Jesus prepared us for Easter

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” —Acts 1:8

Every Easter, we consider those moments in the Upper Room when Jesus prepared his disciples for his death and their future ministry. We typically apply his words only to his first-century disciples. This year, I applied the words of Christ to each of his disciples today and realized that the message Jesus spoke on the last night of his life remains his message to us this Easter.

How did Jesus prepare us for Easter?

  • Recognize our advantage in this world. Jesus told his disciples, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). I’ve often considered how amazing it would have been to walk and talk with Jesus, as his first-century disciples did. But Jesus told them that they would soon have a greater advantage than they had before. The “Helper,” the Holy Spirit would “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). Jesus stood on the Mount of Ascension and told these same men, after Easter, that they would receive “power when the Holy Spirit comes” (Acts 1:8). On the Day of Pentecost, in the Upper Room, that power arrived. When we became Christians, we received the same Holy Spirit who was given to those first-century disciples. As we prepare our hearts for Easter, it is good to recognize our great advantage in this world. We have been given the power to serve and worship as someone filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ.
  • Recognize that our purpose is the same. Jesus then told his disciples that his Spirit, “will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14–15). The earthly ministry of Jesus did not end with his Ascension. The Holy Spirit of Jesus entered the world at Pentecost, and now Jesus continues his earthly ministry through his disciples. Anytime you are Spirit-led in your choices, you are allowing Jesus to “declare” his message and ministry through you.
  • Recognize that when you pray, even in times of grief, you can ask Jesus to author his will in your thoughts and words, and his joy in your heart. Jesus said, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you” (John 16:22–23). To ask something in the Father’s name is to ask for God’s will to be your own. God will “give you the desires of your heart” through his Spirit. When you pray in the Spirit, you pray for “his kingdom to come,” which is for “his will to be done.” Jesus promised that our joy can be eternal because the blessings of obedience to his will are our heavenly reward and our earthly hope.
  • Recognize that this promise of Christ is for all disciples until Jesus returns. This is an important message from Christ that is rarely preached during our “Easter” celebrations. Jesus said, “I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Often, the difficulties of life can cause even Spirit-filled Christians to feel as if Jesus has let them down. There are people who will not want to celebrate Easter this year because they are disappointed with Jesus. It is important to always recognize that Jesus promised we would have trouble in our earthly lives. The Holy Spirit doesn’t usually keep us from tribulation; he strengthens us for tribulation. The first Easter wasn’t a celebration for his disciples, and sometimes it won’t be a celebration for his disciples today. One of our jobs is to teach the truth of Scripture. Who do you know that needs to understand that Jesus promised the tough times would be a very real part of our earthly journey? Our joy isn’t because we escape tribulation in this life; it’s the hope of no tribulation in heaven. 
  • Recognize we aren’t home yet. The great promise of Christ is that the road trip we call life has a final destination. One day we will exit these broken-down, well-traveled, dinged-up vehicles because we are home! The front door will swing open, and Jesus will be standing there with his arms open wide and our eternal family behind him. Until then, we have been filled with the power of Jesus to be his disciples during our earthly road trip home. We can fulfill his purpose each time we allow him to use our lives to do his earthly ministry. We can survive whatever this life throws at us, until we aren’t supposed to survive anything else on earth. We can be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ until we stand in the actual Presence of Christ.

Who needs to become a disciple this Easter?

As you heard Jesus speak to those first-century disciples in John 16, how did his words speak to you, his disciple? 

Who have you discipled that will spend their first Easter worshiping Christ this year? If you don’t have a name or names for that question, how can you give the Spirit of Christ access to your life and ministry before next Easter?

How will you use the power you have received through the Holy Spirit to be an uncompromised disciple for the One who gave everything for the sake of your eternal soul?

We wish you Easter blessings

I’ve said many times, “We need to live a life God is able to bless.” Jesus spent his last moments, the moments before Easter, teaching that room full of ordinary people how they could live as his disciples.

His message to the first-century disciples is still his message for every disciple today.

I wish you an Easter filled with his Holy Spirit, so that you can worship, serve, pray, and live in obedience to his will. You have the power to live a life God is able to bless. That joy is eternal because of Easter.

May your Easter be a blessed and holy celebration of our Lord.

Happy Easter from all of us at the Foundations ministry.

When “woke” will work

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” —Galatians 3:28

The Easter season might seem like an odd time to consider the fact that one day, “woke” will work. The woke movement began many decades ago, but its meaning has evolved over the years to influence votes, opinions, and choices today.

According to a Forbes article, “Before the word was co-opted by the right wing, “woke” was a word used within Black communities and social justice campaigns to refer to an awareness of inequality, with some urging others to “stay woke”—and picked up mainstream popularity as the Black Lives Matter movement grew in the early 2010s, particularly after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.” 

There has never been a time in human history when certain groups didn’t feel alienated and abused. For some, it relates to their race, but historically, people have also been grouped by religion, nationality, politics, and many other factors. In many ways the first-century Christians could have been labeled “woke” by their peers. If woke is a movement to “raise awareness of inequality,” then Jesus would have sided with the woke of his day. 

When did “woke” work?

The early Christians were considered radical believers when they first began. Their cause ran counter to the traditional values and beliefs of their day. The early Christians claimed that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and that everyone needed to place their faith in him to be right with God.

The early Christians claimed to have been eyewitnesses to miracles, even the miracle of raising a person from the dead. Meanwhile, the leaders of the day were warning people not to listen to or follow what the “woke” were preaching. How did this small group of people succeed?

The Christian movement changed the world. The leaders could not stop the movement, even when they killed the leader, persecuted the followers, and did their best to undermine the movement at each turn.

Why did “woke” work in the first century? It was led by the power of God, for the sake of his plans. The disciples were tasked with “raising awareness” to the reality of Jesus the Messiah, not Jesus as simply a man. The disciples were called to be witnesses of the gospel despite persecution and cultural bias. Apart from the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the gospel message, the work of the “woke” would have been ineffective. The gospel message has thrived because it is the truth of God and fulfills his purpose for all of creation.

Would you have been part of the first-century “woke”?

I do not know if I would have become a follower of Christ in the first century. I’ve always respected my leaders, and I tend to seek and follow their advice. In many ways, I am “a respecter of persons” as the King James Bible would define that.

I don’t know if I would have gone against the flow and followed Jesus. That thought gives me a sense of compassion and respect for those early Christians. I don’t know if I would have listened to the disciples instead of the spiritual leaders of the day. I don’t know if I would have had the courage to join the movement those early Christians began. 

Easter separated the “woke” from the masses

God’s people were looking for a Messiah king, not the King who was Messiah. The Jewish people were looking for someone who would put the nation of Israel at the top once again. They wanted their Messiah to be like King David and rule the world. Jesus came to be a shepherd King, not a warrior king. When Jesus was hung on the cross, to most in the first-century, he had failed. When Jesus died, he was seen as a kind man who had been misguided. Many saw Jesus die on a cross, but none of them witnessed the actual moment he came back to life.

A few followers witnessed Jesus after his resurrection, and those were the people who began the movement that would follow. The Spirit-filled disciples were the “woke” of the first century, and many of them died for their cause. Their lives were spent “raising awareness” that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s chosen Messiah, God’s Son.

When will “woke” be perfected?

Paul was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote his letter to the church in Galatia. The Christians were enduring significant inequality and had a strong need for justice. Church history records several eras that are defined by those same needs. Anytime there is a common belief, supported by leaders, that stands against God’s plan, it will fail. But historically, speaking the truth has always come at a cost. 

Paul’s words to the people in Galatia were intended to help them survive persecution and stand on the truth. Paul was encouraging them with these words about heaven. He wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Heaven is where “woke” will work forever

The only place where the movement against inequality will be unnecessary is in God’s eternal kingdom. Until then, we are human beings struggling against human sins. The best road to a working, woke people will be found through unity in the Holy Spirit as we live for God’s truth and purpose.

Jesus was waiting for his captors when he prayed for his future disciples, saying, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11). The news will report on the Christian movement this week as we celebrate Easter, our way. We offer the world a movement against “inequality” because we speak the gospel message of truth. Justice is found when we are “one in Christ Jesus.” 

Easter ignited the Christian “woke” movement, and for more than two millennia, its message has never changed. Jesus is Lord. He is risen. We believe.

Woke doesn’t work, apart from the powerful word of God. Let’s fully join the movement that has continued to work, albeit imperfectly, since it first began. Jesus prayed for that in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his prayer has been answered over and over again.

Will you join the movement Jesus began? Will you commit to your defined role as a Christian disciple and share his gospel with all you can? Welcome to the “woke” message that will work.

When Jesus makes the news

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” —John 13:35

Jason Hughes was a high school math teacher and golf coach in Gainesville, GA. On a rainy night, he heard five of the school’s students outside throwing rolls of toilet paper over his trees and bushes. He ran out to catch them in their prank, a prank he apparently had been expecting. When the students heard his approach, they ran to their cars and attempted to get away. Sadly, Jason Hughes tripped on the wet grass, falling in front of one of the cars, and was struck. The kids immediately stopped and tried to help, but Jason died hours later in the hospital.

The district’s superintendent released this statement: “Our hearts are broken. Jason Hughes was a loving husband, a devoted father; a passionate teacher, mentor, and coach who was loved and respected by students and colleagues.” Schofield went on to say, “He gave so much to so many in numerous ways as he faithfully served God. Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and family.” 

The five 18-year-olds who were involved in the toilet paper prank have each been arrested. The young man who was driving the vehicle that hit Jason has been charged with felony first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, as well as misdemeanor criminal trespass and littering on private property.

The moment Jesus made the news

I wanted to write about this tragic event because of the statement his family released to the news media. The real truth about this story can be heard in those words. Jason’s wife, Laura, was also a math teacher at the high school and the mother of the two children who lost their dad that night. She, too, is a devoted teacher who cares deeply for her students.

Laura is filled with grief right now, but that isn’t what she wanted people to know. As the media rushed to get the facts and create a quick, sensational story, they often failed to get the whole truth. There were stories of blame, slander, drama, and condemnation – all of which were factually based, but not necessarily the entire truth. The family released a statement so that people could grieve with them, but grieve with hope and truth.

The family’s statement read: “We are thankful for the outpouring of prayers and support as we grieve the loss of Jason. We ask that you continue to pray for our family and also for the students involved in the accident, along with their families. Please join us in extending grace and mercy to them, as Christ has done for us.” The Hughes Family

I was watching an ABC morning news program that reported her statement. It was interesting to see the faces of that program’s hosts. Her words obviously moved them, but the only thing said was, “tragic.” 

People who don’t understand Christianity still don’t know what to do when Jesus makes the news. That was true in the first century, too.

Why did Jesus pick the Passover season to die?

The most obvious reason Jesus died during the Passover season is that he was born to become the final Passover Lamb the world would ever need. The captives in Egypt were told to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on their doorframes. This was the final “plague” before the Exodus. The angel of death brought judgment on the homes in Egypt that night that were not covered by a lamb’s blood. That was the plague that led to the captives’ release. 

The nation of Israel celebrated that day as a sacred and holy time of remembrance. The Passover meal is filled with symbolism, reminding people of the Exodus from Egypt. The city of Jerusalem was filled each year with Jewish pilgrims who were required to make the journey to Jerusalem at least once in their lives during Passover. Many came more often than that.

Jesus shared that Passover meal with his disciples before his death. We call it the “Lord’s Supper,” and Leonardo’s famous painting is titled “The Last Supper.” Jesus took the bread and the wine and changed the meaning of the Passover meal to include his death. Jesus told his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

The city of Jerusalem will be less crowded this year due to the war with Iran. Normally, the city is almost impossible to move through during the Easter/Passover season. It is now crowded with Christian pilgrims as well as Jewish visitors.

Jesus wanted to “make the news” that day

Jesus picked the Passover weekend to die because he wanted the world to recognize him as the sacrificial lamb. Isaiah had told the Jewish people their Messiah would be a suffering servant. The prophet described him as, “oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Hundreds of years later the Jewish people weren’t looking for their Suffering Servant, they wanted their Messiah to be a conquering king.

Jesus chose to die at a time when his death would remind people of Isaiah’s words and understand that his blood would now cover them. Jesus would die for their sake, so they could escape this life and enter the promised land, heaven. He also chose to die at a time when the city would be full of pilgrims from around the world. His death made news that day, and so would his resurrection.

I wanted to write about Jason Hughes’ family’s statement because it is a modern-day Easter story. The ABC news reporters shook their heads as if they couldn’t believe or understand the Hughes family’s request that people pray for the student’s families and join the family in “extending grace and mercy to them as Christ has done for us.” Christians understand the Source of the family’s strength and mercy. The Romans 8:28 of this tragic event is evident in their message to the nation. The family knows and serves Jesus. Easter is more than just a spring holiday to them.

I hope that statement continues to make news during this Easter season. Her statement is the divine purpose of Easter and echoes the words of Christ when he said, “‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And they cast lots to divide his garments” (Luke 23:34). On the cross, Jesus prayed for the very men who had beaten and bloodied his body. Jesus prayed for the men who had hurt him the most with a compassion found only in the powerful love of God.

Help Jesus make the news again this Easter

This is an important time of the year to celebrate Easter as a pilgrim to the Passover table. Jesus would tell us to celebrate Easter “in remembrance of him.”

How will your life point people toward the divine Source and power of our Christian faith? May all of us help Jesus “make the news” in the news we share over the next few weeks as we celebrate the Easter season. 

You have a kingdom purpose

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” —1 Peter 4:10–11

When the Lord filled you with his Holy Spirit, he called and equipped you for a kingdom purpose. There are things that you are gifted to accomplish in this lifetime that will have eternal significance. Do you know his kingdom purpose for your life?

Jesus said, “It is finished”

I was sitting in church when I heard my pastor say, “Jesus did not say, ‘I am finished.’ Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’” I dove for my phone so I could jot down that statement. I knew it would be my next article.

That one simple statement holds a great truth, especially during the Easter season. By earthly measures, Jesus did not live a life of great success.

  • He died at a young age, having never experienced the blessings of a long life.
  • He died with almost no earthly possessions.
  • He died with a small congregation, most of whom deserted him in the end.
  • He was laid in a borrowed tomb.
  • His death was mourned by some but celebrated by the influential leaders of his day.

Yet listen to his final words on this earth. Scripture tells us Jesus spoke in a loud voice, saying, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). History has revealed that the short, focused life of Jesus was the most important life ever lived on this earth. 

The kingdom purpose of Christ

Jesus said, “It” is finished. Jesus knew in that horrible, pain-filled moment on the cross that he had completed his earthly purpose. He had died a sinless man, on a shame-filled cross, in order to become the final sacrifice human beings would ever need for the forgiveness of their sins.

God so loved this world that he gave us his holy Son for this purpose: “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That’s why Jesus said, “it is finished” instead of “I am finished.” Jesus came to earth to become the sacrificial lamb, and that job was completed through his death. However, Jesus was resurrected and is still present in the world today, through his Holy Spirit. He won’t say “I” am finished until his final return.

Believers have been made holy for a holy purpose

The day you placed your faith in Jesus, his sacrifice on the cross covered your sins. You were made holy in God’s sight because, as the old hymn says, you were “washed in the blood.” I’ve often taught that we should work to see ourselves as God sees us today. We know we aren’t perfect; however, we still too often view ourselves as the sinners we are on earth, rather than the saints we will be in heaven. When God looks at us, he can see us as his holy and perfected children because he can view our lives through rose-colored glasses. He is able to see us as eternal souls and view us now through the blood of his Son.

When God filled you with his Holy Spirit, you gained a new name or a new character. All of us have the hope of heaven and the hope of holiness. Through the Holy Spirit, we have been made holy, and we have been given a holy purpose. Jesus hasn’t finished his work on earth. He has simply chosen to work through us, his followers, to accomplish his kingdom tasks.

Do you know your holy purpose?

Those who hear me teach know that I often stress the need to understand your spiritual giftedness. It is crucial to fulfill your holy purpose. If you have never tried to discern your gifting, this tool can help. Just remember that discernment is the work of God’s Holy Spirit, too. A spiritual gifts tool will likely be nothing more than an analysis of your ideas if you do not seek the voice and leadership of the Spirit as you complete the questions.

There is a difference between the gifting of the Spirit and the natural talents all of us were born with or developed. A spiritual gift is not what you are able to do on your own. Your spiritual gifting is what Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, is able to accomplish through your life. 

Your holy purpose is probably not what you naturally choose to do for Jesus. Your holy purpose is obedience to the work Jesus chooses for you. You will know it is a gift when you understand how much you need Jesus in order to accomplish the work. 

Serving your kingdom purpose requires the strength and guidance of Jesus. Jesus wants to be that in our lives. Among his greatest gifts are:

  • The peace that passes our understanding.
  • The power that only he can produce.
  • The presence that his Spirit provides.

God gave you the Holy Spirit to make you holy and to enable you to accomplish his kingdom purpose for your life. Your treasure in heaven, your eternal reward, is the result of your obedience to his calling. Your obedience to his direction is your kingdom purpose.

We need to echo the words of Christ someday

The last words of Christ were carefully recorded in Scripture because they contain a lesson that every generation of Christians needs to remember. All of us will come to our final moments on this earth someday unless Jesus returns to say, “We are finished here on earth.” Jesus taught us our kingdom purpose until that day when he said, “It is finished.” Jesus wants us to find that same peace, that same sense of earthly success during our lives.

When your life on earth is finished, will you be able to echo Christ’s words and say, “It is finished”? Keep praying, seeking, and obeying until you know your answer to that question is a confident “yes.”

Christians won’t ever have to say, “I am finished” because we have the promise of eternal life. Until then, we need to walk in obedience to his Holy Spirit until we, too, can say, “We are finished.” 

Does technology influence or control your thinking?

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” —Romans 12:2

A lot of things are influencing our brains today that our parents and grandparents never had to consider. Technology has molded our minds and adjusted our way of thinking. God is providing his people with a heightened awareness of this fact that can move Christians to the forefront of some discussions. Does technology influence our thoughts or actually control what we think? It’s crucial we consider the difference.

First the phone, then the radio, then TV

Alexander Bell patented the telephone in 1876. Twenty years later, the technology for “wireless telegraphy” was patented. Technology has been changing the world for 140 years and continues to do so. 

A telephone was once considered a great luxury, only found in the home of someone with considerable wealth. It wasn’t until forty years later, during the 1920s, that homes were commonly wired with phone lines. I remember when my parents bought a home with a second phone jack, which meant they could have a phone in their bedroom as well as the kitchen. It was the same phone line, but two locations in the house to make calls. I had all my phone conversations in the kitchen, using a wall-mounted phone. I still remember my dad coming home one day in a foul mood because he had been trying to call my mom to tell her he was running late, only to get a busy signal each time. (I had two sisters who used the phone too!) Now, everyone has their own number, their own privacy, and the ability to make phone calls at any moment, anywhere, and leave a message if needed. How has that impacted our marriages, our parenting, and our family time together? What conversations exist because there is no accountability to someone who might overhear? How much time can our kids spend on their phones simply because no one else is waiting to use them? We live in homes that don’t often require us to consider others’ needs. How has that changed us as people?

According to a Wikipedia article, in 1923, one percent of U.S. households owned at least one radio. Eight years later, a majority of homes had a radio, and that number reached seventy-five percent by 1937. I remember my mom and dad talking about the excitement their families had felt when they first bought a radio for their homes. Dad talked about rushing to get all his chores done so the family could sit together and listen to Abbot and Costello, Amos ‘n’ Andy, or Fibber McGee and Molly. The radio also brought news from the war, and everyone had someone they knew and/or loved who was fighting overseas.

The Golden Age of Radio soon transitioned to television. Only about one percent of households had a TV in 1948. That percentage grew to over fifty percent by 1953. Almost every home had a TV set by 1960. It was then that people began to be influenced by more than “words.” People began to dress like those they saw on television rather than those they saw every day. Father Knows Best set standards for family values, clothes, and hairstyles. 

People and families have changed because of technology. Parents, kids, and neighbors used to gather on a front porch each evening to talk. Later, they gathered around a radio to share a program and laugh together. Next, they gathered around a television to talk about the way the stars dressed, cooked, vacuumed, or went to work. I Love Lucy suggested life in the big city and the idea of marrying someone who wasn’t from the local neighborhood or school. The cultural differences were part of the storyline. 

Now, people carry their individual phones in their pockets or purses. We listen to the radio in the car, but we can “stream” only the kind of music we choose to hear. Typically, households have more than one TV, so kids can watch what they want while their parents do the same. And again, we can “stream” only those shows that we choose to enjoy. Sadly, we can watch shows and movies we would never have gone out in public to view and would never have watched with children present. 

Now, we have tablets and computers

We are still a decade away from fully understanding the impact that tablets and computers have had on people. Young families today are navigating these waters, trying to raise their kids while guessing at the impact these technologies will have on their futures. 

How has technology changed us? 

What happens to the family when they don’t share their time? What happens to our minds if we only hear one side of the issues of our day? What happens to the kids when their parents literally do not know what they are hearing, watching, or thinking about? 

Those may be the most important thoughts we will have this week. What happens when technology controls and influences our thoughts and perspective more than God?

God knew this day would come

One of the most miraculous things about Scripture is the fact that it says the same things to people today that it did to every generation of people that has existed. The truth we find in our Bibles is still the truth our great-grandparents and their great-grandparents heard. It might be the only truth that is able to bind everyone together in the future.

God intentionally preserved biblical truth so every generation could navigate the world. His word might be sitting on our shelves, contained in the music we choose to stream, watched on our televisions, and witnessed in the movies we watch. We can also access his word in the phones that we carry everywhere we go.

God is available to us in the same technology that entertains, informs, and influences the world.

Today’s question: Does technology influence or control your thinking?

Scripture taught our grandparents, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV). Most of us will probably read that verse in a version of the Bible that says something like, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV). 

I like the King James version that describes the Spirit-led Christian as a person with a sound mind! Our world could use more of that kind of thinking. The ESV is a direct translation of the words Paul used. 

God gave every Christian the Holy Spirit, the very nature, character, mind, and power that enabled Christ to live a sinless life on earth. We do not speak often enough about the unlimited power each of us has been given to handle the joys, fears, changes, and influences that are part of living on this side of heaven. 

We will all be influenced by the things in this world. That’s why God provided the control of his Holy Spirit in our lives. Anytime you see the words “self-control” in Scripture, you can think of that as “a self, controlled by God’s Holy Spirit.” 

More changes are coming

Consider how technology has changed the world in the past 150 years. Think about how technology has changed you and those you love. Then imagine what changes could lie ahead. The Holy Spirit is the power our Creator God has given to his children so that through us, he can change the world.

Hear the Spirit of God say what he has always taught his kids, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). Teach that truth and expectation to all you are able to influence. Technology has dramatically changed our culture, but God’s unchanging Word is for every generation. His truth has always been, and will always be, perfectly the same.

Has God sanctified your imagination?

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” —2 Corinthians 10:5

According to AI, most people spend between 2 and 4 hours a day using their imagination. God created us to imagine, so it is safe to say that when we made him Lord, we asked him to be Lord over those thoughts as well.

In Oswald Chambers’ classic, My Utmost For His Highest, the February 10th devotional asks, “Is Your Imagination of God Starved?” Chamber’s words are based on a message he spoke from Isaiah 40. God asks the prophet, “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out the host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing” (Isaiah 40:25–26).

Oswald teaches his readers, “Rouse yourself, take the gibe that Isaiah gave the people, and deliberately turn your imagination to God.”

How do we “rouse” ourselves today, and deliberately ask God to sanctify our imaginations? How would that change our thoughts and creativity if we did? What might we accomplish for God if our imaginations were sanctified, made holy, for God’s great purpose?

C.S. Lewis would encourage us to “baptize” our imaginations

Lewis was the author of some amazingly imaginative books. As a young man, he often enjoyed reading fantasy literature. One day at a train station, he picked up a book by George MacDonald titled Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Man and Women. Robin Mark Phillips wrote an article about C.S. Lewis’s fascination with the book. Phillips said, “While Lewis found in the narrative of Phantastes all the qualities that had charmed him in other romantic writers, such as the novels of William Morris, there was something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. ‘It is as if I were carried sleeping across the frontier, or as if I had died in the old country and could never remember how I came alive in the new.’”

C.S. Lewis found in McDonald’s work, “a sort of cool, morning innocence, and also, quite unmistakably, a certain quality of Death, good Death.” You see, Lewis was still an atheist, and MacDonald was a sanctified Christian. Phillips wrote that years later, after Lewis’ conversion, C.S. Lewis “looked upon MacDonald as his spiritual master, saying, ‘I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself…I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master. . .’”

C.S. Lewis would go on to write books like The Screwtape Letters and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from his brilliant imagination. In his autobiography Surprised by Joy, Lewis described his discovery of MacDonald as having “baptized his imagination.” 

Has God sanctified your imagination?

If the AI article is correct, we spend a good bit of our day using our imaginations. How then can we give those thoughts over to God?

I have always loved to read a great novel! My second major in college was English, and I was tasked with reading some of history’s best literature. A secret goal of mine has always been to write a “great” novel. I would rather write one Gone with the Wind than a hundred different book series that use the same characters in different circumstances. My favorite Christian fiction writer has always been Francine Rivers. She, like Lewis, came to faith later in life.

Rivers has been honest about her writing before and after her salvation. Rivers wrote popular romance novels under a pseudonym. I heard her speak once, and she described her early work as racy and lacking moral restraint. She met God, and he changed her life and her imagination. Her testimony, which can be found on her website, describes how the Lord sanctified her thoughts. She said, “My main desire as I started writing Christian fiction was to find answers to personal questions, and to share those answers in story form with others. Now, I want so much more. I yearn for the Lord to use my stories in making people thirst for His Word, the Bible.”

Why would Francine Rivers yearn for the Lord to make people thirst for God’s word? The answer to that question is the path to a “baptized” or “sanctified” imagination.

How can you allow the Bible to transform and make holy your imagination?

We can learn a lot from God’s message to Isaiah. Again, God said, “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out the host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing” (Isaiah 40:25–26).

Every time we open our Bibles, we can read words on a page, or we can hear God speaking to us from heaven. We can read factual, truthful stories from history, or we can use our imaginations and walk with Paul, Peter, King David, and others. We can imagine how it felt to be Joseph or Mary, holding the Son of God in our arms. We can sit by Jesus in the Garden and feel his agony and shame at the thought of accepting our sins. We can read the Revelation and wonder what it means, or we can read the Revelation and imagine seeing what John saw in heaven.

I’ve been teaching God’s word for a long time. There are times I teach a lesson, and it is factually accurate to the best of my ability. The best lessons I teach are born of the moments I spend stepping into the passage with my imagination. We should feel the moments God’s people felt in our Bibles. We should do our best to bring our Spirit-led, sanctified imaginations to Scripture. 

I am going to teach Paul’s journey to Rome this week. As I was preparing the lesson, I actually began to feel seasick on that boat with Paul! I imagined the terror that those on the ship must have felt. Later, I imagined the wonder they must have felt when they washed up on the island of Crete and later watched Paul shake the poisonous snake off his hand.

I may not ever be able to write my fiction novel, but I will likely want to try. I just don’t yet feel called away from the time I spend writing about God’s truth, from his Holy Word. I enjoy teaching the Bible because I know that when I spend time in God’s presence with the Bible, the Creator God of the universe speaks to me from its pages. 

God can sanctify your imagination through his word

I will close this blog post by sharing these words from Francine Rivers. Her words are my heart as well. She said, “I pray that you will finish my books and pick up the Bible with a new excitement and anticipation of a real encounter with the Lord Himself. May you search Scripture for the sheer joy of being in God’s presence.”

I hope you will begin or continue your journey of allowing God to sanctify and baptize your imagination. Someday in heaven, C.S. Lewis, Oswald Chambers, and Janet Denison will enjoy hearing your thoughts and stories about God’s amazing truth!

A Lenten lesson from the Guthrie family

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.” —Hebrews 1:3

Christians around the world are beginning the Lenten season, a time of spiritual preparation for Easter Sunday. Different denominations have different traditions for this season, but the purpose is the same. How can we prepare ourselves to deeply honor and worship the One who carried his cross and accepted his pain-filled death for the sake of our sins?

I have often thought about the fervor of the nation, even the world, for any breaking news about the Guthrie family. As I write this article, Nancy Guthrie has not yet been found, and no suspect(s) have been arrested. I’m seeing fewer stories about Nancy’s abduction now, and while the interest is still high, the fervor is likely to wane until there is new evidence or more conclusive resolutions in the future. I’m praying that news will precede the publication of this article.

Regardless, my Lenten lesson remains the same.

I was thinking about and praying for the Guthrie family when I had a new thought. I considered the fact that this article would be sent out on Ash Wednesday. My previous thoughts and prayers for the Guthrie family led me to some new thoughts that inspired this post.

When I considered the fervor that our world has rightfully felt for the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, I recognized that the enormous interest was due to the horrendous details in this story of injustice. This is a crime story about an innocent, elderly woman. But the story is also magnified in the media because of the popularity of her daughter, Savannah.

My thought: The Lenten season is about the death of the innocent Son of God and the injustice and abuse he endured. How might God’s children work to increase the fervor the world feels for our Lord and our heavenly Father during this holy season of Easter?

How can our spiritual fervor for Jesus bring glory to God? 

How can our lives draw fervent attention to our Father?

I love seeing pictures of Savannah Guthrie with her mom. The love between the two is evident in their smiles. Nancy Guthrie made several television appearances and other prominent appearances with her daughter. The world was able to witness their relationship, and now the world wants to share in her family’s grief, fears, hope, and prayers. Hopefully, one day soon, people will also share in her joy.

Most of us won’t draw as large an audience as the Guthrie family, but we all have circles of influence. Will people see the way God’s children love Jesus in the coming weeks leading up to Easter? 

Jesus was fervently praying in the Garden, knowing the soldiers marching toward him would lead him to his death. Our Lord prayed, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:4–5). 

Jesus lived to bring God glory with his life, and he prayed his death would do the same. Jesus taught his disciples to share that same purpose when he said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus gave his life so that all people could know his Father and live eternally in his Presence. How can we use this Lenten season to join in that holy priority?

How do people bring God glory?

  • “For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Paul wrote those words to the Corinthians, many of whom were Gentiles who wanted to believe their assurance of salvation gave them the freedom to sin without consequence. Paul made it very clear that obedience to God’s laws would bring him glory and disobedience would not. Jesus paid for our sins to be forgiven eternally. The consequences of our sinful choices often follow us throughout our lives. If we do not glorify God with our choices, we do not honor the enormous price Jesus paid. On this Ash Wednesday, we can consider those who might not want to know our Lord because of our sinful choices. We can pray about that, knowing that we serve a God who can give us second chances.
  • “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). The angels said this to the shepherds in the field. It is one of the profound moments in the Christmas story. The angels were not sent to the religious leaders of the day, or even the faithful people camping out in Bethlehem. Could it be that it was the shepherds whose lives and worship pleased him more than many others? Do our lives and worship please God?
  • Peter wrote to the church saying, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We can use this Easter season as an opportunity to “grow” in both grace and knowledge of Jesus. If we choose to live with spiritual fervor for our Lord, others will take note.

The Guthrie family has paid a high price already

Savannah Guthrie has made her faith in Jesus a very public witness. We should pray for her to have the spiritual strength to continue to do that, speaking through the power and strength of his Holy Spirit. She is in the public eye and as human as anyone else. She and her family will need the prayers of God’s people in the days ahead so their lives can be used to bring glory to God.

The news media’s fervor will shift to other subjects. The media is not our example; Jesus is. How can we maintain our own fervor for the Lord during this Lenten season?

Let’s examine our own spiritual fervor

As we enter the Lenten season, let’s examine our spiritual fervor for Jesus and the sacrificial gift of Easter. God loved everyone in this world so much that he gave us his Son (John 3:16). Jesus continued his earthly ministry through his disciples in the first century. His holy purpose is still achieved through each disciple who will yield to his Holy Spirit. God’s children still exist in this world to bring glory to the Father. How might we do that today?

The only way we can love like Jesus

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” —1 Peter 1:22–23

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you” (John 13:34a). If we were in the first-century group of disciples and heard those words, we would stop whatever we were doing or thinking in order to hear the words that follow. The word commandment is the opposite of the word “suggestion.” Jesus was telling his disciples that he was about to teach them a spiritual “requirement.” An extra note for disciples today: Jesus’ words were spoken to his disciples in the upper room, a short time before he would go to the cross.

This is Valentine’s week. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend 29.1 billion dollars for Valentine’s Day this year. I could add a few thoughts and opinions about that, but I will leave you to your own! Instead, let me finish the verse above. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34b).

A commandment only believers can follow

Jesus didn’t issue this commandment to the crowds. This lesson was for his followers, his disciples. According to John’s gospel, this lesson was taught right after he announced to the room that one of them would betray him. John tells us that Judas Iscariot took a quick bite of bread and then quickly left the room. After his betrayer left the room, Jesus spoke his commandment to the disciples who would carry on his work. He said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’” (vv. 31–33).

It was then that Jesus handed his disciples, minus Judas, the new commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” The reason: only believers would be equipped to obey that commandment.

The word for love in this passage is the Greek word “agape,” which means “the love of God.” Agape love cannot be produced by human beings. People cannot “love one another” like God can love us. Why then would Jesus make this a commandment?

Jesus provided the answer to that question when he said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (v. 32). That was difficult for those first-century disciples to understand. In fact, they didn’t fully understand Jesus’ words until after Pentecost.

Only believers can obey Jesus’ commandment because only believers have experienced the power that makes our obedience possible. Jesus was fully God and fully man. His humanity made it difficult for him to accept the last day of his earthly life. It would be the power of God and the priority of his earthly purpose that enabled Jesus to endure his suffering and accept the cross. And it was agape love that enabled him to die for us.

Jesus would die because of God’s love for us, the love that the deity of Jesus was able to share with others. That love can only be received by us as a gift, or a product of God’s Holy Spirit.

Only believers who have been filled with God’s Holy Spirit can produce “agape love.” Only believers who have received God’s love can then give that love to others. The commandment is to receive God’s love so we have it to give. Only then can our love be God’s agape love and bring him glory.

Jesus could give that commandment to those disciples in the upper room because he also knew that his Spirit would enable them to obey it. 

The apostle Peter had to learn this lesson the hard way.

Disciples today must learn what Peter learned

Upon hearing Jesus’ words in the upper room, Peter jumped up to say, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you” (v. 37). Jesus’ response probably seemed harsh when he asked Peter, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times” (v. 38).

We know the rest of the story. Peter couldn’t love Jesus yet like he thought he could. Peter did deny Jesus and was brokenhearted later when he heard the rooster crow and saw Jesus’ face. After his resurrection, Jesus spent some private time with Peter. John 21:15–19 describes those moments with Jesus.

Twice Jesus asked, “Peter, do you love me?” using “agape” for love. Twice, Peter replied that he loved Jesus, but he used the word “phileo,” meaning “friendship” love. The third time, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you ‘phileo’ me?” and Peter said he did. Prior to Pentecost, this was all Peter could offer.

Peter had not yet received the “power of the Holy Spirit” to love like Jesus had commanded. Could it be that Jesus wanted Peter and all his future disciples to understand an important lesson? He needed them to understand that disciples can’t give the agape love we are commanded to give, apart from the Spirit. We must receive agape love from God in order to share that love with others. The truth of that is seen in Peter’s life later on.

Peter loved others as Jesus loved

After Jesus had issued his commandment to “love one another,” he told his disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus makes it clear that other people will know that Christians love God when we share his agape love with each other.

Our strongest witness is love. Not our human love, but our ability to love others with God’s love. Catholic tradition identifies Valentine as a saint because of the way he loved others. But the best example of Jesus’ lesson is the apostle Peter.

One day Peter would be stretched out on a cross of his own, asking the soldiers to crucify him upside down, because he shouldn’t die in the same way as his Lord. His death has been an example to disciples throughout history that our witness is to be filled with agape love, God’s love. Jesus made it a commandment so that we would rely on the power of his Spirit to bring glory to God.

Who do you need to share agape love with for Valentine’s Day?

“Love” will cost the world $29.1 billion this week for Valentine’s Day. “Agape love” cost Jesus, Peter, and many others throughout history their very lives. Buy a few cards and maybe some chocolate for those you love. But for the rest of the year, love should cost God’s disciples a great effort. The world around us will know we love God when we share his love with others. 

Who has the Lord given you a burden for as you read this blog post? How will you share God’s agape love this week?

Why should we strive to think like Jesus?

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” —1 Corinthians 2:16

I enjoy watching a lot of news, but each hour I spend doing so requires significant effort on my part. I’m learning to watch the news while making the effort to think about it the way Jesus would. I love the tagline for my husband’s Daily Article: “News discerned differently.” That tagline could be a spiritual guideline for all of us.

Television and internet news should now be considered forms of entertainment. Walter Cronkite has left the building. The cultural failures of the past decade are causing a lot of upheaval and restructuring for television networks today. Most news anchors are simply props, reading content produced by one side of an issue or the other. Truth has been exchanged for influence. 

Because we can no longer expect to hear objective truth from a news source, we are tasked with discerning truth for ourselves. Everyone must accept the fact that we can no longer listen to a news anchor and know what to think and believe. There could be a few Walter Cronkites hired in the future if viewers and voters value and demand that type of reporting.

Until then, how should we be influenced by the right people? How should we view every news story we read or hear? 

The answer to those questions is provided in God’s Word. We must strive to know what the Bible says, to obey God’s commands, and to live with God’s values. We need to choose to think like Jesus, our Lord.

Charlie Kirk tried to think like Jesus

I focused last week’s blog post on Erika Kirk’s recent interviews about the upcoming worship services for TPUSA, the ministry her husband began. One of my favorite things about Charlie Kirk was his thoughtful use of blunt, biblical truth. 

Charlie Kirk wasn’t a perfect teacher, but I admired his efforts. Every Bible teacher, myself included, will trip over their personal motivations. Jesus didn’t have that weakness.

Jesus is the only perfect teacher we will ever know. His Holy Spirit was his great gift, given to empower God’s children to think his thoughts. The Holy Spirit should be the most powerful influence we seek, because he can help us think like Jesus. Paul told the believers in Phillipi, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). The verses that follow in Paul’s letter illustrate the many ways the Holy Spirit will cause us to think like our Lord.

How can we think like Jesus?

Paul told the believers in Phillipi:

  • Even Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6). We cannot think like Jesus until we realize we cannot think God’s thoughts on our own. We live in a culture that pursues the wisdom and ideas of intelligent people and forget that God bluntly said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). How will you step away from human ideas to seek God’s thoughts today?
  • Jesus, “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). While Jesus lived “in human form,” he chose to humble himself “by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v. 8). When Jesus chose to become a human being, he understood he would need to recognize that his humanity would require his complete submission to God’s direction. Jesus begged his Abba Father to spare him the suffering on the cross, but he was willing to obey whatever God’s perfect holiness required. Our own perfection will one day, in heaven, be the result of the humility Jesus understood was required for all humanity. Jesus took on flesh in order to be our example. How do you need to humble yourself today?
  • Jesus lived in human form to be our holy example. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (vv. 9–11). We will think like Jesus when we humbly submit our ideas to our “highly exalted” Savior. He is, once again, fully God and no longer fully man as well. Any thought the Holy Spirit of Christ authors in us is perfect wisdom. Every other thought must be considered as possibly human.

Let’s pray for Romans 8:28 out of the daily news

The apostle Paul wrote Philippians while under house arrest in Rome. Some “news anchors” of that day said Paul should be viewed as shamed because of his imprisonment. Many teachers of that day taught that people should view Jesus the same way because he had gone to the cross.

After Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was compelled to repent and to align his life with God’s good purpose. We wouldn’t have the church growth from Paul’s missionary work if Paul hadn’t learned to submit his plans to God’s. We wouldn’t have the book of Romans and the rest of his theology in our Bibles if Paul and the early Christians had refused to think like Jesus. 

Ananias wasn’t thrilled about going to visit the dangerous man named Saul, but he did! The Jerusalem Christians weren’t thrilled with Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles at first, but you and I are likely descendants of those Christians. Will we learn to value and think in ways that call us to God’s good and holy purpose?

You are able to think like Jesus

We must think the thoughts of our exalted Savior today. His answers are the only solutions that will enable his blessings.

God’s answers and his discernment are available to disciples who will humble themselves and submit their thoughts to God’s. The example Christ set for humanity is always perfect truth for our lives. Let’s pursue his humility and access his thoughts as we submit our own ideas to his perfection.

Maybe we will have another Walter Cronkite someday, but even that person’s words will be imperfect. Let’s seek the discernment of Christ as we turn on today’s news and then again when we turn it off. We don’t need to be entertained or influenced by slanted, human ideas. We need to be inspired by God’s perfect thoughts through the Spirit of Jesus.

We are able to think like Jesus. Will we humbly do what is necessary to obtain his thoughts?

Are we making heaven more crowded?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” —Matthew 28:19–20

Erika Kirk is in the news because TPUSA has announced its new tour of worship events. The name of this tour is “Make Heaven Crowded.” I loved the name and the stated purpose behind these gatherings. The webpage says: “The Make Heaven Crowded Tour is a gospel centered gathering calling people to repentance, faith, and bold obedience to Jesus.”

The event is described as “a powerful night of worship, preaching, and ministry as we believe God will move in hearts and lives.” Attendees are told to “come expectant and bring someone who needs hope.”

I love the title, the goals, and the outcomes the TPUSA organization hopes to achieve. They would like to see revival in this country, especially with young people. There were a few protesters outside the first event in Riverside, CA, but Erika Kirk, in an interview afterwards, said, “As long as I remain obedient to God and abide in his word, and I’m in the jet stream of his will, the opinions of this world mean nothing to me. Nothing.”

Erika Kirk has been through a great deal of trauma over the past several months. That trauma, in God’s hands, is a testimony to the truth of Romans 8:28, for a woman who has been “called according to God’s purpose.” Her husband, the late Charlie Kirk, would be very proud of her today.

I’ve attached a link so you can attend one of these events if you are able. A Fox News report said that Erika Kirk wanted to give people an experience similar to the one at her husband’s memorial service. She said many people had commented on the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit during that service. She wanted to help people experience what those in that service had experienced. I’m prayerful these events will make heaven more crowded.

When people physically experience the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, they are likely to want to know the One they have experienced. The Holy Spirit is the continued, tangible ministry of Jesus in this world, working through those who will be disciples.

Today’s article is about that. How often do people experience the presence of the Holy Spirit simply because they are in our presence here on earth? Christians, who intentionally allow the Spirit of Christ to make them disciples, bring the Holy Presence of Christ into each place they go. When is Jesus able to continue his earthly ministry through you?

Is heaven more crowded because of your ministry?

What draws a crowd today?

Erika Kirk was well pleased by the numbers that showed up to their first “Make Heaven Crowded” event. TPUSA is hoping to hold at least 29 more of these services and praying each city will experience similar crowds and results. They are skilled at using social media to get the word out, and people are responding. Some will attend out of curiosity, while others will attend seeking Christ. I think the ministry will do its best to ensure that the presence of Jesus is honored and invited into each service. It will be important that Jesus is a tangible reality in the crowds through his disciples.

It will be interesting to see how the media describes the crowds following the subsequent events. The protests will likely grow due to the crowd culture that has developed in our world today. Much has been said lately about this phenomenon. Every crowd can help create a video that goes viral, and many people are motivated by that sense of personal “success.” There have also been many questions and concerns about whether some of these protesters are actually paid to shout, inflame, and disrupt crowds. Scripture cites many examples of Jesus and his disciples experiencing the same thing.

The Pentecost experience sent Spirit-filled disciples into the crowded streets of Jerusalem in the first century, and the world was changed forever.

Will the TPUSA events inspire attendees to make heaven more crowded because they are filled with people who choose to be, or become, his disciples?

Will we enter crowds as his disciples?

  • Every Sunday we enter a crowd at church. Speaking as a pastor’s wife, I can promise you that many of those you see each Sunday are not yet saved, sanctified, and serving God with their lives. Are you actively working to bring the Spirit of Jesus into the church each time you attend?
  • Every sporting event draws a crowd. How will you intend to be a disciple there?
  • Every mall, grocery store, or line you stand in is a crowd. How can you be the presence of Christ there?
  • What crowds do you invite into your lives? How do you create opportunities for Jesus to enter a room and be known by those who attend?

Let’s make heaven crowded

Most of us will create small “crowds” for others to be part of. Will we share TPUSA’s goal and invite people to “come expectant and bring someone who needs hope”? How can God use our homes and lives for his kingdom purpose?

Jesus told his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).

If we want to spend time with Jesus, we need only choose to be his disciples. Jesus said when we fulfill that calling, he is with us, “always.” 

Jesus is present with those who will work to make “heaven crowded.” How will that thought impact you the next time you head out the door? It won’t be hard to show people Jesus when all you have to do is point to the One who is already and always “with you.”

Let’s make heaven crowded, too. We have all eternity to celebrate and enjoy our forever family, our brothers and sisters in Christ.