Intentional Encouragement

             The celebration of Resurrection Day is now past.   I enjoyed the opportunity to focus my attention on the wonder of what God did for us when he brought Jesus back from death.   I want to continue to meditate on the ramifications of that event today. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from death is the single most important event in history.   To those of you who are part of the family of believers, this is no news.   You have heard it before and it is part of your belief system.   Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ we would be hopeless and pitiful, because our entire life would be based on a lie (1 Corinthians 15).             We accept those truths, theologically, but I wonder if we realize that the same power that it took for God to raise Jesus from the dead is available in our lives today?   It was Paul’s prayer in Philippians 3:10 that he would know the power of Christ’s resurrection.   Think about that for a moment.   Paul told the Ephesian believers that part of

     As I read and preached this morning from a variety of places in the New Testament about the resurrection and what we can learn from Jesus throughout his life and even after He was raised again, I was struck by a statement that is used a number of times in the gospels to relate the understanding of the disciples when Jesus talked about what was going to happen.  "The disciples did not understand any of this..."      Jesus plainly described what was going to happen to him at the end of his life on earth and the disciples should not have been surprised.  But they were.  They didn't understand.  They were confused; even scared when it all finally transpired.  And Jesus wasn't taken back by any of it.  In the record of the times that he talks to them after the resurrection took place, he wondered why they were so surprised.  He chided them for not realizing that this was all necessary.  They had missed the whole point of his coming.      It's easy to pick on the

“Surely has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed…the L ord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all .”   Isaiah 53:4-5, ESV             “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree…” 1 Peter 2:24, ESV             “ For our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin…” 2 Corinthians 5:21             Do you remember the 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ?” It was released about 4 months after I arrived at Denbigh as pastor.   I remember taking our young people to view it.   I remember weeping throughout the showing of the incredible torture that was depicted.   I remember being stunned at the incredible length Jesus went to secure my freedom from the penalty and power of sin.   My continual thought as I watched was; “He did this for me !”   That thought is borne out by the verses written at the beginning of t

     There are times when life is hard.  I know that's no revelation to anyone, but I have been meditating on John 9:3 for a week or two and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you about the really "big" things.  It's one thing to have seasons of life that are hard.  It's another to face difficulties that are tragic (or at least border on the tragic).  And let's be honest; we tend to question the difficulties even when they are not tragic.      Some things are just bad and we honestly struggle to understand them.  I remember Ida, who had contracted cancer.  Her teenage daughter and 2 younger children were part of the youth ministry I led in our first church.  Ida was in her 30's.  She went home to be with the Lord during the time we were there and I struggled to minister to her kids during that painful time.  I loved on them and stood by them, but explanations weren't readily available.  I remember Kevin, who was stuck by lightning at a church pi

Someone sent me the following in an email this morning.  I thought I'd share it with you.  It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.  Not many wise, powerful or noble are chosen to follow Christ and serve him.  That is precisely so that God will get all the glory when we who recognize ourselves to be so inept and unable to bear up under our responsibilities carry out his work day to day.  If you feel uncertain about what you "bring to the table" for God today, you're in good company.  I'm sorry I can't give credit to whoever wrote it, but I don't know it's source.  Enjoy. FROM: Jordon Management Consultants Jerusalem , Israel 00666 RE: Staff Team Evaluation Dear Mr. Christ,      Thanks for using our service; as you know, we bring a rich tradition of proven excellence in matters pertaining to the things of men. We have carefully studied the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have

             “…and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…” (Ephesians 3:19)             The more I dwell on it, the more this phrase impresses me.   As we move toward the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, let me share a few thoughts with you about the depth and breadth of Christ’s love.             First, I’m reminded of how great he is.   It isn’t just Christ’s love that is beyond me; but everything about him that causes me amazement.   His compassion, his power, his ability to know all things… The fact that he is equal to God in every respect and is, in fact, God himself, boggles my mind.   Even when you read descriptions of God, don’t you feel like there is so much more that should be said?   His greatness is astounding.             Secondly, think about his goodness.   There are many people who are described as being great.   But greatness without goodness can be cruel.   Many people who historians have described as great have been without compassion and more of