On March 20, my then-4 year old son was kicked by a horse.
It was a freak accident. He was in the barn at my in-laws' house, a horse got out into the yard, and an excited little boy ran up behind it to get a closer look. Before anyone could even react, he was kicked square in the chest and neck and launched across the yard. All I could think as I ran to him was, "There is no way he survived that impact." And as I picked his limp body up, I thought my fears were reality. Until, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds, he gargled and began to cry. I screamed, "HE'S ALIVE!!!"
The Lord protected him that day, and he baffled all the doctors at Children's Hospital as he had not one broken bone, no internal injuries... and he was up playing and laughing the next day. He came out of that experience with only a few broken teeth.
Though he didn't die, I thought for a few moments that he had. So when I realized I was joyfully wrong, all I could say is, "HE'S ALIVE!" And I ran around telling everybody that for about 2 weeks. He's alive. My son is alive. Praise God, my son is alive.
The whole ordeal gave me a tiny morsel of what the disciples must have felt three days after the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. Just a morsel. Because Jesus was really dead. Beaten, crucified, hung on display for people to walk by and insult him, dying on that cross in the worst agony as God was pouring out judgment on Him for the sin of the world. Stabbed with a spear. Laid in a tomb. Dead. He's gone, our Teacher, our Rabbi, our Master... we watched Him die.
Imagine what was going through their minds the next 2 days. "Now what? We left everything to follow Him, and He's gone."
Those brief couple days must have felt like months. But on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples. How did they react? Luke 24:41 uses an interesting phrase, they "disbelieved for joy." In other words, they exclaimed, "I can't believe it!", with smiles and tears, I'm sure.
He's alive. HE'S ALIVE! And that means everything.
His promises are true, He always keeps His Word. "...Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things...and be killed, and on the third day be raised." (Matthew 16:21)
Satan and death are defeated. "...through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil..." (Hebrews 2:14)
We can be forgiven of our sins and made alive. "For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:10-11)
God help us to never lose the impact that those first disciples felt. We are not following the moral teachings of a dead Jewish man from ancient history. We have been pardoned from sin, restored to God, and given life.
Because HE'S ALIVE!
p.s. - "I died, and behold I am alive forevermore." (Revelation 1:18)
Who killed Jesus?
It's a question that has fueled hatred and controversy since that first "Good Friday". Who is tho blame for the crucifixion of the Son of God?
Some have put it on the Romans. Crucifixion was the Roman form of execution, Pilate could have released Jesus, Roman guards nailed him to that cross. But ultimately, it wasn't the Romans who killed Jesus.
Others blame the religious leaders. They were always after Him. Caiaphas and company made it their life's ambition to find a way to kill Him (Matthew 26:4, John 11:53), so surely they could be credited as the ones who killed Jesus.
It has to be Judas Iscariot, right? Luke 22:3-6 even says that Satan entered Judas, who went to the aforementioned religious leaders to cash in on selling Jesus out. Wait, maybe Satan is to blame, then. No and no, ultimately it is neither Judas nor Satan who killed Jesus.
Constantine and Martin Luther are among those who had a disdain for the Jews, because they have to be credited for killing Jesus. John 7:1 says the Jews were seeking to kill him. It was the Jews who demanded his death in John 19:7. Can we blame an entire nation of people, even those alive today, for killing Jesus? No. Repent from the anti-Semitism, God has not forsaken His chosen nation, read Romans 9-11. It was not the Jews who killed Jesus.
The answer is astounding. According to the Bible... God killed Jesus!
Isaiah 53, written long before Jesus Christ walked the earth, is prophecy all about Him and His ministry. Verse 10 says, "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him, he has put him to grief..." Let that sink in for a while. Who killed Jesus? It was the will of the Lord to crush Him. Some translations say it PLEASED the LORD to crush Him!
Wha...? So the next question is easy: WHY?! Well, the answer is right there in the next line: "when his soul makes an offering for sin." God the Father was the one who killed God the Son, it was the Father's will! Jesus knew this, of course. In John chapter 10, Jesus was talking about laying down His life. John 10:18 says, "No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (emphasis mine)
Jesus knew that His death on the cross was the will of His Father, so in His perfect obedience, He was nailed to the cross.
The result of this sacrifice is also in Isaiah 53. Verse 11 says that His death was to make many to be accounted righteous, bearing their iniquities. To those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this is why we look back to the cross on Good Friday. My sin and your sin, our rebellion, is spitting in the face of our Holy Creator. We deserve to be punished, but on the cross, God the Father poured out His wrath on Jesus Christ. Upon receiving Him, God pronounces us not guilty! We can be perfectly righteous in God's eyes, not by anything we can do, but because of what Jesus Christ accomplished.
So God killed Jesus. And He did it so you and I could be forgiven.
p.s. - "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." -2 Corinthians 5:21
Are you full?
Well, it looks like we are about to start another new diet in our family. Not that I am complaining (much), because it is for our kids. And I can stand to lose a couple (dozen) pounds.
I know I need a new diet, I just don't want one. Why? Because like everyone else in the world, I trained my appetite. Appetites don't just happen, you and I train them, whether they are good or bad. You may be hungry for the salad, I am hungry for the pizza. People like me have a problem staying full, because we fill up on junk. Junk is a quick fix, but it never satisfies.
This is true spiritually. People aren't hungry for the truth of God's Word because they have filled up on the junk of the world, which never satisfies. But the good news is, like our physical appetites, our spiritual appetites can change - if we can discipline ourselves to start filling up on the right things.
Many people come to Jesus with an appetite for the wrong thing. "What can Jesus do for me? Jesus, make me rich! Jesus, get me outta this mess I put myself in. Jesus, make me happy!"
And then they leave disappointed, thinking the problem is Jesus!
In John 6, Jesus fed 5000 men, and afterwards the disciples crossed the sea by boat, but Jesus just decided to walk over... on the sea! When the crowds went looking for Him (6:25-26), they found him, but they were interested in more free lunch! Jesus even called them out on it: "...you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."
Everyone wants a free lunch, but Jesus made it clear what they really needed, and what they needed to be seeking! In verse 27, He commanded, "Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." Where can I get a loaf of that? Jesus said (v35), "I am the bread of life."
Coming to Jesus means receiving Jesus, not just looking for what Jesus can give me, but receiving Jesus Himself.
Church-goers everywhere face this every Sunday. They go to church with wrong expectations, and then blame the church when they don't get what they think they need. They always feel unsatisfied, because they weren't ready to receive the One who satisfies our deepest spiritual need.
Satisfaction can only come through Jesus Christ. We don't need reformation, we need transformation. We don't need a quick fix, we need life! And only Jesus can give life.
Like the song goes, "Above all else, Jesus, give me yourself."
So what about you? Are you satisfied?
Frequently Asked Questions...
This church planting experience has been quite amazing so far... and it just keeps getting better as the Lord brings more people to join our Core Group, send other people our way, and pray for us.
This is all a "first" for me. I never imagined I would even be a pastor... but a church planter? The Lord brought me into this, so I have no doubt He will make perfect provision and guide us every step of the way.
There are a few questions that come up repeatedly (some more than others) when I hold Open Houses, lead Core Group meetings, and meet people over coffee. These are great questions, so I thought I would get some answers frontloaded here on the blog. (Blogging is also new to me, so I think that this is allowed.)
Q: Where is the church going to be?
A: This first Harvest Bible Chapel church plant is going to be in the Wexford - Warrendale - Cranberry area. Population growth and accessibility are just two of the reasons our leadership locally and in Chicago have determined to plant here. .
Q: Where is the church going to be?
A: Didn't I just cover that? Next ques... oh, you mean, like, what building? My bad. I am working on meeting location. Currently our Core Group meetings are held at the home of one of our Core Group members, e-mail me for that info. But as for what building are we meeting in on Sunday mornings when we launch in September...? I have been checking out places already and have some calls out to others. I will let you know when I have something. Pray for this, won't you? I want to be where the Lord would have us, perhaps He will give us a facility!
Q: What about the role of women in the church?
A: We encourage women to be involved in every area of ministry the Bible permits! This excludes the roles of pastors and elders which the Bible indicates are roles carried out by men.
Q: Is this just the start of another denomination? How does this plant fall under the authority of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago?
A: First off, we are not a denomination. We are a non-denominational church. Further, we are a local, self governing, independent, autonomous church. Until we have our own elders in place, we are receiving leadership from "Big" Harvest in Chicago. They are gracious in their involvement to help us get going. But even after we have our own elders, we will always be part of the Harvest family of churches all over the world!
Q: Do we really need another church, especially in this area you are planting?
A: Do we need another church that boldly proclaims the Word, passionately worships Jesus Christ, cries out to the Lord for His Work to be done through His people, and boldly shares the good news of the Gospel to a lost and dying world? We need a church like that on every corner.
At Harvest, we seek clarity, simplicity, and urgency in all we do. If your question is not answered on this website or in this blog, e-mail me! You can ask anything!
To God be the Glory!
p.s. - "In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever." -Psalm 44:8