#34 – Blown Away

By Jon Burkholder

Every now and then, something happens that just gets me. It can be something magnificent as a sunrise, or a work of art, but it can also be something as simple as the dew on my front lawn in the mornings. Or a smile from a complete stranger; maybe just a really good conversation with a friend. I can’t explain how, but certain things just connect with a part of me that nothing else can reach. It can’t be defined mathematically or postulated scientifically. It can’t be quantified, catalogued or categorized. I may not know how it works, but I know that it’s these things that blow me away.

Have you ever been blown away by something boring or uninteresting? I don’t think so. Have you been blown away by something that you didn’t want or like? Probably not. You’re blown away by things that connect with your soul. GOD knows that. It probably helps that He created your soul. And that He knows everything. His gifts are always perfect and blow me away the most.

Ephesians 1:3 tells us that GOD has blessed the believer with every spiritual blessing. Read that again. Did you catch that? Every spiritual blessing! If you are a believer, GOD has not withheld one single spiritual blessing from you.  That means things like Mercy and Grace. Things like Truth and Love. Prayer. Wisdom. I could go on and on, but the thing that these all have in common is that they are all part of the character of GOD. He is merciful; He is Love. The reason that we have every spiritual blessing is that GOD has given us Himself! He did not spare His own Son Jesus Christ, but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He took away our sin. That blows me away.

#022 -Love And A Tough Question

Love and a Tough Question by Ben Schein

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  – John 15: 12-13

“No greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This same scenario gets played out many times in the movies, and on popular television shows. You’ve seen it before, someone is in danger and their friend jumps in and saves them by putting themselves in the way of danger, often giving up their own life to save their friends. This is the greatest gift and act of love that anyone could do for us. Jesus did the same thing for us when He died on the cross for our sins. Without Him dying, we would not be able to have a personal relationship with Him. Jesus calls us His friends. He showed us the greatest act of love by dying for us. But if we are friends with Jesus shouldn’t we be willing to do the same thing? I’m not saying we need to kill ourselves for the cause of Christianity, but take Stephen for example.

Stephen was willing to be stoned to death by people who wanted him to stop preaching. Why would he be willing to do this? Because he loved God and knew how important it was to share the gospel with people, no matter what the outcome would be. Stephen understood the power in the great commission (Matthew 28:19) and was not willing to stop for anything. So I leave you with a scenario: you’re at church listening to the pastor’s message when a man walks in with a gun. He claims he will shoot anybody that says they are a Christian, but will let those that deny God walk out. He has stayed true to his word: three have denied God and walked out, two lie dead. He walks up to you and sticks the gun to your head. “Do you believe in God?”

What is your answer?

#011 -Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross? (Part 1)

Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross? by Ben Schein

For many Christians, today is a very important day. Today is the day that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins; only to rise from the dead three days later. Many of us know that. We all celebrate that wonderful day when Jesus rose from the grave so we could have a relationship with him. But what do we say when someone asks us “Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross?” Do we have an answer to their questions? Well, lets take a look.

Jesus Was Brutally Beaten

Roman crucifixion was meant to be painful and slow.  Before Jesus even made it to the cross, the Roman officers beat him severely. Well, actually, they didn’t beat him: they flogged him. So you might be asking “what’s the difference?” The difference is that Roman flogging put the victim on the brink of death even before the actual crucifixion. The process was brutal. The Romans would take a leather whip and tie sharp pieces of fish bone on them, along with metal balls woven in. The victim (in this case, Jesus) would be tied to a post with his back exposed. The Roman soldier would then take the whip and strike the victim starting near the shoulders. As the bone and metal ball dug into the victim’s skin, it would rip down their entire back all in one fast motion. Think one time sounds bad? The Romans would do this to there victims 39 times! Each stroke would drive deeper and deeper into the skin and closer and closer to the spinal cord. Often times this flogging would result in hypovolemic shock. This simple means that the victim lost so much blood that his body couldn’t even function; this was the case with Jesus. One effect of hypovolemic shock is that you become very thirsty. We see the reality of this as Jesus hangs on the cross.

For more on this topic check out Lee Strobel’s video: The Case For Easter