Fear, Anxiety and Courage

By Reverend Paul N. Papas II

31 July 2012

You can have all three. Crowded places, large gatherings and movie theaters have a growing commonality for many.

The shooting tragedy in Aurora, Colorado brought the worst and best of us, once again. We as exceptional Americans have unique qualities that help us in many ways. When confronted with an obstacle someone usually finds away to go overcome it or go over, around, or through it without waiting for a government solution.

There were several named heroes in the Aurora shootings who gave their lives protecting loved ones or friends, just as their were in the field outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 9/11 who brought down plane so it would not hit the Capitol building.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is acting in spite of fear.

There are many named and unnamed heroes who serve and have served in the US Military; they gave the government a blank check to include their lives.

There is a commonality with survivors, victims, heroes, first responders, and witnesses of tragic events or crimes. They all experience emotion.  It is possible that each could be diagnosed and treated for the medical condition of a mental illness called PTSD.

PTSD can cause many symptoms. These symptoms can be grouped into three categories:

1. Re-experiencing symptoms:

• Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
• Bad dreams
• Frightening thoughts.

Re-experiencing symptoms may cause problems in a person’s everyday routine. They can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings. Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can also trigger re-experiencing.

2. Avoidance symptoms:

• Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the experience
• Feeling emotionally numb
• Feeling strong guilt, depression, or worry
• Losing interest in activities that were enjoyable in the past
• Having trouble remembering the dangerous event.

Things that remind a person of the traumatic event can trigger avoidance symptoms. These symptoms may cause a person to change his or her personal routine. For example, after a bad car accident, a person who usually drives may avoid driving or riding in a car.

3. Hyperarousal symptoms:

• Being easily startled
• Feeling tense or “on edge”
• Having difficulty sleeping, and/or having angry outbursts.

Hyperarousal symptoms are usually constant, instead of being triggered by things that remind one of the traumatic events. They can make the person feel stressed and angry. These symptoms may make it hard to do daily tasks, such as sleeping, eating, or concentrating.

It’s natural to have some of these symptoms after a dangerous event. Sometimes people have very serious symptoms that go away after a few weeks. This is called acute stress disorder, or ASD. When the symptoms last more than a few weeks and become an ongoing problem, they might be PTSD. Some people with PTSD don’t show any symptoms for weeks or months.

It is true most people would not want to think of PTSD as medical condition called a mental illness because of the Stigma attached the words mental illness.

PTSD and other the medical conditions of a mental illness are common and treatable.  If you or someone you know experience any of the symptoms please call your Doctor.

When you are confronted with an obstacle you can or someone can help you find away to go overcome it or go over, around, or through it.

Fear is okay and often healthy. Having some anxiety can be okay. Fear and anxiety can be debilitating if left unchecked. Have the courage to overcome.

https://preacher01704.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/fear-anxiety-and-courage/

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AUDIO The High Priest Who Hated Jesus!

By Rev Bill Woods

Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

There’s a lot of groaning going on in our world today.

• The Bible says that God puts into authority those who He selects to rule.
• We know that God will either give us what we need or what we deserve.

Throughout the Bible God used government to reward or punish His people depending on their obedience to Him or rebellion against Him.

• It’s time for our Nation to repent and come back to God!

Today I want to consider a wicked ruler of the people and the consequences he reaped by his actions.

• For a while he thought he was in control enjoying such luscious power, but the day came when he realized there is a much higher Power that he’d have to give an accounting to.

I’m referring to Annas, the High Priest “Religious Superman” in the time of Christ.

Old Annas thought he had it all put together!

• He had everything his old heart desired — power, wealth, fame, and prestige.
• What he had in his day could be compared to a politician in what’s being called  the “Deep Swamp” today, or a Mafia Boss or a Cartel Drug Lord today.

Annas was everything Christ came to destroy!

• Annas was the power that ran Jerusalem!
• He held the highest position of his race.
• He was the political overlord of Jerusalem — WHAT HE SAID, WENT!
• Annas was the religious and political superman of the Jewish people.

Annas was the power behind the politics.

• He was the power behind the economy.

His home was in Jerusalem where the Temple was.

He’d been able to bribe and use his influence to become High Priest.

• The Jews didn’t want him there, but Rome did!
• He was appointed to the High Priesthood about A.D. 6 by Quirinius, Governor of Syria.
• He was deposed in A.D. 15.

Annas was the man whose fingers were in all social pies — whose hand grasped the most luscious political plums.

• Whose scheming mind carefully planned every evil course taken by the religious elite in Jesus’ day.

Annas was the man who inspired and ordered Jesus to be harassed and embarrassed in front of the multitudes.

• The problem was, his plans usually failed and Jesus would win the debates.
• The people loved to see these intellectual exchanges.

Annas was dethroned as a religious leader because he overstepped his bounds with Rome once too often.

• Actually, that didn’t discourage Annas.
• He’d still run his little empire!
• He was replaced by another man whom Rome appointed.

But Annas would not be set aside that easily or quickly.

• There was money, power, and prestige in the Office of High Priest!
• He wanted it all!

The High Priest was the most powerful Jew in the land and Annas intended to keep that power and all the perks that came with it!

While he was still High Priest, Annas insured his position of power.

• He set up his political fences with care and shrewdness.
• He put his henchmen in all the key positions until he was able to control the Jewish Religious life and gather the Religious taxes.

He knew that someday he’d probably overstep his authority and make somebody mad.

• He also knew he’d never lose his power if he played his cards right.

When the day came, he stepped down as High Priest, but he never released the power he’d gained.

• The new High Priest lasted less than a year.

When he was ousted from his position, Annas maneuvered his oldest son into the position.

• Annas was still in full control!

In fact, Annas was able to put 5 of his sons in this key position.

• They served their daddy like puppets on a string.

When his 5^th son was finally removed from office, He managed to open the position up for his son-in-law, Joseph Caiaphas — the Caiaphas of the Bible.

For 16 years after losing his office, Annas had control of the position of High Priest.

• The people looked to him as the actual High Priest.
• WHAT POWER!  WHAT WONDERFUL POWER!

Probably the first time Annas heard of Jesus was when Jesus was 12 years old.

• Jesus had gone to the Temple and had amazed some of the Temple Priests with His Wisdom and Understanding of the Scriptures.

Luke 2:41-52
⁴¹  Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.
⁴²  When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual.
⁴³  After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first,
⁴⁴  because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.
⁴⁵  When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.
⁴⁶  Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions.
⁴⁷  All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
⁴⁸  His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
⁴⁹  “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
⁵⁰  But they didn’t understand what he meant.
⁵¹  Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
⁵²  Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Annas was probably informed of this child prodigy.

Nothing more was heard about this carpenter’s son for a long time after that.

Then one day a rugged, loud-mouthed, uncivilized, uncouth fellow by the name of John (the people called him John the Baptist) began to preach in the wilderness and denounce the corruptness and unrighteousness of the Jewish people and their religious leaders.

Annas didn’t like what John was saying!

• Who did this long-haired, loud-mouthed unkept, smelly man in animal skins think he was?

He was criticizing Annas’ little empire and calling it corrupt — he was stirring the people against all that Annas and his crowd stood for!

• Annas was the power behind the High Priest’s throne!
• He’d do something about this!
• His word was law, his schemes were commands, his plans called for action!

Annas would settle things with this fellow — John would know he’d tangled with Annas!

The ultimate insult came one day when Annas was listening to John rant and rave — trying to catch him in some legal or religious mistake so he could have him  arrested — when suddenly Jesus showed up.

• John immediately began proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah — THE SON OF GOD!
• Then John baptized Jesus!

Matthew 3:13-17
¹³  Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.
¹⁴  But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
¹⁵  But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
¹⁶  After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.
¹⁷  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

After having heard John’s challenging message calling men to repentance, the people were ready to accept this Jesus for whom He said He was — THE SON OF GOD!

Annas didn’t know how John and Jesus pulled that dove and voice thing off, but he did know that his authority as head of the Religious World was under attack.

• He’d have to put a stop to this right now!

The day Annas actually master-minded Jesus’ death was when Christ tore into his plans for turning the Temple into his private money mart.

John 2:13-16 
¹³  It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem.
¹⁴  In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money.
¹⁵  Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.
¹⁶  Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

When Jesus drove the money-changers, the sellers, buyers, and all the animals from the Temple, He’d gone too far!

• Annas’ greedy heart couldn’t take anymore!

He made up his mind, JESUS WAS GOING TO DIE FOR THAT!

Annas was like most of our society — if you really want to hurt them, hit their pocketbook!

Annas heard many of Jesus’ sermons and saw His miracles.

• Annas might’ve wondered secretly if Jesus might really be The Son of God just like He claimed — but wealth and power had gotten such a grip on him that even God would have to step down for him………….

There was no room in the earthly kingdom Annas had built for God or love or anyone else!

• To Annas, SELF WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT GOD!
• Self was all he had room for!
• “A man all wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package.”

With his power, he put the machinery in motion that would eventually take this man who called Himself, “GOD” to the cross!

The hands that crucified Jesus might’ve belonged to Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod, the Romans and others, but it was Annas’ backing those hands that nailed Jesus to the Cross.

• The mob would cry, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”  – but behind the blood-thirsty voices you’d find Annas pushing and adding fuel to the excitement until finally the decision was made to nail Jesus to the tree.

The hammer strokes might’ve been those of the soldiers, but it was Annas who actually held the hammer.

• What music it must’ve been to his ears then to rid himself of this fly in his ointment!
•  — WHAT TORMENT THE MEMORIES MUST BE NOW!

Annas wanted it to appear that he was playing a minor role in the hideous death, but he master-minded it all.

• He had so much recognized power in what happened that Jesus was brought to him first after His arrest instead of being taken to Caiaphas, the actual High Priest. 

John 18:12-24 
¹²  So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up.
¹³  First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time.
¹⁴  Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”
¹⁵  Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus.
¹⁶  Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in.
¹⁷  The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.”
¹⁸  Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.
¹⁹  Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them.
²⁰  Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret.
²¹  Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”
²²  Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.
²³  Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”
²⁴  Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Annas didn’t want it to look like everything had been planned so he tried to ask Jesus some questions about His Doctrines and His teachings.

• Jesus saw right through him.
• Jesus answered, “I have taught openly.”

Annas laughed gleefully when a soldier slapped Jesus in the mouth for His disrespect of the High Priest.

Annas finally gave the nod that sent Jesus to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, then to Herod, and back to Pilate, and finally to the Cross.

• Annas signed Christ’s death warrant as much as any man did.

Poor Pilate was caught as a pawn in a huge game of power………………..

Annas was there to see cowardly Judas bring the 30 measly pieces of silver back to the Temple.

• All the priests laughed at the misery that scumbag was going through…………….
•  Satan always laughs at us when sin has run its course!……….

Annas thought he’d won!  This pest wouldn’t threaten his kingdom anymore!

• Oh the sweet taste of power and revenge!

Then, 3 days later reports came that Jesus Christ was not dead, but alive!

• THE TOMB WAS EMPTY!

Annas would not — COULD NOT — stand for that!

• He put out the report that Jesus’ disciples had stolen the body……….
• He bribed the soldiers to lie!……….

That was over 2000 years ago.

• The pride and godless ambition of Annas took him to Hell.
• For 2000 years he has been tormented with what he did to Christ!
• You probably think, “WHAT A WICKED MAN!  IT SERVES HIM RIGHT TO BE IN HELL!”

Wait!  Before you pass judgment on Annas for being so wicked, you’d better look inside yourself!

• How can you blame him if you’re putting yourself and your plans ahead of God?………….

Aren’t you as guilty as he was when you crowd Jesus out of your life?

If Annas could do it over again, I imagine he’d act differently.

• He’d probably be more open to God.
• He’d probably pray more and search the scriptures more……………
• I imagine he’d think less of himself and more of God.
• Put down your foolish pride and egotism which won’t mean a thing in Hell!

Annas would want to serve God in any way he could……………

    He’d be more loving and kind to others and never stir up trouble with his tongue!

If he had it to do over again, he’d not end up in Hell!  HE WOULDN’T!

I believe the current politicians that are running rough-shod over America today will someday have the same regrets!

My thought is that I can’t reach them but I can warn you!

LEARN A LESSON! — AT ANY COST, DON’T YOU GO TO HELL!

GOD HAS PROVIDED A WAY FOR YOU TO ESCAPE WHAT ANNAS IS HOPELESSLY FACING FOREVER!

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PODCAST THE HIGH PRIEST WHO HATED JESUS!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/824359/9025872

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The updated version of Rev Bill Woods’ book “There Is Still Power In The Blood” will be available soon.

Why The Cross Is Not Enough

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 24, 2021

Christianity without the cross is a sham, but the cross is not enough. You heard me: the cross is not enough. Before the cross came incarnation, and after the cross came resurrection: Jesus modeled all three, and so should we.

I’ve watched recently as an increasing number of teachers and leaders encourage us to follow Jesus’ example by going to the cross. Our Lord is a model—the only true model, actually—of self-sacrifice and humility. This much is true: he is our example, and he went willingly to the cross. He didn’t miscalculate, he wasn’t blindsided by people or events beyond his control. No one took his life from him: he laid it down freely, and so should we.

Before the cross, however, all of heaven gasped in wonder at the miracle of Incarnation. The Creator became part of creation. He did not stand afar off and offer advice; he became present in his world. He arrived in the usual way for a man and the most unusual way for God. Nor did he simply drop in for a weekend redemption spree. He lived life to the full and left a record of how we should live. This part of his example required humility and sacrifice, as well.

The Apostle Paul tells us the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. The cross, he says, is a scandal to the religiously minded and ridiculous to the wisdom of this age. The world does not value humility and sacrifice, but they are the calling cards of another realm. Still, Paul did not leave Jesus in the grave, nor did the Father. To win by losing is an oxymoron. But Jesus didn’t win by losing. He won by winning, and the winning came by the resurrection.

Jesus’ example did not end with the agonizing beauty of his tortured death. His final words on the cross were not his final words. He had much more to say and plenty for us to do. His work beyond the cross required the Father’s intervention in his life, and our work should require no less. Have you ever considered the humility and faith Jesus displayed by placing his future in the Father’s hands?

Jesus died in faith, trusting in the Father’s promise of resurrection, but he had no guarantee beyond the love and trust he exhibited that night in Gethsemane. In this, too, we can follow his example. The Spirit of God is hovering and poised to infuse our lives with resurrection empowerment even now.

No witness is complete without these three vital elements: incarnation, sacrifice and resurrection. Our attempts at ministry are incomplete without the three. We cannot stand far off and offer advice. We cannot follow Jesus without bearing the cross, and we cannot carry on his work without the Father’s intervention. Our tendency, though, is to prefer one of these above the rest. This week’s meditation asks of us: which is our default position, and how can we make room for the other two aspects Jesus modeled?

Scriptures: Matthew 1:1-28:20

https://www.sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/ray-hollenbach-why-the-cross-is-not-enough-1646?

Deciphering Truth in Word and Concept

June 15, 2021 by Tavis Bohlinger 

Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels

Christopher Croom | Columbia International University

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)

Introduction

This famous portion of Scripture that has been rendered as a standalone verse is directly related to the crucifixion scene of Jesus Christ. In this scene, Jesus stands before Pilate, questioned regarding charges leveled at Him by the Jews. In analyzing this verse, we do not want to overstep the boundaries provided to us by the context. Nevertheless, in examining this verse, we cannot help but acknowledge this deeply profound epistemological question. What is truth? 

First, we should observe the possible attitude with which Pilate proposes this question. Is Pilate saying this in a mocking tone? Or does Pilate opine with genuine curiosity? John Calvin suggests that Pilate laid out this question in disdain. In his commentary on this passage, Calvin says, “For my own part, I rather think that it is an expression of disdain; for Pilate thought himself highly insulted when Christ represented him as destitute of all knowledge of the truth.”¹ D.A. Carson notes something specific in his view of this passage. Carson offers this beautiful observation. “Moreover, there is an implicit invitation in Jesus’ words. The man in the dock invites his judge to be his follower, to align himself with those who are ‘of the truth’.”² Carson also goes on to suggest that Pilate may be irritated with Jesus and categorizes the question as “curt and cynical.”³

Gerald Borchert stands in opposition, suggesting that perhaps this question did affect Pilate. While Pilate may have resisted the more profound implications for his life, it certainly left him with no condemnation against Christ.⁴ I tend to agree with Borchert’s position in that the surrounding evidence of the passage does not lend itself to frustration or irritation on Pilate’s part. Moreover, Pilate seems to meet this situation with a certain level of wisdom and prudence. When asking the Jewish leaders for the charges against Christ, he appears less than impressed and may even see himself being used as a pawn in their scheme to rid themselves of the Messiah. Finally, we see Pilate approach the mob and try to provide a way to back out of this act against a seemingly innocent man. I wholeheartedly believe Pilate’s question of “what is truth?” was a genuine question worthy of consideration. 

Addressing the Question

Having now addressed the biblical aspect of this, we must face the question itself and its implications in our world. However, I do not want to address this from a predominantly “spiritual” perspective (or what Christians might perceive as spirituality), but rather, a practical aspect. After all, I am a Ph.D. student of practical theology (with a slight lean focusing on ethics and morality). So, I will do what I think I do best—talk about this question’s practical and ethical aspects. 

The Greek word behind “truth” is ἀλήθεια (aletheia). The word itself carries an intensely distinct semantic range. English speakers may translate this word as “in truth,” or “upon truth,” or “sincerely,” or “genuine,” or “firmness,” among other similar options. Considering the 109 uses of this word in the New Testament, it is translated as we see it here, “truth,” 95.4% of the time (or 104 times). Jesus states just before this verse that He came to testify to the truth. Pilate responds with what this author believes is a genuinely inquisitive query. So, what is Pilate asking, and how can we use this in our lives?

Pilate is asking a question that many people ask today. “How can we know what is true?” Before we address the question, we should determine its significance. When we speak about truth, or as I will often refer to it as “intellectual virtue,”⁵ In the most practical and simple terms I can provide, what we are discussing is an agreement to the definition of words and concepts and the reality built upon those definitions. In other words, there must be some fundamentally agreed-upon terminology that allows us to understand and decipher the world around us. For now, we will (mostly) lay aside questions of authority for defining those terms and reality and frankly focus on its existence. 

If I took some exegetical liberty with the text, as those before me have, I would like to suggest that Pilate is not so far off in his mindset from the subjectivists of our modern-day America. In other words, Pilate did not have an objective standard for truth, and so, this question persuaded his mind to argue with this philosophical difficulty in a way that those on the Areopagus of Acts 17 might have done. So much was Pilate interested in this; he tried to exonerate Christ after a brief consideration of Christ’s statement. 

What does this mean for the Christian Scholar or Pastor? Well, in today’s world, the Christian Scholar or Pastor finds themselves in one of three positions. The first position: Understanding and struggling to live with biblical clarity in a  rapidly changing world with changing definitions and conceptual truths. The second position: Believing they understand and struggle to live with biblical clarity in a  rapidly changing world with changing definitions and conceptual truths, but sinking further into the world’s subjectivity. The third and final position is being oblivious to the difference between the two and sinking further into the world’s subjectivity. 

A Brief Practice to Address Error

Because this is not designed to be a book or even a full paper outlining all the issues and potential solutions, this is where we shall consider, briefly, a remedy. Having been made aware of the issue that faces us, we should now consider a solution. 

Scholars and Pastors: Addressing the world with presuppositional truth is not practical in today’s world. I understand how unpopular this will be as a position. Nevertheless, telling a subjectively oriented world of a coming Christ is, while accurate, ineffective—at least, in and of itself. Starting with that will lead to nowhere. However, leading to that point, starting with a classical exposition of the general revelation could yield a more profitable engagement. When Pilate asks, “what is truth?” he questions something already answered in the world around Him that leads back to the Creator of all things. 

The General Revelation helps the created creature agree upon the definition of what exists inside of it. For instance, what does the creation (not explicitly Scripture) tell us about the nature of man and woman? The reason this approach is critical is that, as Jay Wood points out, “there are what are called “basic” or “immediate” beliefs; these form the bedrock of all that we believe, undergirding everything else we are justified in believing.”⁶ In agreeing upon what exists in the General Revelation, we create what Nicholas Wolterstorff refers to as a control belief.⁷ That control belief identifies the boundaries in which we can continue to move in our question to build a perimeter around valid words and concepts. 

This reason alone is why the Christian Church and the Christian (Scholar, Clergy, or Laypersons) have lost their foothold in the battle for words and concepts. In stepping away from the pursuit of truth, exchanging it for some undefined or unspecific spirituality, the Church began to, like the world, pursue subjectivity in religion, seeking a feeling of connection to God rather than a knowledge of the truth—or even worse, conflating the two, instead of an emotional connection to God being the result of proper knowledge of Him (Jer 9:23-24). This order is the natural order of true faith and spirituality, rooted in truth and reason.

What Pilate expresses is no different from what the Church expresses; each time, we neglect the pursuit of fundamental knowledge about God or portend to others that a relationship to Christ is the fullness of true religion (to the neglect of reason, doctrine, and similar concepts). We especially, as the Doctors and Pastors of the Church, must avoid both logical fallacies and cognitive biases in his assessment of the truth. As those who have General Revelation on our side, we should strive to define truth by the created world, ultimately pointing to Special Revelation. 

The world is currently busy changing the definition to well-established truths, such as gender, family, sex, and all the like. The result is that concepts are being redefined through that change. Now, love, good, evil, culture,  and ethics are all being manipulated in an unprecedented way. The truth that Jesus proposes to Pilate is not just a truth that leads to salvation. It is a truth that leads to seeing the world as it was truly meant to be seen. 

Conclusion

Pastors, Doctors, Scholars: I call you to a serious pursuit of the truth. A pursuit that starts by understanding how the General (or Natural) Revelation provides a piece of evidence to all men. Whether through the existence of a Creator or the law written on man’s heart and the active consciousness of knowing a right from a wrong, in earnest, that comes with it, Christians must answer the call to challenge the world cognitively. We must satisfy the curious nature of man’s mind and heart and respond to the question that Pilate once asked, and so many have asked after him, “what is truth?” because we are the only ones with meaningful access to the answer. 

If we, the learned and shepherds of the Church, do not understand this, how can we teach those under our care and doctrine? And if those under our care and doctrine do not learn, how can they reach the world?

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. (Proverbs 16:16)

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Christopher Croom holds a Masters’s Degree in Bible Exposition, from Liberty University and is a Ph.D. student of Moral Theology at Columbia International University. He also is the founder and Managing Member of CROSS & Culture, LLC (http://crossandculture.org), a relaunching platform committed to expanding Biblical Scholarship and Discipleship within the Church.

1. John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 212.
2. D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 595.
3. Carson, John, 595.
4. Gerald L. Borchert, John 12–21, vol. 25B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002), 243.
5. As borrowed from Wood, W. Jay. Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous. Edited by C. Stephen Evans. Contours of Christian Philosophy. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1998.
6. W. Jay Wood, Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous, ed. C. Stephen Evans, Contours of Christian Philosophy (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1998), 84.
7. Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Reason within the Bounds of Religion. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984.

Deciphering Truth in Word and Concept

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Why Trying to Be Happy Won’t Make Us Happy

by Greg Laurie on Mar 5, 2021

In 2002, Jack Whittaker won $315 million in a West Virginia lottery. Years later he told a reporter, “You know, my wife had said she wished that she had torn the ticket up. Well, I wish that we had torn the ticket up, too.”

His daughter and granddaughter died of drug overdoses, and he was robbed of $545,000 eight months after winning the lottery. “I just don’t like Jack Whittaker,” he went on to say. “I don’t like the hard heart I’ve got. I don’t like what I’ve become.”

There are a lot of things that money can buy, but there are also things that money cannot buy. As Zig Ziglar pointed out, “Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep, a house, but not a home, a companion, but not a friend.”

Money isn’t a bad thing. It isn’t intrinsically evil as some would suggest. Maybe you’ve heard people say, “You know, the Bible says that money is the root of all evil.”

But the Bible doesn’t actually say that. Here’s what it does say: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV).

So money isn’t evil. If you love it, however, if you make it your goal, if you think that money will bring you happiness, then you’ll be in for a rude awakening one day. On the other hand, there are uses for money, and money can be a blessing in our lives. The Bible tells us that money is something we can use to touch other lives.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. . . . By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life” (1 Timothy 6:17–19 NLT).

So where do we find the meaning, purpose and happiness in life that we all want? How can we be truly happy people?

According to the Bible, if we seek to know God and discover His plan for our lives, we will find purpose as a result. We will find the meaning and happiness that we so desperately long for—not from seeking it but from seeking him. The Bible says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 144:15 NKJV).

C. S. Lewis wrote, “God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.”

According to the Bible, happiness and fulfillment are not things we should seek outright. Rather, happiness and fulfillment will come as a result of seeking something else. That something else, in fact, is someone else: God Himself.

We won’t be happy by trying to be happy. We won’t find fulfillment by trying everything this world has to offer. But we will find fulfillment when we commit our lives to the Lord and ask Him to reveal His purpose for us. When we align our wills with God’s will, we’ll discover life as it was meant to be lived.

Henry Ward Beecher said, “The strength and happiness of a man consists in finding out the way in which God is going, and going in that way too.”

In the New Testament we find the account of some men from Greece who were looking for Jesus. They were in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, and they were seeking answers, meaning, and purpose in life.

We’re not quite sure if they ever had a personal encounter with Jesus. John’s Gospel tells us they went to Philip, who then went to Andrew. Together Philip and Andrew approached Jesus, and He gave them His response.

In effect Jesus answered the essential question he could see in their hearts: What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Why do I exist? How can I be happy?

At this time in history, Greece basically was the cultural center of the world, the intellectual capital of Planet Earth. Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle held court there. Greece was the fountainhead of philosophy, the matrix of mythology, the cradle of civilized society.

Not only was Greece an intellectual capital, but it also was a philosophical capital. In this open, free society, devoid of absolutes, the people were encouraged to live as they pleased. Immorality was pervasive, and justice was lacking.

These men who came to Jerusalem were searching for something more, and Jesus gave them what they were asking for.

His words for them, in effect, unlocked the secret to personal happiness and fulfillment: “Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity” (John 12:24–25 NLT).

Jesus was saying, “Here it is: If you want to find your life, you need to lose it.”

This seems very difficult to understand. It seems unnatural and certainly impossible. But what Jesus was saying is this: If you want to live life to its fullest, you must be willing to lose your life. Then you will find it.

There are people today who essentially say, “I don’t want to live by anyone’s rules. I’m going to do what I want to do. I’ll do whatever makes me happy and brings me fulfillment, because all that matters is me. It’s all about me.” So they live their lives with that attitude.

But Jesus was saying that if you seek to live for yourself, then you never will find yourself. If a selfish, me-first attitude permeates every aspect of your life, then you’ll come up empty. And ultimately you’ll see the emptiness of life without God.

—

Learn more about Pastor Greg Laurie.

This article was originally published at WND.com.

Why Trying to Be Happy Won’t Make Us Happy

The Truth About What’s Really Going On Boils Down to One Word

June 7, 2021

The year is 2021 and it feels like we’re living in the Twilight Zone. The reality about what’s really going on boils down to one specific word.

If you’ve been thinking what I’m thinking, then your thoughts have been, “This world is getting crazier and crazier!” Many of us know it’s because the days are getting short and we’re in the Last Days, but what’s the root behind the “Twilight Zone-like” laws, lifestyles, and regulations? What’s really going on here?

My late-grandmother had the gift of prophetic dreams, much like Joseph in the Bible. The Lord would show her who would soon conceive, would soon pass away, and etc. When she’d attempt to tell her close friends or relatives who she dreamt would pass away, before she’d get another word out, they’d cover their ears in forbiddance! The fear was in hopes that it wouldn’t be them!

When my Godfearing grandmother passed away, it seemed as if the Lord passed her cloak on to me. He soon began giving me dreams much like hers, but with an extension. Not only would the Lord show me who would soon conceive, which was always spot on, but He also began showing me things involving governments, foreign and domestic.

On January 1, 2012, the Lord gave me a dream that I was certain (at first) was from the enemy. I saw how to world would embrace immorality like it was a trophy. All the sexual sins mentioned in scripture, abortion, pride, vanity, were praised heavily in my dream. During that time, almost all of which was considered tabu. That very year, the US government passed laws confirming what I saw, and it hasn’t stopped yet.

In the same year, vividly, I saw in a dream an up-rise in racism, but it was structured and orchestrated by the government. There was an agenda. What I observed was horrible! As the years went on, I knew it would get worse based on what I saw, and as of 2021, I can officially say, what we’re seeing today is in fact what I beheld in the dream. It’s not the people, but rather the powers that be that’s behind the chaos, and we’ll talk more about that later on.

I know I mentioned this before in other articles, but I’ll just be redundant and say it again: Around 2017 the Lord revealed to me that starting year, He would begin making it evident who is truly for Him and who isn’t. This has come to pass and is still currently in motion.

Lastly, on March 20, 2017, I saw there would be a time when people would be pressured by the workforce and society to take a mystery injection.

So many of the dreams I’ve been given for the past 10 years (as well as countless others) has come to fruition, coexisting in unison this very year!

What we’re seeing now and what’s really going on is the manifestation of the Last Days. Jesus made it clear in the Gospels as to what to expect and watch for. Yet, regardless of what occurs on us, the Lord will always be a Shelter to those who choose to seek protection in Him (Psalm 91).

But the question remains, “Why are these days so dark and evil?” The truth is that whenever the devil and his little demons look at you, they see the image of God. For them, there’s no getting away from it. They’re afraid of what you and I are capable of because as long as you’re alive on this earth, you and everyone else can have the authority over the enemy through the power of Jesus Christ and His Spirit.

What’s really going on is that satan knows his time is alarmingly short and we’re in his way. Whether you’re a Christian or not, he wants to see less of us—much less. This is why we see governments passing evil laws that go against the very heart and orders of God.

The devil uses government to do his dirty work. He’s always wanted ruling power, so he uses men and women in authority to obtain what he’s so embarrassingly desperate for (Matt. 4:1-11). They didn’t legalize drugs, gay marriage, abortion, and etc. because they “care” about the people, as they say. It’s the carefully orchestrated, diabolical plan of the devil to get as many people as he can out of his way. What’s really going on boils down to one word, and that’s depopulation!

Drugs kill, abortion kills, and homosexuality depopulates, all of which lead to depopulation. That’s what’s really going on.

The Truth About What’s Really Going On Boils Down to One Word

Your Life’s Every Detail

by Skip Heitzig | January 12, 2021

We’re all familiar with the incredible story of Joseph in the Bible. It’s a riches-to-rags-to-riches tale that shows us the massive scope of God’s providence. Providence is when God intervenes in natural law—the chain of cause and effect that governs our lives—to bring about a supernatural result.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Joseph’s story is that, while God was working out the enormous, nation-changing, top-leader-level ramifications of everything that was happening, He was also taking care of the most personal, faith-building character details, too. Nothing is too big for God to handle or too small to escape His notice.

Joseph knew that and believed that. And because he trusted God, he was able to look beyond his circumstances and live with a higher purpose. He lived in tune with God’s faithful sovereignty—but not because the details themselves harmonized; they didn’t. Betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and jailed, and forgotten in prison, Joseph couldn’t have looked at everything he suffered and said, “This all makes perfect sense.”

This is where we see the difference between looking at life horizontally and looking at life vertically. Joseph’s brothers looked at life horizontally—within their own tainted hearts and at the turmoil around them. Joseph, on the other hand, lived with a vertical view. He learned to wait on God’s timing and trust God’s sovereignty and goodness, especially when things went wrong. The contrast between these two ways of living is summed up in Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”

It’s natural to slip into self-preservation mode when we’ve been wronged, but it’s supernatural to look for God’s hand in the hardship. Joseph overcame the default setting of looking out for himself by instead listening to God, trusting His promises, and obeying His words. And at the end of it all, he could tell his brothers, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Joseph believed that God was in charge—not him. He believed that God uses bad events to bring about good results. And he believed that God uses people to help other people. He funneled the gracious love God had showered on him to bless his brothers and preserve his father Jacob’s family—through whom the Messiah would eventually come.

God cares about the big picture, but He cares equally about you and your role in His story. Do you believe that He uses your suffering for good? That He is big enough to take the bad things from your past and weave them into something better? God is with you in your pain; let Him use it to bring healing and restoration, redeeming it into something of great value and beauty.

http://www.connectwithskip.com/devomail/read/daily-devotional/2021/01/12/your-life’s-every-detail

Find Time To Find Jesus In The Middle of Busyness.

By Doug Fields -September 22, 2020

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed–or only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-42

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus visits the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary enjoys connecting with Jesus, but Martha is preoccupied with the busyness of hospitality and meal preparations. When busy Martha complains about lazy Mary, Jesus responds by saying, “Mary has chosen what is better.”

The lesson is painfully clear: connecting with Jesus is a better choice than busyness.

There will always be more to do! Know what I mean? There’s a business lunch on Tuesday, soccer practice for the kids twice this week, neighbors coming over for dinner, two games on Saturday, bills piling up that need attention, planning an upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon, and a to-do list so long that you’ve added “get through the to-do list” to it. There’s a lot going on now.

So many of us are tired of rushing from one activity to the next, constantly checking our schedules, arriving late and always feeling a bit elsewhere after we arrive. There’s a gnawing sense in our guts that we can’t keep up the pace…and truth be known, we don’t want to. Most people I talk to are tired of being tired all the time, tired of the emptiness that comes from too much busyness and not enough God.

Thankfully, God offers a better way than running on empty. He invites us to walk instead of run and find rest for our weary souls. That’s what the fullness of life is all about. It’s not the same as being busy all the time (even busy doing good things). The invitation is to sit at the feet of the Person who is the source of all fullness.

Yes, there are real tasks to accomplish today, just as there were in Mary and Martha’s day. But, never forget that Jesus affirmed Mary’s choice as best. Today, make the choice to accept Jesus’ invitation of connection and rest.

GOING DEEPER:
1. In what ways have you seen busyness in your own life detract from connecting with Jesus?

2. What choices do you need to make in order to free yourself to connect with Jesus?

FURTHER READING:
Luke 10:38-42; Matthew 11:29; John 10:10

Read Next on Thriving Marriages  5 TED Talks for Your Marriage

Find Time To Find Jesus In The Middle of Busyness.

Right Around Here

By David Jeremiah

There’s a famous story about a prospector who sold his farm so he could look for diamonds. He wore himself out searching the world for the mother lode, finally dying in despair. Later, the man who had bought the prospector’s farm saw a flashing stone in the backyard stream. He fished it out, admired it, and put it on his mantel as an interesting curiosity. A visitor identified it as a diamond of remarkable size. The farmer recalled seeing other such stones in his creek, and his farm became one of the most productive diamond mines of all time.

The first man traveled the world looking for acres of diamonds when they were in his own backyard the whole time.

There are acres of needs in your own back yard.

SHARE ON:We don’t always have to travel afar to find the delights we seek. Sometimes they’re in our own backyard. It’s remarkable how much money we spend taking in the wonders of distant places, while at the same time overlooking nearby points of interest—natural beauties, fun drives, local history, unexplored backroads, nearby attractions, pleasant neighbors, and neighborhood restaurants.

The same dynamic is true when it comes to living in confidence in a chaotic world. We long to make sense of it all and solve the global problems we see at a distance—they certainly need our attention. When we think of the staggering needs of nearly eight billion people across seven vast continents, we’re overwhelmed. The world is distressed, and the combined burdens of humanity can weigh heavily on us.

But remember—the world starts at our doorstep, and that’s where to begin serving the Lord. That’s the pattern Jesus suggested in Acts 1:8: “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Our influence should begin in our own Jerusalem—our own home and our own hometown.

Just as there are undiscovered sites around you, there are uncovered needs closer at hand than you realize. There are acres of needs in your own back yard. A part of the ultimate staycation is looking around to see how God can use you “right around here.”

God’s Plan for the World Begins With You

Every stranger is a potential mission field.

SHARE ON:Psalm 139:16 says that all our days were written down in advance in God’s book. The important thing isn’t what we’re going to do for the Lord at a later time or in another place. We’re to serve Him today, right here, where we are.

I read about a man who wanted to plant a church, but his dreams didn’t work out. To make ends meet, he started driving for Uber and Lyft. He soon learned God wanted him to love every single person who got into his car. “I just tried to display the goodness of God to my riders,” he said. “Every day, I felt challenged to plant seeds for the Lord with each rider.”

When he picks someone up, he starts a general conversation, asking the Holy Spirit to guide the way, and he takes the Gospel conversation as far as seems wise. “I’ve given rides to alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, atheists, sick people…. I’ve bought people meals to help them feel loved, cleaned them up after they passed out, and had hour-long discussions after we reach their destination.” He now thinks of his car as a mobile sanctuary.¹

God is present right where you are—right around here.

SHARE ON:It can work the other way too. I have a friend who keeps small New Testaments with him and he looks for opportunities to give them to Uber and Lyft drivers, along with a generous tip. “Maybe you have some downtime between riders,” he says. “Let me give you something interesting to read.”

We simply need to pray each morning: “Lord, what do You want me to do today?”

God’s Plan for the World Starts at Home

That kind of attitude starts at home, right where we live. “Lord, how can I serve my family today? What do you want me to do under my own roof?” One woman I know had a sign over her kitchen sink that read: “Divine Service Conducted Here Three Times a Day.” Those who share your roof need your divine service, your godly cheer, and love.

Even those who live alone are nevertheless homemakers, and the environment around us reflects what’s happening within us. Building a clean, cheerful surrounding reflects the nature of God who surrounds us with the beauty of nature.

Now more than ever you can serve others without even leaving your home. Notes, messages, video calls, social media platforms, cooking, baking, and entertaining—all these can become rich ministries. Long before the Lord’s Church expanded to Samaria, Caesarea, Antioch, or Rome, the believers in Jerusalem were “continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house,” as “they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46).

God’s Plan for the World Involves Nearby Strangers

You probably have strangers near at hand too, maybe more strangers than acquaintances. Every stranger is a potential mission field. One day, a lawyer asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) Jesus told a story about a traveler who was attacked by thieves only to be left bleeding in a ditch. The one who saw him, cared for him, and helped him recover—that was his neighbor. 

In other words, the neighbor we’re to love might be the needy stranger we pass. I’m not saying we should necessarily give money to every homeless soul at every intersection. We have to help others in the wisest way—but help we should! The needs at our doorsteps are greater than ever, and God can give us the wisdom and wherewithal to be like the Good Samaritan on a daily basis.

Along the way, we’ll be sharing the message of Jesus. Some years ago in Shanghai, a young man named Will Wang wanted to improve his English, so he struck up a friendship with an American expat named Nick. One day, Nick told him, “I used to be a pretty bad man on the streets…. It is [the] God of the Bible who has transformed me into what I am today.” As Nick spoke openly of his faith in Christ, Wang was impressed. But having grown up an atheist, he resisted the Gospel. Later Wang moved to Detroit for university studies. Here he met more Christians, but he still felt that the Bible was a book of fairy tales.

One day Wang filled up his car with gasoline and drove off, leaving his wallet on top of his vehicle. He lost $900 in cash, along with all his credit cards and ID. In his frustration, Wang blamed God for the loss. But the next day a man showed up in the dormitory, asking for him. The man had found Wang’s wallet and was returning it. Wong thanked the man profusely, but he asked, “Why would you return my wallet back to me with the money in it? Most people wouldn’t return it.”

“I’m a Christian,” the man said. “God wants us to love each other as brothers and sisters. I hope what I have done to you today, you will do to others one day.”

That encounter led to something more than a wallet. It led Wang to receive the riches of the Lord Jesus Christ. “It was a divine set up,” Wang said. “It immediately changed my heart at the moment. I felt so touched, and at that moment I instantly believed in God.” The young Asian man was baptized and soon began leading a Bible study.²

We can reach foreign nations “right around here” on our doorstep, sometimes just by staying the course, being honest and loving to strangers, as Jesus was. If you can’t cross the ocean with a passport in your hand, perhaps you can cross the street with a pie and a smile.

T. S. Eliot once said, “The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started.” Most people enjoy traveling, but often our travels are restricted—by financial limitations, health concerns, world conditions, tight schedules, or providential hindrances. It’s of no concern. In serving the Lord, you don’t have to be anywhere but where you are right now. Look around. God is present right where you are—right around here.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the world, but be burdened for your neighborhood. It’s full of diamonds in the rough—people who need to be discovered and loved. They are in your own backyard.

¹“The Mobile Sanctuary,” The Christian Heart, November 9, 2020, https://thechristianheart.com/the-mobile-sanctuary/.
²Roxy Photenhaur, “Lost and found wallet filled with cash led to faith,” God Reports, December 7, 2020, http://godreports.com/2020/12/lost-and-found-wallet-filled-with-cash-led-to-faith/.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org/magazine/article/right-around-here-252

Leading Like Jesus Means Making Big Challenges

Jesus never shied away from calling people to make big changes–do you?

By James Scott on Jun 23, 2021

There was a missionary in China whose talents and abilities were so outstanding that one of the American companies tried to hire him. They offered him an attractive job with a salary to match, but he turned it down. He told them God had sent him to China as a missionary.

He thought that would end the matter, but instead they came back with a better offer and an increase in salary. He turned that down, too, but again they came back, doubling the financial package.

Finally he said to them, “It’s not your salary that’s too little. It’s the job that’s too small!”

Going into all the world to make disciples is a BIG job! That’s why it’s so odd to see so many church leaders make such little offers—such small challenges—to their congregations. Some challenge their flocks with baby steps for fear they will leave if confronted with a BIG, God-sized challenge.

Challenges like Jesus made …

“Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11b)

“Jesus told him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ “ (Matthew 19:21)

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5:20)

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:27-30)

“Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.’ “ (Luke 9:23)

“But Jesus told him, ‘Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.’ “ (Luke 9:60)

Jesus didn’t call people to baby steps, He confronted them with challenges so big that to respond would mean turning their lives upside down!

Many walked away. 

That never stopped Jesus from making BIG challenges!

It often stops today’s leaders. We fret about asking someone to hand out bulletins, greet visitors or help serve communion. And we don’t even consider asking someone to go share the Gospel with an unbeliever for fear of completely freaking out the “Christian” with such a request. Yet, for someone to repent of their sin and follow Jesus Christ requires the greatest challenge of all—we have to be challenged to die to self and live for Christ.

How are you challenging the people you lead? With the challenges of Christ? Or pleas for the occasional baby step?

Scriptures: John 8:11, Luke 9:23, Luke 9:60, Matthew 19:21, Matthew 5:20, Matthew 5:27-30

https://www.sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/james-scott-leading-like-jesus-means-making-big-challenges-1657