Friends of God! John 15:9-16 “The Lone Ranger and Tonto; Laurel and Hardy. Batman and Robin. It was Snoopy and Charlie. Friends through thick and thin. Friends to the very end. I think you would agree. That’s how it is for You and me.” Geoff Moore and the distance. We could add to this list,…
Tearing down walls John 4:1-30 By Ysrael De la Cruz In ancient times people build walls as means of protection; to prevent danger; to keep outsiders out. Walls or fences separate your property from your neighbor’s. They served as boundaries. It is good to have healthy boundaries. However, in our society people build walls of…
“The confession of a skeptic” John 20:24-31 By: Ysrael De la Cruz “The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.” Raphael Warnock, a Baptist Minister’ tweeter on Easter Day. The resurrection…
Loving like Jesus John 13:31-35 By: Ysrael De la Cruz Last week we talked about the greatest commandment which is to love God with every part of you. Heart, soul and mind. The second greatest is to love your neighbor as yourselves. Jesus said that by Loving God and loving people, we fulfill the law…
What is Truth? John 18:37-38 By Ysrael De la Cruz It was Denzel Washington who challenged journalist to tell the truth instead of doing their best to be first. “If you don’t watch the news, you’re uninformed. If you do watch it, you’re misinformed.” We all seek the truth; we want to know the truth…
The very day of the resurrection, the disciples of Jesus were afraid to go out in public or even talk about Jesus to someone. They were overpowered by fear and John tells us that the evening of the first day of the week (the evening when Jesus rose from the dead) they were still hiding behind locked doors. They were afraid of the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus. What could possibly change their mood? Their attitude?
Jesus came to bring salvation to mankind. His closest followers spent about three years with him; they were his disciples. They learned from his teaching and by imitating his example. Toward the end of his earthly ministry Jesus made a shocking announcement to his disciples. He said he was leaving. Jesus’ disciples did not want him to leave. They were not aware of Jesus timetable; they never thought that Jesus would be taken away from them. Every time Jesus spoke about leaving, he also talked about coming back. Just like whenever he spoke of his death, he always mentioned his resurrection.
They have been dating for a while; she is been looking forward to the time when he would pop the question “Would you marry me?” She longs with excitement because she is ready to journey life with him. She knows it’s time. She has been teaching since sept of last year; she knows that summer will soon be here in which she would have time to rest, go on vacation and finally relax.
Tragedy tends to bring people together very quickly; we are familiar with slogans such as “united we stand” “Boston strong” It is in those moments that we realize that unless we remain united, we won’t survive. A team won’t be able to accomplish the goal if the players don’t understand unity; if they don’t understand what it means to play as one or together. etc. The night Jesus was arrested, he spent time in prayer. He prayed for his followers who would be in the world as his representatives. One of the things Jesus prayed for was unity among his disciples. Christ’s church has struggled through the centuries with this idea of unity, which Jesus prayed for. John (chapter 17) records for us Jesus’ prayer.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the foundation of the Christian faith. It is the reason Christianity exists today. The disciples were not transformed because the tomb was empty; they changed when they saw Jesus alive. Jesus began to appear to his disciples giving them evidence that he was truly alive. Jesus had predicted that their sadness would turn into joy.
In the last couple of weeks, I have been discussing our new identity once we choose to follow Jesus. There are many people who profess to follow Jesus, but they still don’t understand what it means to truly follow Jesus; they don’t know who they are in Christ. As followers of Jesus we must know him, and we must know who are to be as his people. Not knowing who we are in Jesus would have us misrepresenting God in the world.
Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Isa.6:9
This phrase tells us of a disease that was common before the time of Jesus, during his time and even in our time. It’s called “spiritual blindness.” it can affect anyone. It is predominantly seeing in those who don’t believe in God; however, there have been reported cases of this disease found in churches throughout the world.
