Nailed to a Cross. Why?

Execution by crucifixion was a horrible way to be put to death. Being nailed to wooden timbers placed upright to increase the pain and make breathing to be agonizing. So why did Jesus allow Himself to go through such torture?

In my previous blog post I wrote about the time that Jesus calmed a raging storm simply by speaking a few words. Surely He could have stopped the crucifixion before a single hammer blow had struck the first nail into His flesh. But He did nothing to prevent the soldiers from doing their cruel work. He even prayed "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" as they cast lots for His garments as He hung there. (Luke 23:34)

I have experienced some pain in my life, such as when I broke my leg or was recovering from surgery. But that was nothing compared to crucifixion. Why did Jesus let Himself be nailed to a cross and stay there for those hours until He finally yielded up His spirit, declared "It is fisnished" and died?

God is holy and just and so there are consequences to sinning against Him. We have sinned against God, all of us.

Religions and even most non-religious concepts of what we're all about acknowledge that we're not what we ought to be. So they prescribe ways of making ourselves better in some way or another. Perhaps to reach a higher spiritual level of some sort. Perhaps to be a better person, or more successful, or more acceptable to others or ourselves.

But Biblical Christianity it about something quite different. It is about Jesus and why He was nailed to a cross.

In the Bible God declares that sin is so serious that the consequence of it is death. In the Old Testament it is written that "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezek 18:20) and in the New Testament it is written:  "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23)

When God made known His Law to Moses it included a system of demonstrating what needed to be done in response to our sins. It commanded that when a person sinned, a blemish free animal would be slain in his place, because, as it is written in Hebrews 9:22 "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." ESV

But as important as the Law was in letting men know God's perspective on our sinning against Him, the slaying of those animals did not take away the sins of the people. "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Heb 10:4) ESV

It would take something far greater than the slaying of an animal or change of our behavior to take away sins.

 That something took place when Jesus was nailed to the cross for our sins. Jesus was a real man, conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. He was both the Son of God and Son of Man. He lived a real life as a babe, child, and man. He never once sinned. That made Him the one and only one whose shedding of blood, being put to death, on our behalf could be the perfectly acceptable sacrifice to grant forgiveness for our sins.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, (Ephesians 1:7) ESV

 That is why Jesus let Himself be nailed to a cross, to suffer, bleed, and then die when He yielded up His spirit. There is no other way for us to have our sins forgiven and for us to become righteous in the sight of God.  There is no keeping of rules or spiritual teachings, even the Law of God, that can make us righteous before God. Indeed, "if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Gal 2:21) ESV

Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross, and did die for a glorious purpose. This was the only way for our sins to be forgiven.

Do you want your sins to be forgiven? There is only one way for that to happen. Believe in Jesus as your Savior whose death on the cross was the only thing to pay for your sins. Then get to know Jesus as both your Savior and Lord as you read about Him in Scripture. If you do that you will be eternally thankful that He let Himself be nailed to that cross.

Jesus said, Peace, Be Still.

 In my previous blog post I pointed out that the verse of Scripture that says "Be still and know that I am God" was not about enhancing our prayer life but instead was an admonition to nations making war with one another.

Well, there was a day in the life of Jesus when He said "peace, be still." The disciples heard Him say it. But they didn't get the impression that He was instructing them in a more spiritual way of quiet prayer. As it happens, Jesus wasn't even talking to them when He said those words.

Mar 4:37-39  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ESV

The first chapter of the gospel written by John calls Jesus the Word and says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3) ESV

Since Jesus made everything that was made, then He had the ability to do anything at all with it. You and I can fashion things that already exist, modifying their shape, color, rearranging things to some extent. But Jesus can do anything with anything. So when He said "Peace. Be still." to the storm, that storm stopped and there was a great calm.

Notice that the description of the event doesn't merely say the stormy wind eased up or quieted down. It says the wind ceased and there was not just a calm but a great calm.

The effect on the weather was profound, and so was the affect of this miracle on the disciples, Did they, too, become really calm now that the storm was gone and there was no longer any danger of their boat sinking? Well, not exactly. Jesus spoke to them.

"He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?'  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"  (Mark 4:40-41) ESV

The disciples had seen Jesus heal the sick and disabled. They'd seen Him exercise authority over demons. But the disciples still did not know how incredible His power was. But now they'd seen Him go from taking a nap in the midst of a raging storm, to completely calming that storm with just a few words.

It is right and proper to fear such power and authority. This same Jesus did die on the Cross as the one acceptable sacrifice to pay for our sins, but He did so not because He was powerless to prevent it. He could have slain all the soldiers in the Roman army with a single word. But had He done that, no one could be cleansed of their sins and be acceptable to God. But He did die on the Cross, and it was the acceptable sacrifice, so on the third day He rose from the grave with an incorruptible body.

He rose from the grave, and after demonstrating to many He was indeed alive, He returned to Heaven. But He's coming back. He's coming back to judge the living and the dead. For those who have believed in Him and what He did on the Cross, and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior, it will be a time of great rejoicing. For those who have rejected Him, there will be no joy, because whether they want it or not, believe it or not, they will learn that Jesus has power and authority even over them.

When Jesus was here in the flesh He said "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" Luke 12:5 ESV

The disciples who saw Jesus calm the storm were right to be fearfully awed by that demonstration of the power and authority of Jesus. But eleven of them had no need to fear what He might do with them one day. Jesus not only has the authority to cast into hell, He also is the One who gives eternal life.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  (John 17:1-3)  ESV

Do you want to not quake with dreadful fear due to storms or the One who has authority over everything including our eternal destinies? Then come to know God and Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became a man to die on the Cross for our sins.

How Dare We Disort the Word of God?

Are you guilty of distorting the Word of God?  Have you ever taken a verse of Scripture and put your meaning into it rather than honestly seek to know what God is actually saying?

I've been guilty of that. I've ignored the verses that came before and after a verse and used that single verse to justify what was in fact merely my own opinion. But I say now to myself and every other Christian, how dare we distort the Word of God!

I'm upset and deeply grieved that distorting Scripture is becoming commonplace and acceptable to all too many who profess to be Christians.

There are some who use select verses of the Bible to condone their own sin. There are others who misuse Scripture verses to embrace spiritual practices that are rooted in religions that deny that Jesus is the only way to God.

One example of this kind of distortion is what many have done with their teaching about prayer. Rather than see that prayers throughout Scripture are both understandable and about specific needs and expressions of praise and worship, people are introducing non-Biblical forms of prayer based on Eastern religions or new age teachings. They want prayer to be not just us talking to God but also God talking to us. They want to teach us yoga or other non-Biblical methods to enhance our ability to "hear" God when we pray.

There are those who cite the experience Elijah had in the cave when he heard the "still small voice" (KJV) or "gentle whisper" (NIV) (1 Kings 19:12). They say we should seek that sort of thing when we pray.

But wait a minute. Was hearing that "still small voice" something that God wants all Christians to learn how to experience? Let's take a closer look at the actual context of that verse:

1Ki 19:9  There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1Ki 19:10  He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
1Ki 19:11  And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
1Ki 19:12  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.
1Ki 19:13  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1Ki 19:14  He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
1Ki 19:15  And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
1Ki 19:16  And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.
1Ki 19:17  And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.
1Ki 19:18  Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

Did you notice how God spoke quite clearly and plainly to Elijah again and again in that passage? Of course when God speaks He expects us to pay attention and obey what He says. In verse 18 God told Elijah to "Go out on the mount and stand before the Lord."  Then, in verse 19, which is after the "gentle whisper,"  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

When Elijah was in the cave, God spoke to him clearly, and told him to go out. Apparently Elijah did not go out to directly witness the demonstration of wind, earthquake and fire that God caused but was not in. So the next thing Elijah heard was only a gentle whisper. No clear, understandable voice. So Elijah then complied with the Lord's command, and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

What was said in that whisper? There's no we can know that. But is it all likely that it was words of spiritual closesness involving a deepening relationship? Both before and after the whisper God essentially had clearly asked Elijah why he was hiding out in that cave. Both times Elijah gave the same  excuse. After the second time of giving that excuse, God filled in what was really going on and what was about to happen.

Perhaps that whisper was simply God giving the same command to come out and stand on the mountain in a softer voice. Both parents and employers will sometimes use a softer, not louder, voice to convey they are quite serious in what they are saying and the child or employee had better listen. Or maybe the softness of the whisper made Elijah think that if he didn't respond to God's command to come out of the cave that if God spoke again it would be so soft that he wouldn't be able to hear it at all. Whatever it was, the Holy Spirit knew it was not meant to be included in Scripture for us to read.

In any case, Elijah then decided to obey the command to come out, and did so after wrapping his face in his cloak. He must have known that actually seeing God could very well be blinding or even fatal.

When Elijah did what God had commanded him, God once again spoke plainly to him rather than in a low whisper. Got repeated what He’d already said, and then went on to speak more things that He wanted him to hear and for us to read in Scripture for many generations.

Another popular verse that is applied in a distorted out of context fashion is from Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” But is that from a section of Scripture teaching about how we should pray? Look for yourself at the entire verse along with comes before and after it.

Psa 46:6  Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Psa 46:7  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psa 46:8  Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
Psa 46:9  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
Psa 46:10  He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psa 46:11  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Look at the “Be still, and know that I am God” as part of this section of the Word of God as it talks about nations in an uproar and then God intervening. He lifts His voice, the earth melts. Desolations He has brought on the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the shields with fire. Having done all that, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’”

Psalm 46 is not a teaching about prayer! Psalm 46 is a description of God judging and putting an end to nations doing what they want to do in fighting with one another. God is going to have the final say, and put an end to petty warfare with a blazing judgment that will leave nations with no choice but to be still and know that He is God, and He will be exalted no matter what any nation or any person might want to do otherwise.

All who distort the word of God either through intentional twisting of Scripture, or wanton disregard of proper study of the Bible, should be ashamed of themselves. I regret ever having unintentionally misrepresented God by misusing a verse or passage of Scripture. Let us all take great care in what we say or write when we teach what God has put in His Bible.

Let’s be like Paul in what he wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 4:2 “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.”  NIV

Let us heed Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” NIV

I don’t want to distort the word of God. I don’t want to be a worker who is ashamed. I desperately and diligently want to correctly handle the word of truth.

Let’s pray for one another. Let us pray for all who seek to teach what the Bible says. May what we teach only be what God has truly proclaimed in His written Word.

Rocks and People

I like rocks and I like people. They're both very interesting to me. I like how they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Some rocks look good enough to function as decorations in the yard. Those rocks look especially good if washed and polished before being put on display. People also look better when washed and properly groomed before putting themselves on display for others to see. However, unlike rocks, people have a tendency wander off rather than stay put where you place them, so they generally don't serve well as yard ornaments.

Rocks and people can increase their usefulness when gathered into groups. Here in New England where we have a great many rocks lying around, many of them have been assembled into walls around homes, or even entire farms. Some of those walls have outlasted the home or farms they once surrounded.

People also sometimes form into lines to protect something or somebody. They can even form lines to promote or protest common interests.

One of most practical and useful things that can be done with large numbers of hewn rocks is to construct a building. There are small houses, castles and even churches that are made extensively with rocks cut into specific shapes to fit together and be sturdy for many years, even centuries.

 In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Christ is called the Rock. And in Peter's first letter he wrote, "As you come to Him, the living Stone--rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV

  Just think, those of us who are Christians, know the Rock who is the living Stone, and we are living stones with Him being built into a spiritual house where God is worshiped. Indeed, that's something to think about and enjoy forever.

Wind, Snow, and Rain, Oh My!

Another storm came our way, but in our area only a few inches of snow were expected. No problem. We'd already had a blizzard and other storms come through in the past month or so.

Well, those few inches of snow fell, and the winds blew, but the storm didn't lighten up. The wind kept blowing and the snow kept falling, and soon more than a foot of the cold white stuff piled up. But even with that the storm did not subside. All day yesterday, and last night and into this afternoon.

When I went down to check the mail I looked out to the front of our apartment building. Where there had been bare pavement a couple of days ago there was now two feet a snow!

Thankfully my wife and I live in a town that is no where near the ocean. Towns along the shore had snow and rain and winds of over 50 miles per hour in this storm Waves crashed over sea walls, flooding roads and damaging homes.

My grandfather liked to have a summer home that would be near enough to the ocean for his family to cool off in the hot weather. But when he bought a house on Cape Cod he made sure it was over a mile from the beach. He had seen too many houses near the beaches that had great views of the ocean during the good weather, but often were damaged or destroyed during winter storms.

Once again, with this storm, houses were lost to the effects of the wind swept snow, rain, and crashing waves.

Sandy beaches are nice to walk on, or lie on. Kids like to play in the sand with their little shovels and pails, even building sand castles.

But sand is a very poor foundation for a home. Storms with snow or rain and high winds can destroy a house in a matter of hours.

Losing a house to a storm can be devastating, so it's best to take care how it is built, where it is built, and what kind of foundation it has.

Even more important than the right foundation for our homes is the foundation we have for our lives.

  Jesus said: "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:2i6-27 ESV

Is Christ Resurrected?

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Cor 15:17)  ESV

When Jesus was crucified and died, a soldier thrust a spear into His side to make absolutely sure He was dead. His body was placed in a sealed tomb and guards were stationed by it to make sure His disciples couldn't steal it and make up a story that He rose from the dead.

Of course the disciples were in no shape to attempt to steal the body. They were in hiding, wondering who'd be next to be arrested, tried, convicted and put to death.

But on the third day the body was gone. The soldiers couldn't explain how a dead body could have been taken from a sealed tomb that they were guarding, so they were paid to spread a preposterous lie that the disciples of Jesus had stolen the body. Of course if that had been the case the guards would have been executed for failing to do their duty.

Jesus died for a purpose. He was the Son of God who chose to be born as a human, so that He could live a sinless life and then be sacrificed not for His sins, of which there were none, but for our sins. He even saw to it that His death would take place at Passover, when spotless lambs were slain to commemorate the time when the angel of death had passed over the households of those Israelites who put blood from spotless lambs on their doorposts in obedience to God's command.

The resurrection of Jesus on the third day demonstrated that His Father accepted the sacrifice on the cross that Jesus had made for our sins. If He had not risen from the dead then it would have meant the sacrifice was unacceptable, and there was no atonement for our sins. We would all still be under the sentence of death and rejection by God and there would be nothing that we could do about it. Calling ourselves Christians would be a waste of breath, because believing in Jesus Christ and what He did would be worthless.

Jesus did rise from the dead. He did show Himself to His disciples and many others who were so sure of having seen Him after He rose from the dead that they couldn't deny it even when jailed, tortured, or executed.

Having faith in Jesus Christ, and His death in our place, and His glorious resurrection, is what gives us hope. It is the only hope that has a firm foundation that can and will hold up for all eternity.

Take the time to read the Bible, especially the New Testament. In those pages you can find truth and hope. Take the time to see what God wants you do know from His written Word.

Oh, want to know where the body of Jesus is today? In heaven. He rose with a resurrection body that cannot ever die. One day those who believe in Him will also have resurrected bodies that can no longer get sick or die and they will be with Jesus forever as well.

How Should We do Whatever We Do?

Col 3:17 & 23-24 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. ESV

Every other Saturday a small group gets together in our home to look at and discuss a portion of Scripture. A few of the verses we looked at this past Saturday were the ones quoted above. In between verse 17 and verses 23 and 24 Paul made it clear that he wasn't just referring to what we do in church. Doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus should be reflected how we live, whether we're husbands, wives, children, parents, or even bondservants.

Nowhere in Colossians 3:17-24 does it limit how we are to treat others based on whether we think they deserve it or not. It doesn't tell us husbands to love our wives and not be harsh with them if they behave to our liking or unless they aggravate us. It doesn't tell bondservants to obey their masters if and when they happen to like how they're being treated.

In this passage of Scripture, each of the instructions given to particular groups of people is based on doing things in the name of the Lord. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior that we are His, and we represent Him in whatever we do and wherever we go.

How does Jesus want us husbands to relate to our wives? How does Jesus want wives to relate to their husbands? How does He want parents to relate to their children, and the children to their parents? How does He want servants or employees to relate to those for whom they serve in the workplace?

We can know how we are go go about doing things from what we learn from Scripture. We can learn what Jesus said and did, and what His followers explained in their writings in Scripture. It is so good to check back with what's written because we can get caught up in present circumstances and act on our feelings rather than according to how Jesus wants us to live.

Hopefully this little blog post can help remind you (and me) of how we should do whatever we do as we live out each day. Jesus is worthy of our paying attention to doing things His way. Not to earn salvation, for He's given that as a free gift. But simply because doing things His way expresses our love and appreciation for who He is and what He's done.

Who is Seeking Whom?

Rom 3:10-12  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."  ESV

Have you heard the term "seeker-sensitve" referring to how Christians should be sensitive to people who don't believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord? Whenever I hear words or phrases that are being used by a growing number of Christians I can't help but want to understand what God has to say about it in Scripture.

If becoming "seeker-sensitve" means to become more like the world so worldly people will find us more attractive then I would reject the concept since we are told to "not be conformed to this world." Romans 12:2 ESV.

Indeed, the verse I opened this blog post with says "no one seeks for God" (Roman 3:10-12). Does that mean there are no seekers out there? To get the answer to that I did some Scripture searching, which I believe is the best way to find answers from God's perspective.

I found a place in the book of Acts which does use the phrase "seek God." The passage tells of when Paul was in Athens and spoke to them about how religious they were with all their idols, including one to to the unknown God. He told those people that the God who was unknown to them was indeed the God who had made the world and everything in it, and that from the one man He had made all mankind that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Paul also told them that He is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In him we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:27-28)

Those in Athens and elsewhere in the world often wanted to be religious so they invented their own gods, and imagined what those gods were like. But none of their imaginary gods was like the one true God who made everything that was made including mankind.

For those in Athens it wasn't until Paul spoke to them that they heard about the one true God. Regarding the true God, he told them:  "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,  because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."   Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." Acts 17:30-32 ESV

God had revealed some things about Himself in the things He made.(Romans 1:18-32) But men chose to reject that and worship what they wanted to worship and do the foolish and ungodly things they wanted to do.

So it seems from Scripture that people on their own are not apt to seek to know the one true God, even with seeing all that He has made in Creation.. But that does not stop God from having people come to Him. He sent His only begotten Son to come in the flesh, as Son of God and Son of Man.

And what was His Son, Jesus, sent to do? Jesus answered that when He said: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10) ESV

Jesus also declared, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." (John 6:44) ESV amd "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.(John 14:6) ESV

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The ones who came to Him and were saved were those whom the Father drew to Jesus. That was true then and it is true today. No one comes to the Father except through His Son, Jesus.

But Jesus in the flesh is in Heaven now, not here walking on the earth. So how does the Father draw them to Jesus to be saved today? When Jesus was here on earth He knew whom the Father was drawing and Jesus called them to follow Him.

Reading through the New Testament I found that again and again Christians are referred to as the "you who are called," "those who are called," and "you have been called."

 And in Paul's letter to the Thessalonians he wrote: "To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thes 2:14)


When the people in Athens heard Paul tell them about the one true God and the need to repent because of the coming judgement by the Man who was raised from the dead, there were some who mocked, but others who were interested in hearing more. The same is true today. There are some who mock Jesus, and there are others who are willing to hear more about Him.

What is the difference between those who mock and those who are open to hear more? I believe Jesus answered that question when He said that no one comes to Him unless the Father draws Him. I believe that among the people in Athens who wanted to hear more were those who were being drawn to Jesus.

When Jesus was here in the flesh He called people to come and follow Him. Those who followed Him heard Him tell about who He was, and that He would suffer, die, and be raised again.

On the day of Pentecost when Peter spoke about who Jesus really was, including how He been crucified, died, raised from the dead, and was now exalted at the right hand of God. The people heard the truth about Jesus, whom they had crucified, and they were shaken to the core.

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"  And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."  (Acts 2:37-39) ESV

Notice the forgiveness of sins and gift of the Holy Spirit was for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.


On the day of Pentacost Peter told the crowd about Jesus and the need to repent and be baptized for forgiveness of their sins. Those who believed were the ones God had called. They heard the truth about Jesus, they believed what they heard, and they therefore repented of their sins and turned to Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Sharing of the gospel, the news of who Jesus is and what He has done, is our part in how God brings people to salvation. God does the drawing. But He uses the gospel to bring people to turn from their sin and to Jesus and His death on the Cross as their only means of forgiveness and redemption.

Paul. knew how essential it was to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Cor 1:17-18 he wrote:  "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.  For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." ESV

Do you know the gospel? Do you know how different it is from everything else that calls itself a religion? The gospel is not about what you can do to win the favor of some supernatural entity. That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel is that Jesus Christ is and always was God. He chose to become a man, being born as a baby with a real flesh and bone body like you and me. He grew up and told us who He was. People rejected that, condemned Him to die even though He was perfectly sinless. He was crucified, suffering and dying for our sins. Then He rose from the dead with a resurrection body that can never die again. He is in Heaven now and He will return, and He will judge all who reject Him.

The gospel is who Jesus the only begotten Son of God is and what He has done. Believe in Jesus as the only Savior and Lord, and your own Savior and Lord, and you have forgiveness of your sins and everlasting life with Him. Those who are called will know and believe that the gospel is true, and they will accept the free gift of salvation.

Who is seeking whom? God is seeking those whom He has called. How is He calling people?: He is using the gospel. That's what Jesus did. That's what Peter did. That's what Paul did. That is what we should be prepared to do. We can't save anybody, but we can share the gospel and God can use that as He calls people to Himself.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. If you are already a Christian I hope this post will encourage you to be prepared to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. If you are not a Christian I hope you will pray to God that He shows you that the gospel is true and that He wants you to believe in His Son Jesus as your Savior and Lord. You will be eternally thankful if you do that, and you will eternally regret it if you reject it. I hope and pray you will come to know that God is calling you to Himself through the gospel of Jesus Christ.