Jesus – Page 33 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: May 9, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” Matt 11:19

Sinners flocked around Jesus and loved to be his companions, while the religions found Him to be repulsive and were made to feel uncomfortable. Prostitutes and publicans followed Him around without feeling intimidated, but sought Him out knowing that they would not be condemned. Even though He did not give license to sin, but rather came that all of the works of the devil would be destroyed by Him. He would judge the judges of men who would place heavy burdens upon their shoulders. But He would come into the Temple and turn over the tables of the moneychangers. His life was paradoxical to most because it appeared as if He would tolerate the very thing in others the very thing that by His nature He despised. Sinners, Publicans, and the poor gladly received the Gospel because they knew that their lives did not measure up to His standard. Therefore they received Him gladly as one who would be thought of as rejecting Him, while those who are religious often saw themselves as superior to His standard and in violation to it. Jesus loves sinners and saints are to love what He loves. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

08 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 8, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” John 19:27

Jesus made an oral testament to John, the beloved disciple to provide as He would for her after His death. It was a binding agreement in the company of others if accepted, to care for her needs as the second oldest son. Even though there were other children, his responsibility was to treat her as He would treat her in absentia. John knowing Jesus was to compensate for the void that would otherwise be in her life. This example is a challenge to every son and daughter to consider the needs of parents. To honor our father and mother is to provide for them what is needed. Jesus told John to look intensively at the woman that will become his mother. And He told His mother Mary to look intensively at the man who would become her son. A new relationship was to be forged at that very moment. As we look at our mothers, if we could for a moment see what Jesus saw in His own mother. She was the vessel chosen by God for Him to enter into the earth. We owe a great degree of gratitude to our mothers, regardless of their weaknesses. They were the chosen vessels from which we were born.

23 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 23, 2013

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“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30

Jesus came into the world for this very moment. He was on a mission to die for the sins of humanity. It required a sinless death and now the moment had arrived. The sufferings would come to an end. At least the bodily sufferings, but there awaited Him a degree of suffering of the soul that only one who loves deeply are able to experience. The purchased price for our redemption was completely paid. But there would be many who He loves that will yet reject all that He came into the world to provide. “He came into the world and the world rejected Him.” Those who did not understand rejected Him then, but now that it is finished, will there remain those who refuse to believe that what He gave was sufficient enough for them? His Spirit returned to the Father and the Holy Spirit has now been sent forth to give life to all who would receive Him. From the fall of Adam the promise was made for man’s reconciliation to God. The prophets spoke of this day, and now it had arrived. It is finished, but for us life had just begun!

16 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

April 2013 Article: “Behold, I Make All Things New”

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“Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelations 21:5

Jesus expresses His displeasure with independent decisions resulting from lawlessness and at the same time, His ultimate intentions for His creation. He will replace what appears to be the norm, which has been generated by the gradual falling away, with something different. While the evolution of thought continues on a natural course of rebellion in defiance to God’s rule, He still remains on the throne. His authority overrules what has been placed into motion by laws and decrees which only make sense to the spiritually insensitive. Yet He awakens and disturbs those who wish to know what He thinks about matters that concern the future of all mankind. Only those who are willing to inquire and allow their inquiries to extend beyond their pleasures will stop long enough to question the established course. It is not by coincidence that moral failures are now being celebrated and normalized today. And consequently, uncertainties are increasing and threatening the security of the whole human race. He who sits on the throne allows circumstances to arise in order for all people to consider their ways. The unheard warnings cannot be heard through instructions are experienced through unusual phenomena.

The prophetic warnings of God are not there to add to humanity’s frustrations, but rather to afford an opportunity for those who will participate in the process of renewal. The Church of God is discontented with the direction of Christendom. Christendom is what the world sees and what the world thinks of the Church as a whole in contrast to those who have “contended for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.” He who sat on the throne arises from His throne in order to address the current state of the Church and the world. This is the judgment that began at the House of God which carries over to the world. The light of God exposes the darkness of the world. He allows those who see what He sees to be disturbed as we see examples throughout the Scriptures. The prophets could not find rest among those who paraded their defiance in the face of God. The blindness of the people occurred through the gradual conditioning taking place through entertainment, false messages, and false signs. God’s Word cuts through the propaganda of this modern age as His truth is being published. “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” In a feel-good world, these words are very disturbing. They speak of the end of things as we know them and a birthing of what glorifies God completely.

The signs are all around us and the foundations of manufactured truths are now being shaken. Some would think that His silence is either acceptance or His content. However, He is removing the residue of the past from the hearts of His people as they are purged to want nothing other than His kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is not an addendum to what they desired beforehand, but a new passion that is genuine, sincere, and a revelation to His eternal purpose that is not limited to time or space.

08 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 8, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (34) Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:33-34

The blinding and paralyzing effect of sin restricts ones view and motion towards the right prerogative. It is blindness that causes those who engage in destructive activities to see no harm in them. It is there but without foresight, the immediate benefits outweigh the ultimate consequences. Jesus was placed between two common criminals as one among them. To see Him there, none would question why One with such a significant mission as to save humanity from the vice-grip of sin would be placed there. He did not reflect the opinions of the present authorities therefore they felt justified in removing the blasphemer who defied their beliefs. Sin also has a paralyzing effect upon its victims. Since they could see no further, they could move no further than to condemn and mock Him. How many times has this scene been played in the lives of those whose since of reasoning does not allow them to embrace God’s agenda? But Jesus loved even those who vented their hostilities against Him. He prayed to the Father, “Forgive them.” His appeal was because of their ignorance and blindness, “they do not know what they do.”How will what we are doing effect our future? Do we care or just do not know what we are doing? He prayed for us on the cross that our eyes be opened in order to see and know the Father through Him. Then we would be willing to do what please Him.

01 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 1, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. “Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?” Matthew 12:38

Those who appear before men as authorities in relation to God’s order seldom recognize the fact that He refuses to restrict Himself to their expectations. Formulas and theorems of success do not work. He will withhold from them what they expected, but show forth the unexpected. These few that approached Him thought that He would be anxious to validate Himself before such an impressive crowd. But Jesus had nothing to prove. He was as sure of Himself then as He was when Satan tempted Him on the pinnacle of the Temple requesting Him to show off His divine powers. When we are asked to prove ourselves to be what we have been called by God to be, we must first recognize who it is that requires of us evidence. If not God by way of His Spirit, a prophetic word is sufficient. We live by what God has said and it serves as the basis for all He is now saying. If not by the Word of God, we become performance oriented. We must live by the Word and allow the Word to be given full expression through us. Bur never should we hide behind our credentials of education to prove our pedigree nor miracles to prove our power before men. It is God who wills and performs His work in and through us.

29 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 29, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14

Jesus was acknowledged by His disciples as both Lord and Teacher. He both rules over them, therefore having the right to demand their servitude. And He is their teacher, one who instructs them in the ways of righteousness. This dual role is a very unique because one role does not require any patience or sympathy. As their Lord, their wills must be totally submitted to His will. There is no room for arbitration or any form of questioning. He has the right to rule them or they would be subject to face the consequences of their rebellion. Yet He never rules without instructions. He goes before us in order to trains so that we are enabled to see an example of what we will become. Then He shows us exactly how He does it and empowers us with His Spirit in order for us to be properly equipped to do it. Finally He serves us rather than look to us to serve Him. As we are being served by Him, we are expected to serve others. Only when we are humble enough to serve the people that we rule over and instruct will we become like Jesus.

13 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 13, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” Jude 24

God has the ability to stabilize our walk and keep us from staggering. It is the staggering walk or the unsettled and unsure steps that eventually lead to a fall. We don’t have to waver in unbelief, but can maintain a steady confidence that God is all that He says in His Word. The world has a dizzying affect upon all who focus their attention in its direction. The contrary winds of error spoken by the majority blow in such ways as to cause the fainthearted to sway under its control. But God has a path that is straight and the power to keep us straight on the path. It leads to the Presence of His glory as one who has victoriously endured the pressures that otherwise would have caused us to drift away. Even if we stumble or stagger or even drift for a moment in time, He gets us back on course and teaches us what we need to know in order that we may stand erect in the center of the storm. There His peace abides and we learn to trust in Jesus as Lord over the storm.

10 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 10, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?” Psalm 139:7

When we are born of the Spirit, the Spirit remains with us wherever we go. He is there in those moments when we feel alone and abandoned. He is there when our hearts drift in directions that would be far removed from the warmth that comes as result of meditation and deep contemplation on His goodness towards us. Our reluctance to draw closer to Him does not affect His pursuit of us. His Spirit is wooing us in our darkest hour to deeper levels of intimacy with the Son of God. Only Jesus can reveal to us the love of the Father that will provide stability and purpose for our lives. He was that voice of conscience convicting us when we were wrong. He was that voice of encouragement pressing us forward when we had the opportunity to do right. The Spirit is both our Comforter and our Guide. He alone can reveal to us the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

08 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 8, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Every one who confesses Me before men, I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32

Jesus is saying, “if you show the world that you know Me, I will show you that you belong to the Father.” Only Jesus can make it known to us that we truly belong to the Father. He is our pathway into the knowledge of His love. The reason is, He knows intimately all things concerning the Father, but His will is to make known to us what He knows. None can reach the grand and mountainous heights of knowledge on their own. All need Him to raise us to a greater level of understanding that never can be found on our own. We are then “found in Him” as the Apostle Paul states it. No longer on a quest of trying to find ourselves but rather, found in a new and glorious place in Christ with His visibility and no longer seeing things as we once saw them. He gives a peek into glory and we see the Father in Him. To see Him is to love Him and to love Him is to have knowledge of His love. May we grow in that knowledge and increase in His love.