#Therefore Roman must also suffer with me today

[masquenoire]

He is so not in the mood for work today but unfortunately for him, taking the day off sick isn't an option, not when he's the boss. On goes the black suit which stands as it's own warning; the first guy who pisses him off can count himself lucky if all he gets is a broken jaw.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 8/31

What am I feeling today?

A little guilty for not having posted the past few days. Everything that was going on with my dad in the hospital and the start of the semester had me a little overwhelmed. Also to the one that sent me the ask about quiet times, I plan on getting back to you with a detailed reply later today!🤗 overall, yeah I just feel overwhelmed looking at the months ahead but I know that God got me and that He will not abandon me nor forsake me♥️🙏🏼

Bible Plan: Does God Really Care?

God Knows What He’s Doing

Are you suffering? Maybe you’re wondering why God has allowed trouble to touch your life. The most honest answer to this question is… we may never know this side of Heaven.

But we can trust and believe that God has a good plan. We won’t see the whole picture in this lifetime, perhaps—only little pieces of the puzzle. But God sees everything from beginning to end, and He knows what He’s doing.

The Apostle, Paul, in the Bible, was troubled by what he called a thorn in his flesh. He said…

Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Don’t give up. No matter how weak you may feel, Christ’s Power is working itself in you, making you strong. Put your trust in Jesus, and believe it!

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on 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 here talks about boasting in our weaknesses! He had pleaded with the Lord to take it away from him but sometimes our weaknesses prove to be our power. For example, I struggle with my mental health, I’ve been in therapy since I was a child. It’s been a difficult journey and I can empathize with those who struggle as well. My mentality has greatly improved since giving my life to Christ but that does not mean He has taken it away from me. It is still one of my weaknesses, but in working through it in a Biblical way (such as the way David presents in the Psalms) I can boast on the power of Christ and help others who struggle as they walk their walk with God♥️

Romans 8:26-30

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

You know how there are times when you’re just in so much anguish that you don’t really make any coherent sense but you’re just crying out to God? That’s one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us, by interceding on our behalf and presenting to God our needs.

Also, at least for me personally, no matter what happens in my life I do believe that God is working for my good. There have been two instances in my life this past year that have been incredibly painful and difficult for me and I spent a lot of time crying out to God. And I know He heard me and that He was there with me through it all and He helped mold and shape me and bring me closer to Him in my time of need and after the dust settled, everything was okay and I could keep pausing Him for what He did in my life.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

26th May >> Mass Readings (USA)

Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

First Reading Deuteronomy 4:32–34, 39–40 The Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below and there is no other.

Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:4–5, 6, 9, 18–19, 20, 22

R/ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R/ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. For he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth.

R/ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.

R/ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.

R/ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Second Reading Romans 8:14–17 You received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”.

Brothers and sisters: Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Revelation 1:8

Alleluia, alleluia. Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 28:16–20 Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Christ’s Unchanging Nature

Continue in brotherly love. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.

Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said:

“Never will I leave you,

never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence:

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?”

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and not by foods of no value to those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

Although the high priest brings the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have a permanent city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Pray for us; we are convinced that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you soon.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

I urge you, brothers, to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have only written to you briefly.

Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

Greet all your leaders and all the saints.

Those from Italy send you greetings.

Grace be with all of you. — Hebrews 13 | The Reader’s Bible (BRB) The Reader’s Bible © 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. All rights Reserved. Cross References: Genesis 18:1; Genesis 21:33; Genesis 31:5; Exodus 24:8; Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 7:12; Leviticus 18:20; 1 Samuel 23:17; 2 Chronicles 30:12; Psalm 112:8; Psalm 133:1; Isaiah 62:6; Matthew 25:36; Luke 4:29; Luke 5:1; Luke 9:23; Acts 9:13; Acts 24:16; Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:19; Colossians 1:1; Philemon 1:22; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 9:11; James 1:1

[yhwhrulz]

Today's Daily Encounter Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Peace In The Midst Of Tribulation

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."1

In today's passage, the apostle Paul lists many of the blessings believers receive when we find ourselves in tribulations, such as perseverance and hope. The way he mentions them in verses 3 and 4 makes the passage easier to quote and a pleasure to memorize. But we must not overlook what is at the root of those blessings.

In verse 1 we find, "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The Greek word translated "peace" is eiréné, a derivative of the Greek verb eirō, which means "to bind, to bind together into a whole." When we accepted the Lord's generous offer of salvation, all the broken pieces in us came back together. All the gaps were filled. Now nothing is missing, nothing is broken.

That absolute tranquility, or peace, "surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). When the Lord Jesus slept in the storm-battered boat, He demonstrated that this kind of peace means safety and rest, no matter what is happening around us (Matthew 8:24-26). This is the peace in which we are called to live, and to extend it to others who need it so desperately.

Suggested Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me in today's passage that I can have peace in the midst of tribulation. Thank you that only you can give me that peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you, Lord, for the perseverance and hope that are produced in us when we abide in you. Thank you for your great faithfulness. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Rosina N.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

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Copyright (c) 2016 by ACTS International.

When copying or forwarding include the following: "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2005-2023 ACTS International

[rainsmediaradio]

Rhapsody Of Realities 6th December 2023 By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (Christ Embassy) – Heirs of His Kingdom.

TOPIC: Heirs of His Kingdom. Today’s  Scripture: Mark 1:14-15 …Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand…

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY WEDNESDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2023.

The Lord Jesus brought and offered the Kingdom to the Jews; He preached to them saying, “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 10:9). However, they rejected His message and turned down His offer of the Kingdom. As a result, He declared to them, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:43 NIV). The Kingdom was offered, and all those who accepted its message received eternal life. Christians are those who have accepted the message of the Kingdom, received eternal life into their spirits, and are now members- citizens and heirs of that Kingdom. No wonder the Bible tells us in Romans 8:16-17 (NKJV), “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Despite living in a world filled with wickedness and evil, He has granted us this extraordinary privilege to be heirs of His Kingdom. We’re not of this world. We don’t belong in Satan’s realm; we’re not under Satan’s jurisdiction or authority. The Bible says in Colossians 1:13 that God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His Love-son. Blessed be God! Also, He’s made us kings and priests in His glorious Kingdom to produce fruits of the Kingdom-fruits of righteousness and eternal life. We’re the ones Peter referred to when he said, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Hallelujah! PRAYER Dear Father, I thank you for making me an heir of your glorious Kingdom. I recognize that I have received eternal life and have become a citizen and member of this Kingdom; therefore, I’m alienated from the depravities, corruption and decadence in this present world. I’m enthroned with you, far above principalities and powers, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:16-17 AMPC; 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our own spirit, that we are children of God. 17 And if we are children, then we are heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ ; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory. Ephesians 1:18-21; 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: Colossians 1:13 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 3 John & Daniel 7-8 2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: John 18:10-18 & 2 Chronicles 13-14 Read the full article

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

HOSTILITY

Acts 9:1-2

Hostility is now the order of the day in our society. It’s so normal that it’s almost expected but alas, it’s nothing new as Ecclesiastics says in Ecclesiastics 1:9.

The world is hostile to someone or group for their perverse reason and most are hostile to God.

There’s even hostility within the church, as we see Paul exhibit hostility in the name of God. Following Jesus in a world that follows Satan causes hostility. Every sector of society is looking for ways to shut Christians, Christ and so God up by their aggressive hostility towards anything Godly.

Job spoke extensively of hostility as exampled in 17:2 and 33:10. We’re seeing Judges 18:25 play out in our society today. “There are some short-tempered men around here who might get angry and kill you and your family.” Why? Because we believe, trust and follow God!

It’s simple! Those who hate Jesus will also hate his followers. As followers of Christ, we must not respond to that hostility in kind. Satan is our enemy and not the people he torments and twists into his pawns. Our purpose on this earth is to lead others to God in love. If we respond to hostility with hostility, we only push people further away from the One we claim to follow.

If the world hated Jesus in his days until today as seen in John 15:18-19, 21 says remember it hated Jesus before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. The people of the world will hate us because we belong to him, for they don’t know God who sent him.

The answer to why the world is so hostile to us and God is in Romans 1:29 which says that they are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, and malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, and hostility. They are gossip.

As believers, we stand against everything the world stands for and so they feel alienated and hostile in mind, engaging in evil deeds, according to Colossians 1:21.

God rewards wrongful hostility. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” And in Luke 6:22-23 He said, “Blessed are you when men hate you when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.

This is very encouraging, to know that although we have to face hostility for our faith, we can hold on to the word of God because there’s a reward to that for me. We should therefore avoid unnecessary conflicts in obedience to Matthew 5:9.

Instead, the proper Christian response to hostility, is to return a blessing as seen in Luke 6:28 and Romans 12:14. When we are forced to do something we don’t want to do, we are to go the extra mile according to Matthew 5:41. If we “suffer for doing good” we are to “endure it” says 1 Peter 2:20.

These responses are difficult, but they demonstrate that something supernatural is motivating us, something that transcends mere human nature according to Matthew 5:46-47.

Don’t allow hostility to get to you, as Matthew 10:28-31says, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

PRAYER: God my rock and protection. Thank you for being my shield, strength, stronghold, my high tower, my saviour, the one who saves me from hostility and rescues me from my enemies, and holds me safe beyond the reach of my enemies in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom

Women of light international prayer ministries

[barbaramoorersm]

June 18,2923

June 18, 2023

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

Exodus 19: 2-6a

God reminds the Israelites that they are God’s special possession.

 Psalm 100

The psalm confirms the special relationship between God and the Israelites.

Romans 5: 6-11

Paul speaks of our reconciliation with God through Christ.

 Matthew 9: 36-10:8

Jesus commissions the twelve and sends them out in ministry.

 The grand feasts are now behind us and we return to Ordinary Time.  The readings today show a movement and progress on the part of God.  What does that mean?

Our Exodus story focuses on the history of the Israelites, how God claimed the people as special to God, and how the Divine One saved them, and brought them to freedom.  This is how the Israelites saw the power of God in their lives. “You have seen for yourself how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings…”

 In Matthew’s Gospel we see elements of that view when Jesus tells the twelve Apostles to “go to the lost sheep of Israel.”   He also advises them not to go into “pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.”  But throughout the Gospels Jesus does just that.  Remember the Samaritan woman and the visit he paid to her village.  Perhaps, he wanted his Apostles to start with their own people because he knew just as Moses did, that they were special to God.

But, at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, he presents Jesus with a much broader command.  Jesus remained a faithful Jew from birth to death but perhaps by the time of Mathew’s Gospel the early Church inspired by the Holy Spirit, feels the call to go further and to spread Jesus’ message beyond their own community. Jesus’ closing command is shared by Matthew’s Gospel in its closing verse is, “Go therefore making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you….”

The message becomes much more expansive. Perhaps Jesus was gradually preparing them for the future which involves a much more embracive view.  

That view is expressed today in the words of Paul to the Romans. Paul reminds the Romans that God proves Divine love as Paul writes, “for us” that is the Romans, the Gentiles, and the pagans.  Paul is the great ambassador to the “outsiders.” He identifies with them.  He presents a gradual and at times a very difficult call to expand the Christian message to include but to also reach beyond the Jewish world.  A call to reach “all nations.”

What might be the lesson for each one of us in this gradual opening and reach of God’s message?  It was an awareness on Jesus’ part that so many were suffering and were “troubled and abandoned.”  The issue is the same for us these days.  Our baptismal call is to “reach out” to the “troubled and abandoned” of our own day. Who are they?

The list is enormous.  Who are abandoned these days?  You must have a list but let me share a few groups.  Transgender children and their parents whose health privacy is ignored by some laws.  Health care for Black mothers, anxiety of children during a digital age, victims of gun violence, and high rates of suicide among younger folks. God’s heart must be moved with pity for so many these days. And Jesus’ instructions were to serve the very ones suffering in his day are a model for you and me.  

“The harvest is abundant but the labors are few….” We may respond and say that we are not equipped or trained to serve in that way.  But we are invited by word and deed to do the ordinary extraordinarily well. To listen, assist and encourage when and where we can.  “Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned….”

[steveezekiel]

LIFE AFTER DEATH 2

11. "Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile Continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous Continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy Continue to be holy."

12. "LOOK, I AM COMING SOON, BRINGING MY REWARD WITH ME TO REPAY ALL PEOPLE ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS."

Revelation 22:11,12 (NLT)

• How you live your Life presently, what you do with the opportunity given to you about accepting Christ as Saviour and Lord, determines the eternity you live.

IF you refused the offer of salvation through Christ now, know that there is no repentance in the grave: "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement" (Hebrews 9:27).

• NOTE: EVERY achievement, attainment, that has no eternal value is a waste (Philippians 3:7,8).

- Money and the material possessions have no eternal value except you use them to advance the Kingdom of God on earth, that is, you use them to help bring others to Christ.

IF you labour to acquire wealth without God, you will eventually end in destruction: "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and LOSES his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).

EVERY effort of every believer should have God's Kingdom as the main goal Or reason.

WHATEVER you achieved Or acquired today that seems big would be nothing in compared with what someone else would achieve tomorrow.

GOD values your soul than any other thing on earth!

6. "Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches,

7. None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—

8. For the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever."

Psalm 49:6-8 (NKJV)

• Where do you want to spend your eternity?

ARE you born again?

HAVE you forsaken your sins and accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour?

RELIGION And Good deeds cannot give you a place in God's eternal Kingdom.

• In other to prepare for your heavenly home—blissful eternity:

JESUS is the door to the blissful eternity, you enter through Him as you surrender your Life to Him—you accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour (John 10:9,10).

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”

John 14:6 (NKJV)

“Nor is there salvation in any other, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVED.”

Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

9. “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION.”

Romans 10:9,10 (NKJV)

- After you have taken the step of salvation, you have allowed Jesus into your heart to lead and control your Life; you then live your Life daily in line with His Word (Revelation 3:20).

YOU no longer live your life the way you used to, you want to live to please Jesus Christ who has redeemed YOU: "and He died for all, THAT THOSE WHO LIVE SHOULD LIVE NO LONGER FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR HIM WHO DIED FOR THEM AND ROSE AGAIN" (2 Corinthians 5:15).

1. "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

2. THAT HE NO LONGER SHOULD LIVE THE REST OF HIS TIME IN THE FLESH FOR THE LUSTS OF MEN, BUT FOR THE WILL OF GOD."

1 Peter 4:1,2 (NKJV)

YOU read, study, and meditate Or ponder on the Word of God to renew your mind.

TRANSFORMATION of a person takes place in the mind!

IF you succeed in changing someone's MIND, you have succeeded in changing the person of the individual: "And do not conformed to this world, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).

YOUR point of view, perspectives about life begin to change, and you begin to see things as God sees THINGS as you renews your mind.

• To end your journey in God's eternity of Bliss depends on the relationship you build with God whilst you are here on earth—the place you give to Jesus in your heart.

YOUR place will not be given to another person in Jesus' name.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

Peace!

[pastordrnseharry]

ULTIMATE CARE DEVOTIONAL ⛪

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Today’s Theme: ⛪ BEWARE OF SIN

“If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?”

Text: Luke 23:31

MESSAGE🍎

The Bible warns us to “beware of sin”, for whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth the law; for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). On the account of sin, Jesus came so that he might take away our sins and in him is no sin. Based on the above, we have been warned to “Beware of Sin”

Our text suggest that, if the enemy did this to the righteous, how much more the sinner.

Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching:

“If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself—the dry tree—shall fall into the hands of an angry God?”

When God saw Jesus in the sinner’s place, he did not spare him; and when he finds the unregenerate without Christ, he will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by his enemies: so shall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you.

Jesus was deserted of God; and if he, who was only imputed a sinner, was deserted, how much more shall you be?

“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”

What an awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say, “O God! O God! why hast thou forsaken me?”

and the answer shall come back,

“Because ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.” (Prov. 1:25-26)

If God spared not his own Son, how much less will he spare you!

What whips of burning wire will be yours when conscience shall smite you with all its terrors. Ye richest, ye merriest, ye most self-righteous sinners—who would stand in your place when God shall say,

“Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected me; smite him, and let him feel the smart forever”?

Jesus was spit upon: sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us; therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans of grief must roll over your spirit if you die as a sinner. You may die so, you may die now. By the agonies of Christ, by his wounds and by his blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of God, and you shall never die.

If you are still living in sin, why not come to Jesus now?

Why not ask him for pardon?

Why not ask him to have mercy upon you?

Why not ask him to forgive your sins and cleans you with his precious blood?

Why not ask him to give you eternal life?

He is standing at the door right now. Yes, the door of your heart, He is knocking if only you can open for him, He will come in, and abide with you forever (Rev.3:20).

He will be your God and you will be His child. God bless you if you heed His call. (if you are not born again.)

CONFESSION (IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN AND YOU WANT TO SURRENDER TO JESUS CHRIST, DECLARE THIS STATEMENT)

LORD JESUS, I COME TO YOU RIGHT NOW JUST AS I AM.

I AM NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED YOUR CHILD BECAUSE PF MY SINS. I ASK THAT YOU FORGIVE ME OF MY SINS AND CLEANS WITH THE BLOOD YOU SHEDDED FOR ME ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY.

I RECEIVE YOU INTO MY LIFE AS MY LORD AND SAVIOUR BY FAITH. I BELIEVE AND CONFESS THAT YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD.

FROM TODAY DECLARE AND DECREE THAT I AM BORN AGAIN.

THANK YOU JESUS FOR SAVING MY LIFE IN JESUS MIGHTY NAME, AMEN.

PRAYERS ⛪️

Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your child. I put my trust in you Lord, let me never see shame. Show me mercy and galvanized your love in my life.

Help me to stand on your promises and bless me with thy true blessings in Jesus mighty name Amen. Let every hour, minutes and seconds of today favour me.

I cover my life with the Spirit of favour. May I encounter your divine blessings today in Jesus mighty name, Amen.

FURTHER BIBLE READING

EZEKIEL 33: 10-20; ROMANS 3:21-31

BIBLE READING PLAN FOR THE YEAR

MORNING: GENESIS, 48-50.

EVENING: LUKE, 5-6.

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

Author: Pastor NseAbasi Harry

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

HAMMER WORD BIBLE CHURCH, ABAK, NIGERIA, CARES⛪

[walkswithmyfather]

“God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”

—Max Lucado

“3 Ways The Journey’s Worth It” | ChristianQuotes.info

1. Nothing Compares With the Coming Glory

Paul suffered like few other Christians in history. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 that he suffered from “imprisonments, countless beatings, often near death, five times…forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” You think you or I have it rough? However, Paul wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). In eternity, we will all look back, and nothing we experience today will compare to the eternal joy in God’s presence.

2. The Promised Hard Road

Jesus said that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). Therefore, we are to “enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matt. 7:13). That may be why it’s hard, but not impossible, for the rich to enter the kingdom because they have all their needs met by their money and have no perceived need of God, which is why Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24)! If life is hard, it can humble us and drive us to our knees. If we’re in great need, it makes us see our need for God’s intervention. God never promises happiness in this life, nor does He promise an easy path to eternal life but quite the opposite. Just ask Paul someday.

3. The Bad Works for the Good

Once again we turn to Paul’s wisdom about life where he writes in Romans 8:28 that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” For those who have never repented and trusted in Christ, all things work to their bad, and even the good things that happen to the unsaved will work out for their worst. For the children of God, the opposite is true. Nothing that happens, good or bad, will ever work out for our worst but for our very best, which is why God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.

Conclusion: Life is short, but eternity’s a long time. It’s a journey, but this is not our home. We are strangers in a world that, for the most part, doesn’t know God and His Son, Jesus Christ. We must run the race with endurance, so “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1) and “run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24c).

[missrkl]

The Temple Chapter Three

Rachel felt the fire burning within her. A growing passion blazing like a fiery furnace. She wasn’t going to take this sitting down. Enough people had been lied to and hurt by the very same people preaching love, prosperity and peace. As the newspaper journalist once wrote about the place when placing a review on The Temple “like a bunch of quacks.” Although the journalist was talking about Adon’s Elysium language rather than the people themselves being quacks. Maybe they both meant it differently. Rachel didn’t like that. How dare the journalist make fun of Adon’s Elysium language, Tongues. It was a high privilege to learn to speak this language, in which Rachel herself was affluent in. Despite being angry about the segregation within The Temple, she was angry even more at those who dared to trash talk the place. She could trash talk the place because she came from there, but for an outsider to come in and trash the talk the place and it’s people without an ounce of understanding was just wrong. That was on a whole other level. Rachel felt the fire burning within her getting stronger. She was still here in the park with the gang, but now they were on the move. It was getting late and they needed to meet inside somewhere. Usually Ecclesiastes had a place. They followed him silently trudging through the park like a panther, voiceless, silent. This was their strength, they weren’t called The Voiceless for nothing. They trudged out of the park and walked down the road as different cars passed them by. The Temple’s meeting would have ended by now, and right by schedule the stragglers would soon be leaving the place. They always had eating after a meeting in the downstairs hall. One thing The Temple was good at was their impeccable timing. Schedules always ran on time, sermons always finished on point and in time, dance lessons, choir rehearsals always finished on time. Even the stragglers that left behind at the last moment always finished on time. Obedience to the highest degree. They were always obedient to their leaders, quick to listen and slow to speak, a trait of Adon, one that Rachel was proud of. Despite all the drama behind the scenes, there was many things Rachel knew was a divine privilege and something to thank Adon for. Like their sermons, highly theological, highly biblical and highly ethical, highly political, highly correct almost 99% of the time. Their training was also known for its highest quality that even outsiders wanted to join in but they couldn’t get in unless invited. It was rare for an outsider to make their way into their training. If there was one thing Rachel could boast about The Temple was the obedience of the people. Some people would argue that you couldn’t really blame the people, it was the leaders who made all the decisions, even in small group circles. It was very well controlled. Even friendships and social circles were highly controlled units, hence The Voiceless always remained voiceless.

They stood in the quiet darkness that shrouded The Temple as it was late. It was 930pm by now, the cleaners would be finished by 10pm. So they bided their time by sitting behind the wall, lurking in the shadows. Ecclesiastes had extra keys, they could use the downstairs hall without turning on the light, but relying on candles instead. They didn’t want to get caught. As they waited for the cleaners to leave, Rachel watched as Charles closed up. Charles was one of The Loyalists, he had been here a long time, his entire life in fact. Rachel watched Charles look around checking the place just before walking to get into his car and drive off. They waited a few minutes just in case he had forgotten something, but he didn’t come back. Ecclesiastes went up and opened the door and they all piled in as quiet as a mouse. Still silent they clambered down the stairs as silent as a cat’s furry paws hitting the carpet. They entered the lower hall and some of the gang went about taking out their candle sticks and candles and put them up in strategic places.

If there was one thing that Rachel was passionate about it was more than just about the segregation within the community, it was more and this something more was what Rachel was going to address the crowd this evening, after dinner. The people in charge of the food this evening took out their food they had stacked in their bags. Spaghetti, fried chicken, rice and beans, vegetable soup, bread and water. Something for everyone. Rachel sat on one of the chairs and tucked into her food. She wasn’t about to make small conversation just yet, she still felt the fire burning within her and it was burning so much that she knew if she didn’t speak it she herself would get burned. After dinner Rachel stood up at the front with Ecclesiastes by her side. Rachel raised her hand for the gang to become silent. Then Rachel spoke and said these words ““The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:3-8, 10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They had the Holy Spirit, they were obedient to Him, the Spirit of Adon. Since they had the Spirit of Adon they could not remain voiceless and shouldn’t be treated like they have nothing good to say, as if they had no fire burning within them, like The Elites. Despite their hypocrisy they too had The Spirit of Adon, it was just their flesh crowding his voice out.

Rachel had paused for effect as the people listened, then she continued “ “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:12-14, 16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They too were Adon’s children, they too were heirs to Christ, they too had their place in the kingdom and should never be treated as if they never did belong. Rachel continued ““Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:33-39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They did belong Adon, they were created to bring him glory too, and nobody, nobody was going to push them out. As Rachel stepped down from the front of the crowd, Ecclesiastes decided to speak something and got up in front of the crowd. Ecclesiastes was also a dark skinned man, darker than Rachel, he was a black man with black hair and black roots. He was a man with strong physical structure, good solid build and muscles from all the physical training he had done growing up. This is what he said ““I looked long and hard at what goes on around here, and let me tell you, things are bad. And people feel it. There are people, for instance, on whom God showers everything—money, property, reputation—all they ever wanted or dreamed of. And then God doesn’t let them enjoy it. Some stranger comes along and has all the fun. It’s more of what I’m calling smoke. A bad business. Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed. You can’t argue with fate. The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. And who is any better off? And who knows what’s best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭6:1-2, 10-12‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Ecclesiastes paused for effect and then continued ““A good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date. You learn more at a funeral than at a feast— After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it. Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart. Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games. You’ll get more from the rebuke of a sage Than from the song and dance of fools. The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs Under the cooking pot. And like smoke. Brutality stupefies even the wise And destroys the strongest heart. Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:1-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Ecclesiastes was addressing all the fun and games of The Temple, they were far too focused on all of their events than they were in sharing The Gospel of Christ Jesus, or loving their neighbour like they loved themselves. No, they were far too focused on labelling people, placing them in categories that they think fits their mould. Religion, Adon Hates.

Ecclesiastes concluded ““I’ve seen it all in my brief and pointless life—here a good person cut down in the middle of doing good, there a bad person living a long life of sheer evil. So don’t knock yourself out being good, and don’t go overboard being wise. Believe me, you won’t get anything out of it. But don’t press your luck by being bad, either. And don’t be reckless. Why die needlessly?”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:15-17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

The Temple was far too focused on being good and perfect all of the time. Like The Elites, everything had to be just so, they led the entire church not just in worship, but in everything. They were held at a higher standard by Adon, and Adon wasn’t happy with the effects of their overly religous behaviour on silencing and labelling people as voiceless.

Rachel felt the fire within her die down, she had spoken what Adon’s spirit had told her to say, she was obedient to him, not man. They were above the law, because they obeyed the voice of the Spirit of Adon. Rachel had a flashback to when she first encountered Ecclesiastes and he had begun training her there in the shadows, she had found a way out of this broken society and being labelled a voiceless meaningless nobody that would forever be banished by society into a pit of despair with no hope for their future but being a silent witness to everything going on within The Temple. At least she was out now she had said to Him, indeed she was. This is where she belonged, fighting to bring The Gospel of Christ Jesus back into the midst of The Temple, getting rid of all the divides within The Temple and making sure everybody loved their neighbour as they loved themselves.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Wednesday in Holy Week - March 31, 2021

Today Is Wednesday in Holy Week, or Spy Wednesday.

Today and during the Sacred Triduum, the Matins and Lauds of the Divine Office are often sung in a haunting service known as the Tenebrae service (“tenebrae” meaning “shadows”), which is basically a funeral service for Jesus. During the Matins on Good Friday, one by one, the candles are extinguished in the Church, leaving the congregation in total darkness, and in a silence that is punctuated by the strepitus meant to evoke the convulsion of nature at the death of Christ. It has also been described as the sound of the tomb door closing. During the Triduum, the Matins and Lauds readings come from the following day’s readings each night because the hours of Matins and Lauds were pushed back so that the public might better participate during these special three days (i.e., the Matins and Lauds readings heard at Spy Wednesday’s tenebrae service are those for Maundy Thursday, the readings for Maundy Thursday’s tenebrae service are from Good Friday, and Good Friday’s readings are from Holy Saturday’s Divine Office).

by Dom Prosper Gueranger 1870

The Chief Priests and the Ancients of the people, are met today, in one of the rooms adjoining the Temple, for the purpose of deliberating on the best means of putting Jesus to death. Several plans are discussed. Would it be prudent to lay hands upon Him at this season of the Feast of the Pasch, when the City is filled with strangers, who have received a favourable impression of Jesus from the solemn ovation given to him three days back? Then, too, are there not a great number of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who took part in that triumph, and whose enthusiastic admiration of Jesus might excite them to rise up in His defence? These considerations persuade them not to have recourse to any violent measure, at least for the present, as a sedition among the people might be the consequence, and its promoters, even were they to escape being ill-treated by the people, would be brought before the tribunal of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. They, therefore, come to the resolution of letting the Feast pass quietly over, before apprehending Jesus.

But these blood-thirsty men are making all these calculations as though they were the masters. They are, if they will, shrewd assassins, who put off their murder to a more convenient day: but the Divine decrees,–which, from all eternity, have prepared a Sacrifice for the world’s salvation,–have fixed this very year’s Pasch as the day of the Sacrifice, and, tomorrow evening, the holy City will re-echo with the trumpets, which proclaim the opening of the Feast. The figurative Lamb is now to make way for the true one; the Pasch of this year will substitute the reality for the type; and Jesus’ Blood, shed by the hands of wicked priests, is soon to flow simultaneously with that of victims, which have only been hitherto acceptable to God, because they prefigured the Sacrifice of Calvary. The Jewish priesthood is about to be its own executioner, by immolating Him, whose Blood is to abrogate the Ancient Alliance, and perpetuate the New one.

But how are Jesus’ enemies to get possession of their divine Victim, so as to avoid a disturbance in the City? There is only one plan that could succeed, and they have not thought of it: it is treachery. Just at the close of their deliberations, they are told that one of Jesus’ Disciples seeks admission. They admit him, and he says to them: What will you give me, and I will deliver Him unto you (St. Matth. xxvi. 15.)? They are delighted at this proposition: and yet, how is it, that they, doctors of the law, forget that this infamous bargain between themselves and Judas has all been foretold by David, in the 108th Psalm? They know the Scriptures from beginning to end;–how comes it, that they forget the words of the Prophet, who even mentions the sum of thirty pieces of silver (Idem, xxvii. 9. Zach. xi. 12.). Judas asks them what they will give him; and they give him thirty pieces of silver! All is arranged: tomorrow, Jesus will be in Jerusalem, eating the Pasch with his Disciples. In the evening, He will go, as usual, to the Garden on Mount Olivet. But how shall they, who are sent to seize Him, be able to distinguish Him from his Disciples? Judas will lead the way; he will show them which is Jesus, by going up to him and kissing him!

Such is the impious scheme devised on this day, within the precincts of the Temple of Jerusalem. To testify her detestation at it, and to make atonement to the Son of God for the outrage thus offered him, the Holy Church, from the earliest ages, consecrated the Wednesday of every week to penance. In our own times, the Fast of Lent begins on a Wednesday; and when the Church ordained that we should commence each of the four Seasons of the year with Fasting, Wednesday was chosen to be one of the three days thus consecrated to bodily mortification.

On this day, in the Roman Church, was held the sixth Scrutiny, for the admission of Catechumens to Baptism. Those, upon whom there had been previous doubts, were now added to the number of the chosen ones, if they were found worthy. There were two Lessons read in the Mass, as on the day of the great Scrutiny, the Wednesday of the fourth Week of Lent. As usual, the Catechumens left the Church, after the Gospel; but, as soon as the Holy Sacrifice was over, they were brought back by the Door-Keeper, and one of the Priests addressed them in these words: “On Saturday next, the Eve of Easter, at such an hour, you will assemble in the Lateran Basilica, for the seventh Scrutiny; you will then recite the Symbol, which you must have learned; and lastly, you will receive, by God’s help, the sacred laver of regeneration. Prepare yourselves, zealously and humbly, by persevering fasts and prayers, in order that, having been buried, by this holy Baptism, together with Jesus Christ, you may rise again with Him, unto life everlasting. Amen.”

At Rome, the Station for today is in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Let us compassionate with our Holy Mother, whose Heart is filled with poignant grief at the foresight of the Sacrifice, which is preparing.

How terrible is this our Defender, Who tramples His enemies beneath His feet, as they that tread in the wine-press; so that their blood is sprinkled upon his garments! But is not this the fittest time for us to proclaim His power, now that He is being treated with ignominy, and sold to His enemies by one of His Disciples? These humiliations will soon pass away; He will rise in glory, and His might will be shown by the chastisements, wherewith He will crush them that now persecute Him. Jerusalem will stone them that shall preach in His name; she will be a cruel step-mother to those true Israelites, who, docile to the teaching of the Prophets, have recognized Jesus as the promised Messias. The Synagogue will seek to stifle the Church in her infancy; but no sooner shall the Church, shaking the dust from her feet, turn from Jerusalem to the Gentiles, than the vengeance of Christ will fall on the City, which bought, betrayed, and crucified Him. Her citizens will have to pay dearly for these crimes. We learn from the Jewish historian, Josephus, (who was an eye-witness to the siege,) that the fire which was raging in one of the streets, was quenched by the torrents of their blood. Thus were fulfilled the threats pronounced by our Lord against this faithless City, as He sat on Mount Olivet, the day after His triumphant Entry.

And yet, the destruction of Jerusalem was but a faint image of the terrible destruction which is to befal the world at the last day. Jesus, Who is now despised and insulted by sinners, will then appear on the clouds of heaven, and reparation will be made for all these outrages. Now He suffers Himself to be betrayed, scoffed at, and spit upon; but, when the day of vengeance is come, happy they that have served Him, and have compassionated with Him in His humiliations and sufferings! Wo to them, that have treated Him with contempt! Wo to them, who not content with their own refusing to bear His yoke, have led others to rebel against Him! For He is King; He came into this world that He might reign over it; and they that despise His Mercy, shall not escape his Justice.

[inhissteps777]

When Satan is persecuting you in any aspect of your life, plead the blood of Jesus Christ for His protection. This doesn’t mean that you’ll never suffer in life, but no harm will befall you that’s contrary God’s purpose in your life.

In the words of Charles Spurgeon, “Christ’s intercessory power with God lies in His precious blood, and your power and mine with God in prayer must lie in that blood too... How can you ever prevail with God unless you plead the blood of Jesus?” Charles Spurgeon also said, “This precious blood is to be used for overcoming, and consequently for holy warfare. We dishonor it if we do not use it to that end.”

Exodus 12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 54:17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

Psalm 23:4-5 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Psalm 91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Malachi 3:10–11 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.

Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 17:18-21 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Mark 10:29–30 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Luke 6:38  Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

John 16:23-24 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Acts 16:25-26 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

2 Corinthians 9:6,10  6 Remember this–a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:20 And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Hebrews 10:19–23 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Hebrews 13:16 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

1 John 4:3-4 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Revelation 12:10-11 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

8th May >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on John 15:18-21 for Saturday, Fifth Week of Eastertide: ‘A servant is not greater than his master’.

Saturday, Fifth Week of Eastertide.

Gospel (Except USA)

John 15:18-21

The world hated me before it hated you.

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this, because they do not know the one who sent me.’

Gospel (USA)

John 15:18-21

You do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world.

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

Reflections (6)

(i) Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

In today’s first reading, Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, gives us a strong sense of the early church being guided by the Holy Spirit. Paul and his companions travelled through the countryside of the Roman province of Galatia, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in the Roman province of Asia, both provinces being in modern-day Turkey. The Spirit would not allow them to cross into the province of Bithynia either, so, instead, they came to the city of Troas, on the North West coast of modern-day Turkey. There Paul experienced the prompting of the Spirit once more in the form of a vision in which a person from Macedonia in Northern Greece called on Paul and his companions to come over and help them. Luke was showing that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church, especially the missionary journeys of Paul. We can be confident that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the church today. The church is not just a human organization, a kind of religious multi-national corporation. Yes, it has elements that are typical of any world-wide organization. It is a human institution. More fundamentally, however, the church is a spiritual reality. The risen Lord, through the Spirit, is present in the church, shaping it and guiding it. The church cannot be shaped by opinion polls. It can only be shaped by the Lord and his Spirit. Sometimes, as Jesus says in the gospel reading today, this will put the church into conflict with the prevailing culture, ‘if they persecuted me, they will persecute you too’. The church is in the midst of the world, but it is not of the world. As Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘you do not belong to the world’. The really important question for the church is not, ‘what do people think of us?’ but ‘what is the Lord saying to us’ or ‘Where is the Spirit leading us?’ Answering those questions requires prayerful discernment from us all.

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

We have become very aware in recent times of Christians who suffer for their belief in Jesus, especially in parts of the Middle East. Many have been put to death because of their refusal to renounce their Christian faith. In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus is speaking to his disciples on the night before his own execution, his crucifixion. He warns his disciples and all future disciples that if the world persecutes him, it will persecute them. The term ‘world’ here is shorthand for those in the world who have said ‘no’ to Jesus and his message. We are not likely to be persecuted in this part of the world in the way that Jesus and many of his first followers were, and many of his followers today are. Yet, we can experience more subtle forms of hostility and rejection, to the point where we can be afraid to witness publicly to the values of Jesus and of the gospel. We can be very tempted to keep our head down and to stay silent. We can be intimidated by the forces at work in the culture that appear to be so intolerant of any form of religious faith and of any institution that promotes it. We have been reading from the Acts of the Apostles in our first reading this Easter Season. What often comes across in the story of those early Christians is their courage in the face of hostility. They seemed to rely not on themselves but on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord, whom they experienced within and among themselves. This same Holy Spirit is available to us all. We need the Spirit if our faith is to be as courageous as that of the first believers.

 And/Or

(iii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

Saint Patrick in his Confession writes that sometime after he returned to Britain having escaped from captivity in Ireland he had a vision one night in which he saw a man named Victor who had come from Ireland with a large number of letters. In the vision this man gave Patrick one of the letters and Patrick read the opening words of the letter which were, ‘the voice of the Irish’. At the same time, Patrick began to hear the voice of those who lived near where he had been held captive and they shouted, ‘We ask you, boy, come and walk once more among us’. I was reminded of that section of Patrick’s Confession by this morning’s first reading. According to our reading, one night Paul had a vision while in Troas, which is in north western Turkey. In that vision a Macedonian appeared and appealed to him, ‘Come across to Macedonia and help us’. Macedonia is in northern Greece. Both Patrick and Paul responded to the calls they heard and as a result those who had never heard the gospel came to know Christ. We are all called by God in some way or other; we are always trying to discern the call of the Lord in our lives. One thing we can be sure of is that insofar as we respond to the Lord’s call to us, the lives of others will be greatly blessed.

 And/Or

(iv) Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

John’s gospel speaks about God’s love for the world. God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. In today’s gospel reading Jesus speaks about the world’s hatred for him and for his followers. In Luke’s gospel Jesus calls on his disciples to love their enemies and to do good to those who hate them. The gospels suggest that Jesus was realistic about the hostility that would come his own way and the way of his followers. Yet, he wanted his followers to relate to the world not on the basis of how the world relates to them but on the basis of how God and Jesus relate to the world. In the gospel reading Jesus says, ‘A servant is not greater than his master’. That can be read in two ways. One way is, ‘if the master experienced hostility so will the servants’. The other way is, ‘if the master washed the feet of the servants, including the feet of Judas, the one who betrayed him, the servants must do likewise; they must reveal the love of God to others regardless of how they relate to them’. That saying of Jesus, ‘a servant is not greater than his master’ gives us much to ponder. It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can be like the master in every respect.

 And/Or

(v) Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

In the gospel reading this morning Jesus tells his disciples on the night before he died that they can expect the same hatred from the world that he himself has experienced. In that regard, as in others, he remarks that a ‘servant is not greater than his master’. We know that Christians are being persecuted in many parts of the world at present. There has been persecution of the church in China for many decades. In the Maoist era, Catholics were forced to go underground. Mao’s late wife once said, ‘Christianity in China has been confined to the history section of the museum. It is dead and buried’. Thankfully, China’s Christians have greater liberties now than in the past. Yet, those Catholics who recognize the Pope rather than the state-backed Catholic Patriotic Association are liable to persecution and harassment. In a letter written to the faithful of the Catholic church in China in May 2007, Pope Benedict XVI expressed the hope that this day, May 24, would become a day of prayer for the church in China. The Pope chose this day because is the memorial of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Marian shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai. The statue of Our Lady Help of Christians at the shrine is very striking. Our Lady holds the child Jesus high above her head; the child’s hands are extended straight out to left and right symbolizing his death on the cross and the overcoming of his death with his resurrection. These outstretched arms are also a symbol of love for all humanity. We remember to pray for the church in China today and we also ask the Lord to make us more courageous in bearing witness to him in our own time and place.

And/Or

 (vi) Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

There is something of a contrast between today’s first reading and today’s gospel reading. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives us a very positive picture of Paul’s ministry in what is now Turkey. Luke, the author, tells us that ‘the churches grew in faith, as well as growing daily in numbers’. They were growing in both quality and numbers. Paul reaches Troas which is on the north-west coast of modern day Turkey, and there he has a dream in which he hears the people of Macedonia, in Northern Greece, call out to him to preach the gospel among them. Paul immediately makes plans to cross from what we would call today Asia, Turkey, to Europe, Greece. This is the moment when the gospel reaches Europe for the first time, probably less than twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Luke gives us a sense of the Holy Spirit at work guiding Paul and his companions, charting their course. It is a very encouraging picture. However, in the gospel reading Jesus paints a somewhat bleaker picture. He tells his disciples that just as the world, the world of unbelief, has hated him, so it will hate them. A servant is not greater than his master. As they persecuted the master, Jesus, they will persecute the servants, his disciples. If Luke in the first reading depicts the work of the Spirit, the gospel reading depicts hostility to that work. Both these realities will always be a feature of the church’s life and mission. What matters is that in the face of the hostility to the gospel message, we never lose sight of the Spirit at work within us and among us.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[thescienceofapologetics]

Evidence for the Resurrection

It’s Easter time once again! A Sunday that marks the single most pivotal point of Christianity. If you want to prove Christianity is a hoax, all you must do is illustrate how the resurrection was a facade. It is absolutely essential to our salvation that Christ conquered death, for if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead our hope is lost. 1 Corinthians 15:14 likewise states, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Without the resurrection our belief is baseless, futile, unfounded, and foolish. So why is it we believe such an outlandish claim could actually happen, superseding the natural laws of earth? Here’s a few reasons...

The Bible is the most historically accurate ancient text in the world — When discussing the validity of history, it’s only reasonable to reference your source that has proven most reliable. The Bible is that source. No other record of ancient history has come CLOSE to matching the reliability of the Bible. If we say the Bible is untrustworthy, we must discard every other historical record as well because the Bible vastly surpasses every test of authenticity as no other book does. More on that here and here.

Yes, Jesus really died - Many people start off with the dispute that maybe Jesus wasn’t really dead. However, that neglects both the historical and circumstancial context. The Romans were masters at execution. They knew how to draw out suffering to the finest line between death and life, make it last for days on end. This was their art form. These men were proficient and practiced. Jesus was tortured, whipped with a scourge that often exposed bone and vital organs, tearing flesh from a body. Many people didn’t survive that alone. He was forced to carry a cross that could have weight up to 300lbs, and he crumpled under the weight, unable to bear it. Nails were driven through his wrist and through both his feet. Make note he would be unable to walk from the pain in his feet, his hands would be rendered useless. The way you hang on a cross causes death by asphyxiation, to breathe you had to push your self up with means grating your torn back against the wood and putting more pressure on the holes ripping your limbs. After Jesus died they speared his side to make certain he was dead and fluid came pouring out. The Romans checked thoroughly to make sure he was dead because they were shocked he died so quickly. He was bloated, swollen, and gored by death on a cross. Even if for arguments sake, Jesus was not yet dead, being in a tomb for three days would indisputably see to that. If blood loss didn’t kill him, infection certainly would. Additionally, Luke, one of eyewitnesses who recorded the events, was a doctor so his perspective is a notably authoritative one. (Luke 23-24).

The tomb was empty - There is no possible way Jesus, weakened to the point where the Roman masters of execution called his death, unable to use his hands or feet due to the spikes pounded into them, was able to roll away a MASSIVE boulder and over power two trained and able-bodied Roman soldiers. The idea that Jesus didn’t fully die on the cross and escaped the tomb is absurd. Furthermore, the guards stationed to prevent anyone from robbing the tomb and the Roman seal on the two-ton rock ensured that anyone who dared to even attempt to move it faced the death penalty themselves. If the guards themselves fell asleep they faced the same fate. There was a LOT at stake if Jesus’ body was taken, the Romans were taking no chances. Every other argument for the absence of Jesus’ body can quickly be dismantled by historical context and the circumstances by which these things took place.

It was prophesied - Isaiah talks about the particular circumstances of Jesus death, such as no bones would be broken, an unusual anomaly when it came to crucifixion. Jesus himself also foretells that he will rise within three days. Even smaller details like casting lots for His garments were spoken of hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Other prophesies like this show that Jesus’ death was no accident, God knew what He was doing. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; John 18-20)

Eyewitness accounts - Jesus appeared to over 500 people after His resurrection, many of whom were alive at the time of the gospels being written and therefore could confirm or dispute their accuracy (1 Corinthians 15:6) Among those include the disciples, Mary Magdalene, and Paul the former murderer of Christians. The Bible records accounts of skeptism and unbelief, but they saw the scars on his hands, touched his solid flesh before them, heard his familiar voice, and they believed because of it. Paul became that which he initially DESPISED because of his encounter with Jesus Christ, that alone is a mind-blowing testimony. The man who hunted and killed Christians became a Christian who was willing to be tortured and killed because he so strongly believed in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The apostles went from hiding in extreme fear to preaching the gospel in the face of deadly persecution - When Jesus died the apostles went into hiding. They were TERRIFIED that the Romans, the other Jews, would come after them next. Yet, after Jesus appears, they’re fearlessly preaching the gospel out in open crowds of THOUSANDS. It’s a dramatic switch of perspective. To go from quivering fear to such emboldened confidence, surely seeing Jesus standing risen before you would give you that kind of intrepidation. There is little else to explain how these men were suddenly ready to risk everything after being afraid to admit they ever knew Jesus just days before.

Apostles willing to die for Jesus - Now some people say the apostles stole the body of Jesus to convince people to turn to Christianity. The Bible says that lie was started by the Romans in order to discredit the apostles. However, almost all of the apolstles died for preaching the gospel, and all of them were severely persecuted. Why would they exchange their lives, their health, their reputation, their livelihoods, their comfort for something they knew was a lie? It simply makes no sense. The only logical conclusion is that they believed Jesus was the resurrected Christ.

Appearing to a woman first was a dumb move - The testimony of a woman would not be as respected as than of a man in those times. If Jesus’ resurrection was a ruse, the logical thing to do would be to claim he was seen by a male dignitary of noble standing, not a woman who had been previously possessed by demons - a social blemish (Luke 8:2). “Unflattering” facts like this, the cowardis of the apolstles, their initial skeptism, not recognizing Jesus right away, etc. lend to the credit of the account because it demonstrates an accurate retelling, not a fabrication that was crafted to deceptively sway the masses into false belief.

Vision, hallucination unlikely due to number of witnesses and circumstances - Jesus didn’t appear to two people and then go back to Heaven. He appeared to over 500 in all sorts of different locations. People who weren’t looking for him, people who didn’t believe it was Him until they had proof. Proof so certain that they were no longer afraid, they were filled with unextinguishable hope. We must also realize the historical context of the time in which it took place. It’s much easier to fabricate this kind of illusion today with the technology and way by which we pass on information. The time period in which the resurrection took place adds merit that should not be ignored. News was circulated in a manner that was unique to our present day process.

Non-Christian historians record the resurrection - Josephus, a renowned secular historian at the time of Jesus’ death, writes, “On the third day He appeared... restored to life.” It should be noted there are many who debate the reliability of Josephus’ words regarding the resurrection, however, many historians find this evidence to support the Bible’s claims.

The persecution of the early church - Under Nero’s reign the early church suffered some of the most violent persecution, not to mention the Jewish leaders who also sought to kill the Christians. The steadfast resolve of a Church who was in its infant stage is astounding. The only explanation is that they all genuinely believed in the resurrection. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose by preaching the gospel, yet they did so freely despite the cost. If Christianity was based on a lie, it should have been easy to crush it as it was beginning. The fact that the force of the entire Roman Empire wasn’t enough to sway their devotion is incredible. The whole of the known world tried to annihilate Christianity in the cradle but couldn’t.

It is the accumulation of evidence that begs cause for belief - It is not for one singular reason that we believe Jesus rose from the dead, but rather the combined evidence that demands an explanation that only the Bible provides. The proven accuracy of the Bible, the eyewitnesses details; the historical records of Jesus walking, eating, alive; the unexplainable absence in the tomb despite all efforts to seal it; the prophesies fulfilled; the change in people’s lives, the martyrs, the flourishing of the church in the face of persecution. It all points back to Jesus rising from the dead as the only reasonable explanation. The Bible consistently presents answers to questions the world has no answer for.

More comprehensive analysis and sources

Within these sources you’ll find more Biblical references, breaking down arguments and evidence, and quotes from some of the world’s finest minds and historians.

The Resurrection of Christ: The Best Proved Fact in History

Resurrection: No Doubt About It

Biblical and Extra-Biblical Evidences

Is the Resurrection True?

Atheist’s Look at the Resurrection

Still got questions/comments? Shoot me an ask! I don’t usually reply to comments on long posts, but I’d certainly love to talk!