I love the words of the angels to the disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven. After instructing them to remain together in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit, Jesus simply arose from the earth and disappeared into a cloud. From out of nowhere, two angels suddenly stood beside the disciples, saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, [...]
There’s a difference between knowing… and knowing. The disciples knew that Jesus was going to be raised up on the third day. He had told them so. He had explained it in so many words. But they just didn’t get it. Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. [...]
It began with the scourging. The Romans were experts at devising torture. A scourge was not just a whip; it was designed to dig into and tear up the flesh. The scourging Jesus received was so severe that He was unable to carry His own cross to His execution (Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26). And crucifixion was more than just a public execution. It wasn’t relatively quick like a hanging or beheading or lethal injection. Crucifixion [...]
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus knew full well what He was about to suffer. As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to [...]
Sometimes people wonder, “Is Jesus really the only way? Is there truly no path to salvation through any other? Why Jesus?” After the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus, His childhood years were spent in relative anonymity. We get a glimpse of Jesus at twelve years of age when He went with His family to attend the Passover Feast in Jerusalem. Traveling with a large caravan as they journeyed home, Jesus’ parents did not [...]
Thomas Chisholm (1866-1960) lived an ordinary life. Born in a log cabin in Kentucky, he became a teacher at age sixteen. Chisholm enjoyed writing poetry and at twenty-one, he became associate editor of his town newspaper in Franklin, Kentucky. At twenty-seven, Chisholm received Christ as his Savior under the revival ministry of Dr. Henry Clay Morrison. He moved to Louisville to become the editor and business manager of Dr. Morrison’s Pentecostal Herald. At the age [...]
David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.” (1Chr. 21:13) What does mercy mean to you? Noah Webster described mercy as, That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that [...]
When it comes to understanding the nature of God, love is at the center of many mysteries. If you have been following along with this series, we have touched on some difficult questions that arise when we consider the nature of God. For example, if it is true that God knows everything, if it is true that He is all-powerful and supreme in authority, if it is true that perfect righteousness and justice are integral [...]
Humanity has problems with the justice of God. On the one hand, people complain when God does not act, when evil appears to go unpunished and innocents suffer. On the other hand, people fear God’s strict standard of judgment. God is just, and as in all things, God’s justice is perfect and complete. His judgments are right and good. The real issue is that sin is a bigger problem than we like to admit. Sin [...]
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them. (Hosea 14:9) When it comes to righteousness, let me clarify something right from the beginning. When the Bible speaks of righteousness, it doesn’t mean self-righteousness. Human self-righteousness is prideful and arrogant. It is about proving I am right and [...]
