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Showing posts from April, 2015

Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is interesting. Th
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Preparing To Meet God

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“The LORD also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” (Exodus 19:10-11) Three months after leaving the life of slavery in Egypt, Moses and the nation of Israel were in the wilderness of Sinai and had encamped near the mountain (Exodus 19:1-2). Out from the mountain, the Lord called and spoke to Moses, reminding him of His great deliverance and declaring to Israel His promise if they obey His voice and keep His covenant (Exodus 19:3-6). After Moses reported the people’s response, God commanded Moses to prepare the people, as He will come down to Mt. Sinai on the third day (Exodus 19:7-13). Moses instructed the Israelites to wash their clothes and abstain from marital intimacy as they get themselves ready to meet God (Exodus 19:14-15). On the third day, the LORD came down to Mt. Sinai as H
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Resurrection of Christ

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“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’” (John 20:24-25) Thomas was skeptical about the news of Christ’s resurrection. Thomas was not readily convinced by his fellow disciples that Jesus rose from the dead. He demanded concrete proof. He said, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). I actually admire the honesty and firmness of Thomas. In actuality, we are like him. We as a society go by the motto – “to see is to believe.” We want and demand evidence. In this case, Thomas wanted to “see” firsthand the evidences of the risen Lord Jesus before he will believe. Skeptics even in our present ti
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The Cross

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“You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:40) Crucifixion is probably one of the most gruesome forms of execution in human history. It’s hard to imagine how man can do such inhumane acts towards their fellow man. Baker encyclopedia states: “Evidently crucifixion was practiced first by the Medes and Persians and later by Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.), the Carthaginians, and the Romans. Both Greeks and Romans restricted its use to slaves, considering it too barbaric for citizens. In the imperial era the Romans extended the use to aliens, but even so it was used mainly for crimes against the state. Crucifixion was universally recognized as the most horrible type of death. In the East, in fact, it was used only as a further sign of disgrace for prisoners already executed, usually by decapitation. In the West the condemned criminal was scourged (beaten), usually at the place of
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