Topic > Christian Beliefs
The Power of the Cross
Bill Crowder presents the centurion’s perspective on the crucifixion of Christ to encourage a deeper understanding of its significance and power to change lives.
Complete and Effective Divinity
Co-Resurrection. The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him. The Spirit of Jesus entering me rearranges my personal life before God. The resurrection of Jesus has given Him the authority to give the life of God to me, and the experiences of my life must now be built on the foundation of His life. I can have the resurrection life of Jesus here and now, and it will exhibit itself through holiness.
The idea all through the apostle Paul’s writings is that after the decision to be identified with Jesus in His death has been made, the resurrection life of Jesus penetrates every bit of my human nature.
“A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief”
“A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” is a description that not only helps us understand why Jesus can help us when we hurt, but it also shows that His heart breaks for a world lost in sin. Today on Discover the Word, we will talk about why the rejection Jesus endured can help us think […]
Why Forgive?
When a friend betrayed me, I knew I would need to forgive her, but I wasn’t sure that I could. Her words pierced deeply inside me, and I felt stunned with pain and anger. Although we talked about it and I told her I forgave her, for a long time whenever I’d see her I felt tinges of hurt, so I knew I still clung to some resentment. One day, however, God answered my prayers and gave me the ability to let go completely. I was finally free.
Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith, with our Savior extending…
Complete and Effective Decision About Sin
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Christ fulfills the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah 53
When Christ was crucified, the people who thought He was the Messiah were undoubtedly surprised! Yet, God had actually provided plenty of advance notice that it was going to happen! Today on Discover the Word, we will dig into one Old Testament prophecy that could have helped them make sense of what was happening. It’s […]
Our Best Friend
When I was twelve years old our family moved to a town in the desert. After gym classes in the hot air at my new school, we rushed for the drinking fountain. Being skinny and young for my grade, I sometimes got pushed out of the way while waiting in line. One day my friend Jose, who was big and strong for his age, saw this happening. He stepped in and stuck out a strong arm to clear my way. “Hey!” he exclaimed, “You let Banks get a drink first!” I never had trouble at the drinking fountain again.
Jesus understood…
Have I taken God for granted?
I’m back in court again. No, not that one. This one is an internal court of conflicting thoughts and feelings about my faith and my actions.
His Resurrection Destiny
Our Lord’s Cross is the gateway into His life. His resurrection means that He has the power to convey His life to me. When I was born again, I received the very life of the risen Lord from Jesus Himself.
Christ’s resurrection destiny— His foreordained purpose— was to bring “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). The fulfilling of His destiny gives Him the right to make us sons and daughters of God. We never have exactly the same relationship to God that the Son of God has, but we are brought by the Son into the relation of sonship. When our Lord rose from the dead, He rose to an absolutely new life— a life He had never lived before He was God Incarnate.
A Shepherd for Life
When my son changed grades in school he lamented, “I want my teacher for life!” We had to help him realize that changing teachers is a part of life. We may wonder: Is there any relationship that can last a lifetime?
Jacob, the patriarch, found out there is one. After living through many dramatic changes and losing loved ones along the way, he realized there had been a constant presence in his life. He prayed, “May the God . . . who has been my shepherd all my life to this day . . . bless these boys” (Genesis 48:15–16).
Jacob had…
The surprising power of Christ’s love
This week on Discover the Word the group has gotten to know a man named Malchus—an obscure character in the Easter story. So why do all four gospel writers tell us his story and why do they give us his name? What came of Malchus’s encounter with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? It’s a story […]
Does God Have a Blueprint For Our Lives?
If you want a 21st-century snapshot of the tower of Babel, you should visit Belgium’s Brussels Airport. I recently had a short layover there while on my way home from a trip abroad.
The Collision of God and Sin
The Cross of Christ is the revealed truth of God’s judgment on sin. Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the Cross of Christ. It was the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell. There is nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross— He made it possible for the entire human race to be brought back into a right-standing relationship with God. He made redemption the foundation of human life; that is, He made a way for every person to have fellowship with God.
The Cross was not something that happened to Jesus— He came to die; the Cross was His purpose in coming.
“What the deaf man heard”
Today on Discover the Word we continue our study on Malchus, a man who comes to learn of Christ’s love in one of the most unorthodox ways imaginable—by getting his ear chopped off! An interesting conversation about “what the deaf man heard” right here on Discover the Word!
When I Couldn’t Feel God
I glanced across the hall. There were hundreds of people, all from different states across Malaysia, gathered together for the annual convention organized by my church.
