeredness to God-centeredness. It means dying to self and living for Christ, putting personal desires and life itself into his hands.

Jesus went on to say that those who willingly “give up” their lives will “save” it. This statement was as jarring to people in Jesus’ day as it is today. The Greek word for “life” is psyche, referring to the soul, the part of the person that includes the personality with all its dreams, hopes, and goals. Those who “hang on to” their lives in order to satisfy desires and goals apart from God, ultimately “lose” their lives. Those who willingly “give up” or “lose” their lives for the sake of Christ, whoever, actually “save” them. Think about this: Nothing we can gain on our own can compare to what we gain with Christ. Jesus wants us to choose to follow him, to turn all that we are and have over to his disposal. Instead of letting us foolishly try to control our futures – which only he know – he wisely wants to take care of our lives for his own glory. In Jesus we really live. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.