Jesus’ final words command his disciples to be witnesses among the nations. Our job is to bring the Gospel to those who are separated from God because of their sin. We are to proclaim a message of repentance of sin and faith in Christ. We should trust God to enable us through his Spirit to do this great work. All of us should be involved in some way with the great task of spreading the Gospel to every people-group. Read More ...
The Scriptures tell us that the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection were very important. The fact of Jesus’ resurrection rests on eye-witness testimony. These two witnesses add their experience to the others who testify that Jesus rose from the dead. The resurrection is not mythology or legend. It is a well-attested fact of history. Read More ...
Don’t let fear prevent you from demonstrating that you are an unashamed follower of Jesus. Don’t let it be said of you, “He was a disciple of Jesus, but in secret, because he feared his friends and family. He feared ridicule and rejection. He feared missing out on all the fun he would have if others knew he was a Christian.” Don’t let it be said of you, “I never knew he/she was a Christian. I would never have guessed.” Our words, actions, and attitudes should convey very clearly and obviously that we are Christians. I trust that everyone around you knows that you are a follower of Jesus. He suffered pain and humiliation for us, and the least we can do is stand up boldly for him like Joseph did. Read More ...
For the unsaved, the prospect of facing God in judgment should be a fearful thing (cf. Heb 10:31). Many people today don’t have a fear of God because they don’t have an accurate, biblical understanding of God. They think of God in terms only of love and grace, not in terms of holiness, justice, and righteousness. If we understand the Bible, we should have a robust fear of God. The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments. The fear of God ought to motivate sinners to repent and to trust in Christ. Read More ...
People today don’t like to hear about God’s judgment or the need for repentance. People today want to hear about God’s love and his desire to give us our best life now. People want to think about God like an indulgent grandfather or a rich uncle. They don’t want to consider the fact that “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Ps 7:11). Jesus constantly warns us to escape the wrath to come by repenting of our sins and trusting in him. If you fail to do that, you will face the severe judgment of God. If you think that Jesus’ suffering under the unjust judgment of man was bad, just wait until you experience suffering under the righteous judgment of God! If the green wood is capable of burning, just imagine what happens to the dry wood! Read More ...
Pilate is a good example of a man who tried to resolve a difficult situation justly, but ultimately gave in to pressure. He capitulated; he caved in. Instead of doing the right thing, he did the convenient thing. Instead of protecting an innocent victim, he protected himself. Under pressurized situations, it’s easy to cave in, to compromise, to capitulate to those who want you to do wrong. Let’s not behave like Pilate. It’s hard to stand up for truth and righteousness, but that’s what we must do. We must not give in to the pressure to conform to the will of the crowd. Read More ...
The soldiers and the Jewish leaders had their opportunity to turn to Christ in faith. They had an opportunity to learn the truth from him, but they failed to do so. Don’t make that same mistake. Your eternal salvation depends upon affirming Jesus claim to be the Son of God. If you think you can mock Jesus and sit in judgment of him, you’ll find that he’ll one day be sitting in judgment of you. Jesus, God in the flesh, submitted himself to the hands of angry sinners. But one day those same sinners will be in the hands of an angry God. Read More ...
Peter succumbed to the fear of man, and that’s a weakness that we may still experience today. But we need not let fear control us. We must put on the whole armor of God and stand against the wiles of the devil. Instead of denying the Lord, we should be prepared to affirm our loyalty to Christ no matter the results. If we truly fear God, we won’t fear what man can do to us. Read More ...