A Time Such as This

Recently, my wife was given the green light to start the preparation for a missions trip to Honduras. When she graduated college, she originally wanted to go to Honduras, but her parents felt it was not the right time. After having one of the missionaries come to speak at our church, she felt the Lord's leading to organize a trip. Although she felt that she was not ready to lead the trip, the Lord spoke to her that He was with her, and would guide her through the process. Several years before, it was discussed to do a youth missions trip, however it was not the Lord's timing. NOW IS THE TIME, and we are weeks away from going to Honduras!

In Esther, we see that the Jews where on the edge of being killed and Esther had the opportunity to intercede on her peoples behalf, even though she could be put to death for going to the king without prior consent. Her Uncle Mordecai said to her, "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14) How often are we presented with an opportunity to do something for the Lord but we don't act on it and therefore miss out on watching God do something wonderful. Esther risked her life by appearing without first being called and eventually used the King's forgiveness as a way to warn him about the plot against the Jews. Are you ready to be used when God presents an opportunity to be used to do His will?

Are You Persuasive?

Persuasive: convincing, compelling, forceful.
Have you ever convinced someone to do something that you want them to do? We all have at some time or another; sometimes with great ferver. Have you ever been that way while you witness to someone? We see in Acts 26, that Paul is witnessing to King Agrippa and Festus and when he is done speaking in verse 28 King Agrippa says, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Most Christians in America want to let their lives do the witnessing instead of bringing the Gospel to our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. When we witness, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with the words that will speak to that person. We also need to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a burning desire to share from our hearts what the Lord has done for us. He will give us power... (Acts 2:8). If we don't have a personal relationship with Christ, we can't convey to others the depths of Christ's love by dying for us. We need to live it and speak it!!

Who Would You Die For?

Is there a person in your life you would die for? Your mom, dad, or another family member? What about Jesus? In America we normally don't have to face the persecution that the early followers of Christ, or those under communism, have had to face. We see in Acts 21:13 that Paul said, "I am not ready to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." I have been reading the book "Tortured for Christ" which is about men and women who have sacrificed everything to preach the Gospel to the lost under the rule of communism. Would you be willing to lay down your life for Jesus to reach the lost?

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing?

Acts 20:29-30 - "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Have you ever heard of the emerging church? The basic premise is more about the worship experience and less about the teaching of God’s word. Dan Kimball, one of the prominent leaders of the emerging church, had this to say about worship: “We should be returning to a no-holds-barred approach to worship and teaching so that when we gather, there is no doubt we are in the presence of God. I believe that both believers and unbelievers in our emerging culture are hungry for this. It isn’t about clever apologetics or careful exegetical and expository preaching or great worship bands...Emerging generations are hungry to experience God in worship.” The Bible teaches that there needs to be a balance between worship and the teaching of God's Word. When we step out of balance, we leave ourselves open to perverse things. Is there something you can do to keep yourself from being drawn into these churches that are changing God’s word? Are you stepping out of the care of the Shepherd and into the wolf pack?

Jesus I Know, But Who Are You?

In Acts 19, we see the seven sons of Sceva try to cast out a demon “by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” The demon says to them in verse 15, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" The demons know who Jesus is. They also know if Jesus lives in you. The sons of Sceva thought you just needed to use Jesus’ name to cast out the demon. They didn’t have a personal relationship with Him. You can’t expect to get a job at a big corporation using the bosses son as a reference if you don’t know him. It’s the same way with God, you can’t live eternally in heaven if you don’t know Jesus personally. Jesus died to pay our debt of sin that we couldn’t pay ourselves. By being covered in Jesus’ blood, we are recognized as children of God.
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? If not, you can make that decision today. You can pray the following prayer and really mean it in your heart: “Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many things that don’t please you. I have lived my life for myself. I am sorry and I repent. I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life, I give it to you. Help me to live every day in a way that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you.” If you made a decision today, would you please let us know? We would love to help you in your new relationship with Jesus by providing you with some materials.

God’s Greatest Expression of Love

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The greatest example of one laying down his life for his friends is Christ. We will never be able to fully comprehend the spiritual aspect of Christ’s suffering and shame, but medical studies shed glimpses of light on the physical agony and all the horror that Jesus endured on the cross. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).

The physical trauma of Christ begins in Gethsemane with one of the initial aspects of his suffering—the bloody sweat. It is interesting that the physician of the group, St. Luke, is the only one to mention this. He says, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process alone could have produced marked weakness and possible shock. After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas, the High Priest. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiaphas. The palace guards then blindfolded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify them as they each passed by, spat on Him, and struck Him in the face.

In the early morning, Jesus, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, is taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia. It was there, in response to the cries of the mob, that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion. Preparations for the scourging are carried out. The prisoner is stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back, and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.

The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood. The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious bleeding (the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body). After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wound, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, causes excruciating pain—almost as though He were again being whipped, and the wounds again begin to bleed. The heavy beam of the cross is then tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail, begins its slow journey. The weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance.

At Golgotha, the beam is placed on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The beam is then lifted in place at the top of the posts and the titulus reading “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” is nailed in place. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid the stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins. A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. The compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues—the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps, “I thirst.”

He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. With one last surge of strength, He once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” Apparently to make double sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. Immediately there came out blood and water. We, therefore, have rather conclusive post-mortem evidence that our Lord died, not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium. Jesus said, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

This article is condensed from The Crucifixion of Jesus by C. Truman Davis, M.D., M.S.; March 1965.

True or False?

In churches these days, it’s common to see people that do not bring their Bibles with them to church. Why, you ask? Many people are hoping and believing that the pastor is truly teaching the word of God. We see in Acts 17:11, “in that they received the Word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily [to find out] whether these things were so.” It is very important for us to be reading the Bible and checking everything we hear to ensure it lines up with God’s Word. Is there anyone you listen to that you believe without checking? What ways can we ensure we check everything we hear?