You’ve probably heard the story of a little boy sitting in a church and asking his mom who were the people in the stained glass windows. She told him that they were saints. And after awhile the boy responded “Oh, I know who the saints are. They’re the ones that let the light in.” Exactly. The saints are the ones that let the Light in. Just like Jesus told us: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be…
What is the calling of every Christian? God knows each of us uniquely and he has a particular plan for every one of us. But there is also a general call for every Christian. What could it be? Jesus answers: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in…
If you’ve ever needed proof that God’s thinking is not the way the world thinks, here it is. Just read the story of the great commission and be amazed: Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing…
Do you remember the Bible story of Jesus coming back to separate people from each other like a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-)? At the first glimpse it looks like the reason why some are saved is based on their works when Jesus reveals ‘I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you…
Blaise Pascal’s famous quote “Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ” gives us a lot to ponder. It states that Christ is the only way to God. But that’s not so surprising. It is one of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. But the second part -that states that we can’t even know ourselves without Christ- can sound a bit odd for many. How could our identity…
Father, Son and Who? Way too often we are missing the Holy Spirit in our lives. We do believe. But we’re uncomfortable when it comes to the Spirit of God. Why? Is it too wild? Too unpredictable? Too intangible? I hear you. But would you really prefer a tamed God in a cage? Of course not. The Holy Spirit is a gift, it’s God here and now. This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has…
Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out to the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:…
Today it’s been 40 days since Easter. Something very important happened on this day. Something worth of celebrating. Something that establishes Jesus as Lord of all. Something that affirms our identity and place in God’s plans. As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. Rather, you will…
I do admit it right away: The resurrection of Jesus Christ sounds crazy. It’s absolutely foolish for our rational minds. It is hard to fathom that God the Father raised God the Son from the dead. But God the Spirit awakens us to believe. Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3-4, CEB) The same way that salvation is God’s…
People try to fill the emptiness they feel inside with so many different things without succeeding. One way to avoid feeling emptiness is to stay extremely busy and connected with the world all the time. Hence they don’t have time to ponder why they are so restless and unhappy. But if you don’t take time to sit still, you can’t really hear God. And like Augustinus has said it so well “God, you have made us for yourself, and our…
