Blog

As we approach our most joyous celebration – the rising of our Savior, the first-fruits of eternal life, the opening of eternity for a mutinous creature – let’s take a moment and consider the cost.

No earthly torture will ever amount to the screaming schism as the Father looked away from the Son and restrained Himself from rescuing Him until the wrath was complete.

There are not enough words, not enough metaphors to describe this.

But there are some word-pictures that we might miss if we don’t examine the act of crucifixion on the God wrapped in flesh. The flogging, the nailing of beaten skin, the naked shame, the jeers as the prisoner gasped for life – opportunities for the most sadistic cruelty to emerge from man’s heart unchecked. We see that through the sinful judgment of man on God, that God absorbed the price of the sins of man.

The Jewish people reserved crucifixion for anyone who betrayed his own people to a foreign enemy, sorcerers, and idolators (Josephus, Antiquities 13:41, Numbers 25:1-4, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Mishnah, Sanhedrin 6.5) How ironic that the Jewish people betrayed their God to a foreign enemy (Luke 23:6-16) and accused Him of being in league with a demon (John 10:33) as well as blasphemy that accorded this death sentence (Mark 14:64).

The Romans adopted the practice of crucifixion as the supreme penalty for specific instances. It was executed upon lower classes, in wartime, and upon slaves.

Consider this:

• Crucifixion was thought to deter slaves from insurrection. It was rare for a slave to have protection from his master. But Jesus was actually the Master who was betrayed by His servants (Mark 12:1-10). 
• Crucifixion was used to break the will of a conquered people by the conquerors. This act of conquest is used by God to bring freedom (Galatians 3:10-13).
• Crucifixion was used for crimes of high treason (Luke 23:2-3). Jesus is the true King of all the kings (Matthew 26:64). The kings of the earth will answer to Him (Psalm 2:2, Revelation 1:5).
• Crucifixion was used in contexts of war. And yet, when Jesus submitted to it, He brought peace (Isaiah 53:7).
• Perhaps most shockingly, crucifixion was used for religions that were not condoned by the earthly government. It was the true God that man dared to execute judgment on! (John 1:1-18)

That night, the apostles were in despair. They were terrified, confused, discouraged and unsure. But what looked like the worst evening in the history of mankind was the most wonderful loving act for them.

In Acts 2, Peter explains it eloquently by reminding them of the words of the long-ago prophets and then explaining,

“²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” Acts 2:22-24

The response of the crowd echoes into our own souls, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). For, if we are honest with ourselves, we, too have betrayed God. We too, commit high treason when we reject His authority over our lives. But Peter’s plea for repentance is our incredible privilege as we recognize that He is perfecting the work of sanctification in us.

So, what does this mean for you and for me? If Jesus is our Savior, if we embrace the atoning work that He endured on our behalf, what now?

The answer is in Luke 9:23-27,

“²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

If you are prayerfully considering what this might look like in your life, I would encourage you to pray through Philippians 2:6-11 and 1 Corinthians 1:20-25.

May He bless you as you seek His face and celebrate the awesome work of resurrection this Sunday!  He is risen indeed!

Reference: Hengel, Martin “Crucifixion” Fortress Press, 1977

This is my third time in Bolivia. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would spend my vacation time each year to visit people in need and work with the less fortunate, I'm not sure I would have believed you. But God placed Bolivia on my heart from the very first trip I made, one of the ways He did that was  through working with the women of the community.

I have been blessed to witness the progress made in the village of Villa Margarita.  My first trip, God blessed me with the opportunity to teach the women community leaders about Nutrition. God used that experience to change my heart for those in poverty and show me where there was poverty in my life as well. FH was just starting in the community and the Cascada group of women leaders were few and needed education as basic as understanding the food groups.

Three years later, my heart filled with love, grace and humility as I witnessed the same community with many more members of the Cascada group open their Nutrition Center. Though the building was awesome, it was the pride each women had in their work. The ownership, responsibility and confidence each woman had filled my heart. The women have learned and are bringing the good information to others. All the while, living and learning biblical principles. Their children are learning from their mothers and will be leaders one day too! 

I praise God that He brought me here to be a part of the opening of the nutrition center. It will be a day that will forever remain in my heart. 

In a survey of students at a prominent mid-western university, 67% claimed to be of the Christian faith. When those surveyed were asked what they first thought of when Easter was mentioned, what do you think they answered?

• The leading response was Easter eggs at 26%.
• The Easter bunny garnered 16%.
• Church came in at 14%.
• Christ received 11%.
• Resurrection got 11%.
• Sweets were mentioned in 5%.
• Family came up in 5%.
• Other stuff    12%. 

If you count Church, Christ and Resurrection together, that adds up to just 36%. Compared to Easter eggs and the Easter bunny adding up to whopping 42%. Wow!

But, regardless of what the world, our culture or our customs tell us, the reason Christians celebrate Easter is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Without doubt Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the single most important event in all of history.

Jesus’ resurrection is the lynch-pin to God’s creative masterpiece.

Just as there is one cut of the rough diamond that displays all the brilliant facets of the ge, so the resurrection reveals the many aspects of God’s redemptive plan.

The Facts Are:

God sent His only Son to live among us for the purpose of restoring us to right relationship with Him shows the great lengths He is willing to go to keep His promises. God is faithful.

Jesus came, knowing death on a cross awaited Him, demonstrates how great His love for us is. God is love.

Jesus bore our sins and took the punishment for them, He paid the price for our redemption, exhibits the saving grace of our redeemer. Jesus saves.

God’s raising Jesus from the dead is proof that we are free from the bondage of sin and death. The resurrection is our assurance that the holy and just God accepts the sacrifice made on our behalf; our debt is paid in full, our hope is secure. Jesus lives!!

As Christians we celebrate as a praise offering to God for what He has done.

We celebrate the wonderful transformation that we’ve experienced in salvation and the continuing transformation of sanctification.

We celebrate because we have been blessed.

We celebrate so that others might see our joy and be drawn to the Savior.

We celebrate the RESURRECTION!

In this day and age we are flooded with information. However, with allegations of fake news and spin doctoring it is hard to know what to believe. Nevertheless, people still want to know, they want answers.

This is particularly the case during the Easter Holiday, a time when society is faced with questions about religion: who was Christ, what do these traditions mean, is there something for me in religion?

Interestingly, it was no different in the time of the first Easter. Just days after the Crucifixion people were questioning the events—the veiling of the sun, the temple curtain, the earthquake and the rising of the dead. These unsettling events were causing the people to re-evaluate who Jesus was.

There is no better example than the two men journeying to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). Although unbeknownst to them, Jesus inserted himself into their conversation and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Here we see Jesus taking a personal touch in helping others see the True Light.

We have this same opportunity. We have worked to “insert” ourselves in the lives of our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. We have gained their trust. Now, like Jesus we need to help them understand the Scripture concerning Jesus Christ and the wonderful gift he represents. This can start with a simple invitation to church. In fact, in Dr. Thom Rainer's The Unchurched Next Door he states that 82% of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if personally invited! Don’t be shy about inviting someone to church, according to this statistic they are very likely to accept your invitation.

I know first hand that the personal touch really works. My wife, Penny, came to know Christ through the invitation of a high school classmate who invited her to church. Although her friend quickly quit attending, God captured Penny’s heart and has held on to it ever since.

Wouldn’t you like to be part of helping someone find his or her way to Christ?

It starts with an invitation. And there is no better time than our Easter Services. Remember you have the GOOD NEWS to share!

Sometimes I feel like I might be a student forever. If I have it my way, I’m signing up for as much school as any person can attend in their life. I’ve already been a student for 17 years, so although I don’t know everything, I have some experience in the crazy and sometimes erratic phase of “studenthood.”

I know the feeling of waiting for your life to start, thinking school is just a bunch of hoops to jump through so you can finally do what you want.

I know the seduction and danger of a mindset that says “I don’t have to work on growing spiritually until I’m an adult. What could I do now anyway?”

These attitudes grab ahold of us, they infect us and have consequences that last far beyond the date of our high school or college graduation. But you don’t have to believe that, those ideas only define you if you let them.

School can and should be a time when we prepare ourselves for a lifetime of serving God.

In order to do so, we have to watch out for the lies Satan’s dying for us to believe. If I kept count of the phrases I heard most going through school, I think the one used most frequently by students would have been, “when will I ever use this (referring to the Pythagorean theorem, the Bill of Rights, or whatever we’re learning at the time) in real life?” I know I’ve said that more than my fair share of times. And let’s face it, I haven’t used the Pythagorean theorem since 10^th grade! So there’s that.

But more importantly, hidden in the heart of that phrase is a dangerous implication. Who says your years in school aren’t “real life”? What’s less “real” about your school day than your parents work day? This idea feeds into the lie that your life really starts when your formal education ends, and anything that happens before that doesn’t really matter. That’s an awfully dangerous mindset.

The truth is: What you do now matters!

If you think your years in school are a waste of time, you’re going to waste the time you spend in them. As hard as it is to believe, school is most likely the phase of your life during which you’ll have the most “free time,” you’re going to use that time on something, you might as well use it for God. What you do today establishes habits that last your whole life.

Also, students are still learning what they believe and who they are. It’s one of the most effective times to share the gospel. With every day that passes, people get more set in the paths they’re going to follow, and most of these paths lead away from the path of life.

Satan would love to render you ineffective by saying your life doesn’t matter yet, but God loves using the uneducated, the underqualified and the unprepared.

In other words, God loves using students.

It’s our job to make ourselves available to Him, and let Him work out the rest.

Are you a student, or do you know who would like to attend a youth ministry? MCC has two great Youth Ministry programs: Fire and Ice is a Mid-High Youth Ministry and The Hang-Out is a High-School Youth Ministry.