What must I do to be saved?

Holly LaFavers of Lexington, Kentucky was not prepared for what was on her doorstep in late April of this year.  There on her porch were 30 cases of Dum-Dum lollipops, each containing 2,340 suckers.  The order was from Amazon, and the invoice with the order showed that $4,200 was owed.

Holly knew she had not made such an order, but who had?  It didn’t take long to find that her son Liam was the culprit.  He had been playing with her smartphone when he secretly placed the order.  Obviously, Liam, a student in second grade, likes lollipops!

The mother spent most of the day trying to return the unwanted items.  At first Amazon agreed to take back only eight cases, leading the frantic mom to call friends and neighbors to try to sell what would be left over.  Later in the day Amazon agreed to do a full refund.  There is no word in the United Press article about the price young Liam will have to pay.

I’ve seen other stories of merchandise ordered by children without their parents’ knowledge.  But what concerns me more are what children are apt to see on the Internet without their parents’ knowledge.  Unwanted orders can eventually be returned or repaid, but what can be done to restore a child’s pure mind.  As someone once said, “There are things you can’t un-see.”

The Lord has given a mandate to parents on how to raise their children: “And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).  This echoes what had been said hundreds of years earlier in Deuteronomy 6:6.7: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children …”  Show children the right path in life by teaching them God’s word.

Many, however, are so busy with other matters that they often leave their children unsupervised.  When that’s combined with powerful technology, trouble is often the result.  Proverbs 29:15 was written long before phones or Internet, but its advice is timely: “… a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”  He may even order 70,000 lollipops!  Or worse.

A young man in the life of the apostle Paul turned out very well.  What was Timothy’s secret?  “… the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).  How did he develop their genuine faith?  “… from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15).  Timothy’s mother and grandmother took time to teach him God’s word.

Technology, like the world in general, can offer good things to children.  But they need close and loving supervision.  Above all else, they need to hear and see the love of God in their parents.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.

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Copyright, 2025, Timothy D. Hall

Jesus could easily have felt the loneliness of the cross as He surveyed those standing around. He saw the religious leaders who were hurling abuses at Him because they thought they had won the victory (Matthew 27:41-43; Luke 23:35). Some were just there to watch men die while others passed along and joined in the insulting (Matthew 27:39, 47; Mark 15:35-36; Luke 23:35). Even ten of His apostles had fled.

    The Women – At one time there were thousands who followed Him, even though it turned out they were following for the wrong reason (Matthew 15:32-39; John 6). But now at the end of His life ten of the eleven apostles had fled. At this most painful, lonely time, it seems only a few were still with Him, but what a great comfort they must have been! Luke recorded, “And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things” (23:49). Matthew names some of them, “Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee” [These would have been the apostles, James and John] (27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41). Speaking of the women from Galilee Mark said, “they use to follow Him and minister to Him” (15:41). Earlier in his record, Luke had given these interesting facts about those women from Galilee. He said, “some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses; Mary who was called Magdalene; from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means” (8:2-3). Notice these women had financially supported Jesus and His apostles! We now also see that they didn’t just support Him with their money, but they were physically at the cross. Even today it is sometimes easier to support the Lord and His work monetarily rather than being personally involved with Christ and His ministry through the church. The Lord needs those who are able to support His work generously financially, but He also needs people being involved in “hands-on-ministry.” Notice also that those who were supporting Jesus had received a benefit from Him.

    Application: The masses of people were not there to support Jesus. Neither were most of His apostles, but there were several women, whom the Holy Spirit saw fit to name who were there. In my 60+ years of ministry in local work, I have usually found that women were the most dedicated; the greatest workers; the most generous givers in proportion, in all the church. Even though God does not want women in leadership capacities in the public worship, God’s kingdom has advanced due to the work of women behind the scenes. Years ago, the late Ira North preached for the largest church of Chris tin the world. They had over 3,000 members. He said, “I can get more work done through the Ladies’ Bible Class than any other group.”

When people today realize the marvelous benefits Jesus has given them, they also will want to respond with generosity and cheerfulness to show appreciation. There are great works that Christian women, even widows have done to promote the kingdom.

Christian sisters, please do not feel that no one notices you and that you are worth nothing in the kingdom. God holds you in high esteem. I have always said that in the day of judgment if God lined people up from the greatest worker to the least worker, probably at the front of the line would be some poor widow whom the world had never known (Of course, this is an unscientific unsubstantiated statement). Probably, if Christ were crucified today, you Christian ladies would be there at the foot of His cross just like those ladies.

    Mary, the Mother of Jesus – Anyone who knows anything about Jesus and the Bible would have expected Jesus’ mother, Mary, to have been there. Can you imagine the pain as she beheld the mangled body of her beloved Son, the long-awaited Messiah as He hung on the cross? Mothers whose sons have committed great crimes, grieve for their sons, even if they are being executed.

How much of Jesus’ suffering Mary knew in advance, we may not know. But, she might have gotten a glimpse of her pain when Jesus was just a baby. Simeon said to her, “A sword will pierce even your own soul-to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).

It seems that Mary had been a widow for many years. Joseph, Mary’s husband, is only mentioned in connection with Jesus’ birth and when Jesus and the family were in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve. Other passages only speak of him being the earthly father of Jesus. It seems that Joseph was much older than Mary and had died years before. Jesus may have been Mary’s provider until He left home at the age of 30 to enter His ministry (Luke 3:23). Jesus had brothers and sisters (Matthew 13:55), but we learn that His brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). It is doubtful that Jesus’ brothers would have been at the cross and if they had been, more-than-likely, they would have been on the side of those who were putting Him to death.

One can see the love Jesus had for His mother in that He made provisions for her even while on the cross. “When Jesus then saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby; He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took her into his own household” (John 19:25-26). The phrase “disciple whom He loved” refers to John the apostle (John 13:23; 21:20, 24).

    Application: Mothers, you play such a vital role in your children’s lives. Because of your time in her womb, usually, there is a strong natural bond between the mother and her children. Even though the Bible exhorts fathers to bring them up in the Lord, a lot of that training falls to the mother. Use the time you have to build spiritual strength in your children so that they will stand near the cross, especially in difficult times.

    John, the Apostle – He is the only apostles who was at the cross. For some reason, he and Jesus had formed a very close bond. In the gospel record he wrote he always spoke of himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and at the end of the book we learn that this man was the writer of the book (John 21:24).

    Application: If you were alive when Jesus died, would you have been a “John” or one of the other apostles? You and I will never be where John was geographically, but we have the opportunity every day to be standing at the foot of Jesus’ cross. We do that when we defend His cause. We do that when we live so that Jesus would call us “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Christ needs more Johns who will stand at the foot of the cross and defend the Savior who wants to save all who will come to the cross.

    The Crowds – Luke gives a most intriguing insight when he wrote, “And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts” (23:48). Many others have been mentioned which did not include this group. The way Luke wrote this passage it seems these were just people “who came together to see this spectacle.” It doesn’t seem they were believers. They just came to see the crucifixion. But, something happened to them! They left “beating their breasts” which in biblical times was a sign of grief, especially over one’s sinful condition. See this idea in the publican about whom Jesus spoke in Luke 18:13.

It seems they were now convicted that Jesus was the Son of God and that they were now grieving over what they saw and were changed by those events. Remember, godly sorrow leads to repentance which leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10), Maybe these folks had taken the first step in obtaining forgiveness for their sins,

    Application: The sacrifices God the Father and Christ, the Son made when received in hearts that grieve over sin, can develop into great workers in the kingdom. We have already seen at the cross the thief who was saved, the centurion who came to believe, and now these who only came to be a spectator are now grieving.

What does the death of Jesus mean to you? Is it just a spectacle you have read about, or has it become a reality in your life? Do you see these events as history or as examples to follow? If you need our assistance in your next step in your spiritual journey, please contact me.

Wayne Burger

Jews in Jesus’ day believed that if you were wealthy, then that was a sign from God that He was pleased with you. It is so very dangerous to equate wealth with righteousness or, conversely, poverty with sinfulness.

The OT teaches that prosperity is a blessing from God: Deut. 28:1-14; Job 1:10; 42:10; Psalm 128; Prov. 10:22. It was a short jump from that theme to believing (incorrectly) that if one was wealthy, then God was pleased with one’s behavior.

WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? – 10:17-22:
First, Jesus draws attention to the man’s address to Jesus as “Good teacher” (ver. 18). No one is inherently good, except God “alone.” In this context, we believe Jesus is drawing this man’s attention to the “good God” who alone can tell man what to do to “inherit eternal life.”

What did the good God say to do to inherit eternal life? In verse 19, Jesus quotes six of the Ten Commandments. To this statement, the young man responded that he had done that since his youth (ver. 20). We should not be surprised at this statement nor think that the man was inappropriately bragging. The apostle Paul will say that relative to the righteousness that was required by the law, he was without blame (Phil. 3:6). What this means is that when they did violate the law, they would perform the sacrifices, rituals, and vows which the Law required. What the statement in verse 20 shows is that this young man was a serious Jew, but he was not saved.

Jesus looked intently into the man’s heart and felt love for him (ver. 21), which motivated Jesus to be honest with him. There was one thing remaining for this man to do: “sell all you possess and give to the poor.” In that way, the man could have his treasure in heaven. In essence, Jesus was telling him to “cut off his hand” or “pluck out his eye” (see 9:42-48). Then he could follow Jesus. It is clear from the subsequent text that this man was wealthy and loved his wealth and trusted that since he was wealthy, then God must have been largely pleased with him, at least with that aspect of his life. But he was trusting in his material possessions and not in his spiritual relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.

“To keep God’s commandments” does not mean that one believes he or she is saved by “works.” Obedience to God’s commandments is not the same thing as “salvation through works.” Even under the Law of Moses, Jews had to understand they were saved by faith in God (Hab. 2:4). Trust in God motivates one to fulfill God’s commandments and any requirements or stipulations God gives in order to be saved.

Jesus does not require all disciples to sell all they have in order to be right with Him. If everyone did this, the whole church of Christ would become beggars! The point, however, is the same as the teaching given in 8:34-38 and 9:43-48: we should not allow anything (including our possessions!) to separate us from an obedient life before Jesus Christ. Zacchaeus gave generously, but freely (Luke 19:8-10), as did Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37). The danger of wealth does not mean it is sinful to be wealthy.

So dangerous it is to believe that wealth is a sign that God is pleased with one’s behavior or teaching, Jesus warned extensively about trusting in wealth: Mark 4:19; Matt. 6:19-34; Luke 12:13-34; 16:1-15, 19-31; 19:1-10.

We absolutely must keep our priorities in order: faithfulness to God comes first, accumulating material wealth is second.

Paul Holland

The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon in which a person or group of people misremember a crucial detail about a cultural icon or event. People misremember details all of the time, but the Mandela Effect especially focuses on common examples of false memories shared by large swaths of people.

Examples include famous quotes from movies, such as Darth Vader’s line in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. Fans often quote the line “Luke, I am your father,” but the actual wording heard in the movie is “No, I am your father.” The difference is subtle, but finding numerous examples of the Mandela Effect in one’s memory can be unsettling.

Whether a fictional antihero said “Luke” or “No” matters little in the grand scheme of things. But what about the so-called Mandela Effect in the life of the believer? Many who claim to believe in God, Jesus, and the Bible rely heavily on what they hear in sermons, YouTube videos, and podcasts, or read in Christian books, blogs, or periodicals. The Mandela Effect exists because our minds tend to fill in gaps and conflate multiple experiences into one memory. This is especially dangerous when our reading of Scripture becomes tainted by human ideas. What can a person do?

Commit to Reading the Scripture Often. The person who watched The Empire Strikes Back 100 times probably knew the correct wording of the erroneous quote. Frequent exposure to God’s Word helps to solidify its truths in our minds, guarding us against misunderstanding and misinterpretation. The more we read the Scriptures, the more we will learn, often finding new insights we didn’t notice in previous readings.

Commit to Reading the Scripture Carefully. As a very young child, I thought the hymn “Where He Lead’s I’ll Follow,” was titled, “Larry Leads I’ll Follow.” We often sat in worship with a good friend named Larry. I couldn’t read, so I learned the song by hearing it. Or, mishearing it, thanks to my associations. When I began learning to read, I realized my mistake. If we only ever “know” what Scripture says based on secondary sources (sermons, videos, books, articles), then we may never know what it actually says. We should expect the Scriptures to correct our thinking!

Commit to Reading the Scripture Honestly. No matter how many times we read, no matter how carefully we read, if we read for the purpose of confirming preconceived ideas, we are likely to do just that. Open your heart to what God has to say. He won’t disappoint you!

Clay Leonard

In his book “Killing Jesus,” Bill O’Reilly sums up Jesus’ life with these great insights:

“There is no doubt that Jesus of Nazareth is the most famous human being the world has ever known.  But Jesus had no infrastructure. He had no government behind him. He had no corporation. He and his disciples depended upon the charity of others for food and clothing and they had no organization other than a dozen faithful followers.  In the history of mankind, no one has achieved worldwide fame with no outside resources whatsoever.” (Pg 271.)

During his trial, Pilate had Jesus endure the horrific Roman scourging.  He then stood him before the crowd of Jewish leaders and asked them to “Behold the Man” (Jn. 19:5). Today even non-believers need to take a good look too, for what happened in Galilee to a carpenter turned preacher has changed the world.  That cannot be denied.  Anyone interested in spiritual things, let alone history, would do well to figure out what made this man such an amazing teacher, healer, leader and savior.

-Dennis Doughty

In 1814, the Great Powers of Europe met in Vienna, Austria to discuss the fallout of Napoleon’s defeat. Napoleon had been exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy. But Napoleon is one of those men who do not take defeat lying down. The ministers back in Austria were anxious, except Talleyrand, who had been Napoleon’s foreign minister.

On the island of Elba, Napoleon formed a new “court.” He had a cook, a mistress, a pianist, and some courtiers. The “powers-that-be” intended this to humiliate Napoleon. Later that year, in the winter, with British ships surrounding the island, on February 26, 1815, Napoleon escaped the island! He left the island on a ship that was carrying 900 men!

Rather than fleeing to safety and a better lifestyle, Napoleon chose to return to France and he marched into Paris and took over his former country. Frenchmen and women all swooned over Napoleon’s return. When one officer went to arrest Napoleon, the soldiers under his command changed sides and Napoleon was declared emperor a second time.

For 100 days, Napoleon ruled over France. But, he drove her finances into bankruptcy and lost his popularity. At the famous Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon met his “Armageddon” and was finally defeated. This time, he was exiled to the island of Saint Helena with no hope of escape.

Among the visitors who had gone to Napoleon on the island of Elba was a general from Austria who convinced Napoleon that Europe would welcome him back to power. But behind all of the schemes to bring Napoleon down once and for all was — his former foreign minister, Talleyrand. It took time for Talleyrand to get all his ducks in a row, but eventually he won over the ministers of England and Austria to his plans and they baited Napoleon into his escape.

One person commented that Talleyrand set the house of France ablaze in order to save it from the plague.

Satan can work in our lives in very much the same way. He knows us very well, although I would hesitate to say he knows us better than we know ourselves! He only has success over us if we allow him. He only has control over us if we cede it to him.

If we will know ourselves and examine ourselves as we fall victim to Satan’s schemes, we can be better prepared to meet him in battle in the future and be more successful against him. Paul writes: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:11-13).

Be alert to the bait Satan will use against you. He has it tailor-made for your own weaknesses.

Paul Holland

A story from last week helps confirm our belief that there are still good people in this world. The good person in this story was a trooper with the Michigan State Police.  He found a bundle of cash in the middle of the road.  Instead of slipping it in his pocket, the officer set out to discover who had lost the $5,000.  A bank teller told him that the same amount had been withdrawn earlier in the day and gave him the name and number of the customer.

So why did this customer hang up on the state trooper several times?  Despite being told that his lost money was found and waiting to be returned, the man refused to believe it was true.  As a post on the Michigan State Police social media stated, “The subject must have been listening to our public service announcements on being a victim of fraud and believed he was being scammed.”

Eventually the man listened to the trooper and arranged to meet with him.  His cash was returned and the man whose bundle of money was found on the road went on his way a happy man.

Can you imagine someone offering to return to you something of great value, but you don’t believe it to be a genuine offer?  Truth be told, it happens every day and has been for hundreds of years.

Jesus reached out to all people when He spoke these words in Matthew 16:26: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  According to that verse, each of us is in danger of losing our souls, and those souls are of greater value than any material possession we might have.

Maybe you were thinking earlier that $5,000 is an enormous loss.  It definitely is that, for most of us can’t easily replace an amount like that.  But our soul?  We are given only one soul when we enter life, and if that soul is lost, it will be lost for eternity.

Does our situation have a good ending like the one in Michigan?  It can.  “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost,” Jesus declared in Luke 19:10.  He said that after visiting with Zacchaeus, a man that many considered to be beyond recovery.  No one, however, is beyond recovery when Jesus offers to save their soul.

Can people hang up on Jesus?  There’s nothing that says Jesus uses a telephone to offer His services, but He does knock on our doors.  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).  The door upon which Jesus knocks is the door to your heart.

Perhaps you feel that knocking right now.  Who’s there?  It’s Jesus trying to return the eternal soul that is in danger of being lost.  Let Him in; Jesus will never scam you.  You can trust Him.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.

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Copyright, 2025, Timothy D. Hall

When I was in high school I worked in a seafood restaurant—Po Ed’s—owned by one of the members of our congregation. The place had his “marks” all over it. It bore his name. He had built most of it with his own two hands. By the time I came to work there, he had two main roles. He did the bookkeeping, and he roved the dining room, rubbing elbows with his customers and maintaining the ambiance. In the spring of my junior year he had a massive stroke, and after several days on life support, he passed away.

The restaurant never was the same. I worked there one more year before leaving for college. On many occasions I remember rounding the corner expecting to see him. At times I thought I heard him laughing and cutting up in the back room. He was the soul of that restaurant. Before I finished my college career, it had closed down; the building demolished to make room for some other venture by someone else.

At first glance, the book of Esther might seem a bit like that. Adele Berlin called Esther “the most ‘secular’ of the biblical books,” because it makes “no reference to God’s name, to the Temple, to prayer, or to distinctive Jewish practices,” such as obeying cleanness and purity laws. The more you read Esther, the more you keep expecting God to “pop up.” It’s no wonder, then, that the apocryphal version of Esther adds “God” in numerous places, as well as prayers from both Mordecai and Esther. Even a popular paraphrase, the Living Bible, inserts “God” twice in Esther 4:14 (considered a key verse for the entire book).

What do you do with a book of the Bible that never mentions God, shows his people behaving in questionable ways at best, and raises far more questions than answers? Martin Luther said he wished it didn’t exist! If, however, we believe it is inspired, the book of Esther must do more than simply exist. It must teach us some valuable lessons God chose to impart to His people.

Probably the biggest takeaway from the book concerns the nature of God’s providence. Dr. Ralph Davis defines providence as “That always interesting, frequently surprising way that God has of keeping His people on their feet in this world.” He goes on to say the main emphasis of Esther is “the ever fascinating providence of a never-slumbering God.” Even when God is “silent” He is at work! Even when God does not intervene in an overt fashion, He expects His people to serve Him. The book of Esther vividly teaches these truths!

Clay Leonard

The crucifixion of Jesus was a public event carried out in public beside a public road. Even though it was a gruesome way to die, many people were at the cross. Some were there as part of their job; others were there as passers-by and others there because they had a connection to Jesus. As we think about people who were at the cross, we can find numerous lessons and maybe even personally identify with one of those present.

    Simon of Cyrene – When the mock trial was over early on the crucifixion day, the soldiers left the praetorian with Jesus “bearing His own cross” (John 19:17; Matthew 27:31). “As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross” (Matthew 27:32). Luke adds these details. “They seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the county, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus” (23:26).

The common thought today is that they had to get someone to carry Christ’s cross because He fell under the weight of it. It would have been heavy and Jesus should have been in a weakened condition from being scourged and up all night. But, no where in the Bible does it say that Jesus fell because of the weight and had to have someone else carry His cross.

Because the Jews were under the authority of the Roman Empire, soldiers had the right to demand anyone to carry the soldier’s burden for a mile (Matthew 5:41). For whatever reason, the soldiers could have invoked this law. We just don’t know why Simon was commanded to carry the cross of Christ.

Mark gives the most intriguing information about this event. He wrote that Simon was “the father of Alexander and Rufus” (15:21). Why would he say that? When one writes or speaks and mentions the name of someone without giving the reason for mentioning them, it is because the people to whom he is writing or speaking, knows the connection.

It is agreed by most scholars that Mark wrote to the Romans. Interestingly, when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans he said, “Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine” (16:13). Was this the “Rufus” to which Mark referred? Rufus became a Christian and his mother had such an influence in Paul’s life that he said she was just like a mother to him.

Does that mean that Simon became a Christian? It might! Think about that for a moment. Simone was from Cyrene, a city in north Africa, hundreds of miles from Jerusalem. At just the moment Simon entered Jerusalem from that far-away city, he was called upon to carry the cross of Christ. Simon was probably coming to Jerusalem because it was the Passover period of time and just by the providence of God, he carried the cross. Maybe that made such a big impact on him that he became a follower of Christ.

Is your connection with Christ due to some providential event that God put in your life?

    A Large Crowd of People – After Luke wrote about Simon carrying the cross, he also said, “And following Him was a large crowd of the people” (23:27). That is not surprising because during the Passover time, the population of Jerusalem swelled to about two million people. This crowd probably had no idea what was happening. They probably didn’t realize that this man, Jesus, was going to be crucified so that they could be restored to fellowship with God. That scene describes today’s events so vividly. Millions of people today are rushing through life not realizing that Jesus died for them! Are you one of those who has not yet realized the importance of Christ’s death?

    Women Who Were Mourning – In contrast to the people who were rushing by Luke noted a great contrast when he wrote, “Women who were mourning and lamenting Him” (23:27). These were some who had already made a connection with Jesus. They were grieving!

Isn’t it remarkable that even though Jesus was in such terrible shape because of the beatings He had endured, He took notice of those who were mourning? That is the kind of God we serve – a compassionate one who is concerned for the well-fare of others!

Jesus not only noticed their concern, He responded to them (23:28-31). He tells them that as bad as it was that day, it was going to be worse in the future. He probably had reference to the sorrow and heartache that was going to befall people when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

Are you a person who weeps and mourns because of the death Jesus had to die?

    Two Criminals – Among Christian people the person who is most remembered for being at the cross is one called “the thief on the cross” but there was another one and both were hurling insults at Jesus (Matthew 27:44). There is so much to be said about the thief who was saved that will lead to a separate article soon. But, to make a brief point, both robbers were in the presences of Christ, and both could have been saved. The sad fact is that only one chose to believe in Jesus and be saved.

Again, what an accurate picture of thousands of people today. Many are hearing the gospel preached to them, but only a few are willing to submit to the commands of Christ and be saved. No doubt as soon as the other thief’s soul entered torment, he regretted the decision he had made (See Luke 16:19-31 as an example).

Are you one who has been taught the gospel, but for some reason you have rejected Christ’s great invitation (Matthew 11:28-30; Revelation 3:20). If you are reading this, it’s not too late to change your decision.

    Soldiers at the Cross – Roman soldiers usually worked in groups of four. There seems to have been four assigned to crucify Jesus. To them, this was just “another day at the office.” They drove the nails through His hands and feet, lifted up the cross and let it fall into the hole in the ground and then sat at the foot of the cross to watch Him die. As a reward, they “took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be’; this was to fulfill the Scripture” (John 19:23-24).

The man on the cross meant nothing to them. All they were thinking about is the gain of another garment. Seeing Him suffer and die did not touch their emotions. Seeing men die was a common occurrence for them.

Unfortunately, for many people today, their only connection to Jesus is “What physical blessing is in it for me today?” They take all the physical goods they can from the church and from Christian people without ever expressing appreciation and without the generosity of Christians leading them to Christ.

Everyone in the world is either a giver or a taker. Which are you?

“People at the Cross – to be continued.”

Wayne Burger

God celebrated (“glorified”) the work and worth of Jesus Christ while He was on earth (John 8:54; 11:4). The ultimate act of celebrating the worth of Jesus was the resurrection from the dead (John 12:16). When Jesus is celebrated, God is celebrated (John 13:31).

The first day of each week, “with one accord with one voice” (Romans 15:6), we celebrate Jesus the Son, and God the Father. Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Thessalonica was that they would continue to celebrate Jesus (2 Thess. 1:11-12). We celebrate Jesus for all the things God supplies to us through Him (1 Peter 4:11).

We do not celebrate Jesus through manmade rituals – neither His birth, His life, nor His death. But it is eminently biblical to celebrate Jesus through God-approved acts of celebration – prayer, giving, the Lord’s Supper, Bible study, and singing.

Manmade rituals in worship (such as chorus singing or drama) are not acceptable to God (Matthew 15:3-9). Having said that, thanking God for Jesus becoming flesh is certainly appropriate. Studying the passages dealing with the virgin birth are appropriate. Yes, even singing songs that speak of the birth of Christ are very appropriate.

Without the incarnation, there could not have been a sacrifice for sin. No man, not even Moses himself, could have served as a sacrifice for sin (Exodus 32:31-33). “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23).

A member of the Godhead had to step out of eternity, into man’s world, “born of a woman, born under the Law” (Galatians 4:4), so that He could be tempted to sin (Hebrews 4:15). Having the moral fortitude of One who had been in divine glory throughout all eternity (John 17:5), Jesus said “no” to sin and, thereby, became the sacrifice for our sins. The Word has become flesh and still dwells among us (John 1:14; Colossians 1:27).

Yes, let’s celebrate Jesus through the means He has authorized.

Paul Holland