One of the key tenants of the Christian faith is that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. He left the glories of His heavenly home and was born into this world as a child.
One of the things I really noticed this week how at times in the Bible we see the contrast of Jesus’ humanity and His deity in some of the gospel stories. Here are a few examples…
1. During the storm on the lake (Mark 4:35-41)
After spending the day preaching to the multitudes we read that Jesus was tired and fatigued. He fell asleep on the boat. Then the storm blew up and the disciples cried out for help. He stood and calmed the storm. In His humanity he slept, but in His divinity He controlled the forces of nature.
2. At the death of Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died and he had been placed in a tomb for four days. Jesus arrived, spoke to the sisters and wept at his friends death (v35). He then prayed and Lazarus was raised to life. We see Jesus’ humanity in His pain, but His divinity in raising Him to life.
3. In the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:29-51)
In the Garden Jesus was extremely distressed at the thought of going to the cross. We see His human emotion and stress at what He faced. Then as He is about to be arrested one of His followers cuts off the ear of one of the guards. Jesus then stands and heals his ear (v51). His power and divinity again shine through.
In these three great stories from the gospels we see the contrast of Jesus’ humanity and His deity. He was truly man in that He experienced all the pain, fatigue and anguish we suffer, but He was truly divine in that He showed God’s power to control nature, raised people from the dead and heal those in need.
God Bless,
Dave
I have been experiencing an interesting thing the last week or so. I have had the urge to study again. Although I finished my formal studies last year I want to keep learning and growing.
I found a free short course on ChristianCourses.com called “Ministering to people in pain“. Something in the course description grabbed hold of me so I am doing it.
One thing I am enjoying about the course is the level of study it is at. It is nice to listen to a lecture, answer some reflections questions on a group forum and do a short multiple choice quiz to see if you understood it all.
This is a lot different from formal Bible College with all the readings, assignments and exams, but I am still learning a lot. I have completed six of the ten lessons and it has been really good so far.
Once I have processed it all I might share some of the key things I have learned from it. If you are interested in doing it yourself you can find it here.
God Bless,
Dave
I was looking through some old images today and I found our first logo at PASSION Australia. As you can see it is Australia on the world, then the cross over the top of it.
I can remember being all excited at the getting the vision for PASSION and designing logos and a pictorial vision statement with our vision, goals and supporting verses.
It is an exciting time when things are new. They are so full of potential and can become anything. The sky is the limit!
Looking back to November 1998 I have fond memories. Hours and hours spent in prayer. Hours spent day dreaming. Hours out in the streets spent talking with people in the hope they would come to Christ.
I think it is good to sit back and reflect on your beginnings. Things like logos, vision statements and the way you did things can be a bit dated, but it can also inspire you to press on in the future.
Looking backwards to when you first began can fuel your moving forward.
God Bless,
Dave
I was just reading over some of the units I have studied and I came across three that I thought that might be useful to some people. They are available at ChristianCourses.com.
Ten Reasons to Believe in the Existence of God
Some have proposed that the belief in God was invented by people who needed a sense of protection and spiritual meaning. Yet despite these kinds of challenges, there are convincing evidences that support a belief in the God of the Bible. Students are guided into examination of the limits of science, the argument for intelligent design in nature, and the claims of Christ relative to deity.
Ten Reasons to Believe in the Bible
In a world full of religious books, all claiming authority over the lives of their followers, is there good reason to believe the Bible is any different? Any better? Any more reliable? The source of spiritual authority we choose to commit our lives to will impact how we live and who we become. Students learn why they can have confidence in the teachings and wisdom of the Bible.
Ten Reasons to Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering
Students are challenged to wrestle with difficult issues of faith. One of those is the reconciliation of the power and love of God with the suffering that occurs in our world. Students discover that difficult questions about unexplained suffering find satisfying and understandable answers in the pages of Scripture.
They are available for free or you can pay a small fee and they count towards a recognised Degree program. You can find more information here.
God Bless,
Dave
Perseverance is an interesting word. On dictionary.com it has two ideas or thoughts…
- A steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
- Theology: continuance in a state of grace to the end,leading to eternal salvation.
Both of these ideas are about moving forward regardless of what happens. It is about continuing onwards in life in general and also on our faith journey.
My Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary describes perseverance this way… ”The steadfast effort to follow God’s commands and do His work.” I like solidness of the word “steadfast”.
We see in the Bible that the New Testament alone makes it clear that faith alone can save (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, it makes it clear that perseverance in doing good works is an indication that our faith is genuine and vitally important to us (James 2:14-16).
For the Christian, perseverance grows from a trust that God has always been steadfast and faithful to His people. Through persevering and continuing in God’s work, we show our deep appreciation for God’s saving grace (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).
As a result of perseverance as Christians, we find that we not only build up the church, but we build up and strengthen our own character (Romans 5:3-4). In short, we become closer to God as a result of persevering in our faith walk with Him.
I find the whole topic of perseverance and persevering in our faith very interesting. At the heart of it for me is that God loves me, Jesus died for me and He has blessed me so much. This is the reason why I want to continue to persevere in Him.
God Bless,
Dave
