All posts by John (HFJ Director)

Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to the Letter to the Romans

We are going to start a walk through the letter to the Romans. As a way to get started, I wanted to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it.

Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome from Corinth, knowing that he would soon come their way. He had always wanted to visit Spain (Rom. 15:28) to the west. However, he also knew that he would visit Jerusalem first (Rom. 15:31), and that was a foreboding thought! Paul was summarily arrested in Jerusalem, and after a long, involved process, was forced to appeal his case to be heard in Rome by Caesar himself. After all, it was only fitting that the Apostle to the Gentiles should appear in the capital of the world. 

The Epistle to the Romans above everything else is an explanation of how God justifies the sinner. 

… [skipping a few lines]

The verb [justify] is a legal term meaning to declare someone as just or righteous and to recognize him as such.   It refers to one who is not subject to condemnation. 

One thing to keep in mind with all of Paul’s letters, however, is that Paul is often misunderstood. He is probably one of the most misunderstood people in all history, and certainly in the Bible. While he clearly taught about being justified by God, he did not teach against the law of God as many accuse him. In fact, he was quite often defending himself to that end during his ministry.  Read carefully and test what scripture is really saying. Test what you have been taught by pastors and churches against what the scripture actually says. Test scripture against scripture. Do not redefine what scripture says to fit in the perspective you may have been taught previously.

2 Peter 3:14-18

14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, 15and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unscrupulous people and lose your own firm commitment, 18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help us to have discernment and wisdom in reading and testing scripture. Let the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts and minds in understanding properly Your word. Help us rely on Your word rather than the many opinions of men. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Holy / Set Apart, Learning To Pray Effectively, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness

Let Your Light Shine For Christ

Many in our society try to compartmentalize their faith. Satan has convinced people that it is ok to keep your faith not only private, but invisible. In this way our faith will not hinder our careers or other pursuits where people may persecute or harass us for our faith. This is in direct contradiction to Christ calling us to be a light to others to shine and draw them to Him. We must not keep our faith invisible or entirely private.

Matthew 5:14-16

    14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

For the most part, in the US, we don’t see the levels of life threatening persecution that are common in some majority Muslim countries in the Middle East or in atheist countries like China. Our brothers and sisters in Christ certainly need our prayers. They face true difficulty for their faith. They stand strong. If someone claims to be Christian there, you know they mean it. There are few lukewarm Christians there, because it is not worth the cost unless you really believe.

However, even here in the US we face some level of cultural backlash against openly living out our faith in business. There are law suits or rebukes that we may offend someone. People will come against us on social media and try to silence us. We each must decide what we are willing to do for Christ. What are we willing to risk to honor and obey Him? It is better to decide ahead of time, before the persecution comes to avoid rationalizing why we can accept a little more private faith… really an invisible faith… because we want to protect our “success” or comfort.

Daniel stands as an excellent example. He was successful at his job. He was liked by the king. He not only stood to lose these things, but also he knew he faced the lion’s den. He prayed anyway. He could have closed his window perhaps or blocked it. He could have prayed when he knew no one would be around. He refused to change his prayer behavior because of outside pressure. He did not let “it’s illegal” become an excuse to stop praying to God or to hiding his relationship with God. Daniel was a man of great faith, whom I admire.

How many of us avoid praying or have almost no prayer time even with no persecution? How many of us just allow ourselves to get “too busy” for prayer? We let the daily concerns and activities of the world choke out our prayer life with YHWH.

I hope and pray I would do like Daniel, while admittedly hoping I never have to face a situation like that one. I have, however, made conscious choices to not hide my faith at work, even if that would be more easily accepted. I am increasing my prayer time and asking YHWH to help me truly enjoy and look forward to prayer time. I pray YHWH gives me courage and boldness to live for Him and I encourage you to do the same.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to enjoy and look forward to prayer time , worship, and quiet time with You. Grant me courage and boldness to live publicly for You and help me be a light to others to lead them to You. Please also help my family, and my brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe that they would be bold for Christ and let their light shine, even if it results in persecution. Please raise up the righteous and defend them. Please defeat the plans of the wicked and remove them from power. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, Humility, Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively, Love, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Persecution / Glorifying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Thankfulness

O My God, In You I Trust

Psalm 25 is an inspiring prayer for protection, guidance, and pardon. Don’t just read it, but pray it before almighty God with a genuine heart.

1To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.

3Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

4Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.

5Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.

6Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old.

7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.

8Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

9He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.

10All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

11For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

12Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

13His soul will abide in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.

14The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.

15My eyes are continually toward the LORD,
For He will pluck my feet out of the net.

16Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.

17The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.

18Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.

19Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.

20Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.

22Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.

Share this prayer with others you care about!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Parables, Prophecy, Salvation, Sloth / Laziness, Wickedness / Evil

Jesus Prophecies About the Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 4)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 25:14-46. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before you read further here in Part 4.)

Jesus provides additional strong warnings regarding judgment that will accompany His return. He warns us all to be ready now and expect that there will be consequences when He returns based on how we lived “while the master was away”. We will be held accountable. Those who lived faithfully submitted to Jesus will rejoice and be rewarded. There is no middle ground. We are either submitted to Jesus as Lord or we are not. Our behaviors and attitudes are an indication of our true relationship with Jesus as fruit is an indication of the type of tree that grows it. Those who accepted Jesus in name only, never changing their behaviors to reflect a true submission to Him as Lord will be held accountable just as those who outright rebelled against or rejected God.

Parable of the Talents

      14“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15“To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17“In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18“But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

      19“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20“The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      22“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      24“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

      26“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

      29“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Be encouraged… the master did not get angry with the man who made only two talents because another made five. The master praised both for their efforts and stewardship. Even the servant who dug the hole may have satisfied the master to a degree if he even had just put it in the bank. God gives each of us talents and abilities and a certain amount of time on this Earth. He expects us to serve Him by using what He gives wisely and not being wicked or slothful.

The Judgment

      31“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

      34“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

      41“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Clearly there is judgment when Jesus returns. Just an a parent wants a child to obey when they are not together or an employer wants an employee to obey instructions when the employer is away… so too Jesus wants us to live in obedience to Him even before He returns. The test of how you love your master, parent, or employer is best reflected in how you behave when you think he or she is not around.

Jesus gives us some specific examples of things we can do to show Him we love Him… by loving other people. We can meet physical needs and spiritual needs of others. The physical needs are straightforward to understand. All of them also represent spiritual needs… we must bring the truth of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as we can! Jesus compared himself to the bread of life and compared what He offers us to life giving waters that quench us such that we will never be thirsty again. So too loneliness, sickness and captivity can by physical or spiritual. Only Jesus can set people free and meet these needs… but we are commanded to  represent Him! How wonderful a task.

To begin, each of us must accept Jesus as Lord of our lives and turn away from our wrong behaviors and do things God’s way… according to the Biblical standard provided by God. This takes study and prayer to do it properly. We must study the Bible and learn to pray effectively. A godly, Biblical church can be part of that but can not replace additional personal time and  effort by invested by each individual.

It takes commitment to draw near to God and serve Him well. He calls for us to make Him our top priority… not a hobby. Begin now to dedicate your life to God if you, like me, want to hear Jesus tell you the following words when you meet Him:

‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Please pray with me:

Father, please give me courage and faithfulness to use wisely what You have entrusted to me. Let me not simply meet my own needs and wants, but also see the needs of others as clearly as You do. Help me reach out to help others confidently and in Your name. Let me not simply be afraid that someone may be taking advantage of me, but really find tangible ways to help people in Your name. Help me to live a life to which You would consider me a good and faithful servant that I should hear those wonderful words from You, “well done”.  Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Parables, Prophecy, Salvation, Tribulation

Jesus Prophecies About the Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 3)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 24:32-51 and Matthew 25:1-13. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, and  Part 2  before you read further here in Part 3.)

The prophecy can be difficult to fully evaluate in part because Jesus does not clearly separate where He is talking about the end of the Age… His second coming… from the signs preceding the temple destruction, which occurred approximately 40 years after these words were spoken. (To study much more detail, consider the commentaries available on BibleHub.com.)

Many people spend a lot of time trying to specifically predict when Jesus will return at the end of the age… the end of the world as it currently exists. While it is important to be familiar with prophecy to recognize the signs of the times so we can properly respond to Jesus’ warning about the times leading up to His return… He also warns us in several different examples that none shall know the specific hour of His coming. Rather the warning is to be prepared ahead of time… prepare now.

Matthew 24:32-51

Parable of the Fig Tree

32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48“But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:1-13

Parable of Ten Virgins

1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2“Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8“The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9“But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11“Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12“But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Thankfully, we do not have to fully understand prophecy to understand what Jesus is calling us to do to prepare. We are called to accept Jesus as Lord repenting from our sins, become disciples through constant study and prayer, and then go and make disciples of others. This is how we prepare for the end times… to be ready even though we do not know exactly when it comes. We know enough to recognize that we better devote our lives to Jesus and help others to do the same. That is how we prepare.

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Click link to continue to Part 4 in this article series.

Please pray with me:

Father, please help me to come to proper relationship with You now. Let me not put it off, assuming it only matters that I am doing what is right when You return. Help me to strengthen my faith, my passion for Your word, to worship You, to spend time with You, to share the gospel with others. Help me to know when I hear from You. Lead me to repent of my sins. Help me to prepare now, this very day. Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Fear / Reverence for God, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Prophecy, Salvation, Tribulation

Jesus Prophecies About the Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 2)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 24:15-31. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, before you read further here in Part 2.)

    15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25“Behold, I have told you in advance. 26“So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

      29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Jesus provides no specific answer as to when the temple will be destroyed. In fact He answers in a way that intermingles the description of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age so that it is at times difficult to separate which comments apply for which event. He  answers as if both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age may be described by a similar answer… as if one is a  foreshadowing one for the other.

Let us break it down verse by verse for more insight.

15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

The abomination of desolation refers to the Roman army’s occupation of Jerusalem preceding the city’s destruction and the desecration of the temple resulting from the actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the mid-2nd century BC. Specifically, he set up an altar to Zeus in the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and sacrificed swine on it around the year 167 BC.

The destruction of Jerusalem after the Jewish people rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah may represent a foreshadowing of the end of the world when Christ comes again after many reject Him.

16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

This section of the prophecy clearly warns God’s people to be prepared. Recognize the signs and move quickly and urgently. There is no time to spare. It will be difficult. In regards to the Roman siege of Jerusalem, those who heeded Jesus’ prophecy were able to get out before the siege began, escaping to the countryside or wilderness. Those who were not prepared… who did not recognize the signs… would have been trapped in the middle of it.

So too we must prepare ourselves for the end of the age… the end of the world. We must be ready for it. The most important preparation is to turn from our wrong behaviors and thoughts (our sins)… to ask Jesus for forgiveness and make Him Lord of our life. (read more: The Message of the Cross – Salvation)

20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Followers of Christ were not spared the tribulation of the siege of Jerusalem by God removing them from the situation. If they were prepared and heeded Jesus’ prophetic warning to leave, then their time was less hard… but still hard.  So, too, will it be at the end of the age. Christians will not be spared the great tribulation, but can take refuge in knowing what it brings and through personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus encourages us to pray that our part of the tribulation would be more manageable… less harsh… so that we may endure it to the end. We should do as Jesus guides and pray.

23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25“Behold, I have told you in advance. 26“So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.

Jesus’ comments here appear to apply more toward the end times rather than the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. He warns us clearly to watch out for the deception of false prophets who will claim to be Christ or speak for God. We must study scripture daily, seek God in prayer, and pray for God’s help to recognize the false prophets for what they are… lest they lead us astray. There are many today, leading people away from Jesus, claiming to teach His word. Each of us must heed this warning and take action in our lives to prepare. We must not be lazy in our study and prayer… doing it “when we have time”. We must seek first the kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:33 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

27“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus is letting us know that when He returns… it will be in a manner very different than we may imagine and very different from every false Christ. The second coming of Jesus shall be like lightning… swift, unexpected, and powerful. There is some thought that even the manner in which the Romans came to conquer Jerusalem can be compared to this prophecy… again as perhaps a foreshadowing of the end of the age.

 28“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

To be honest, this verse is a bit tougher to understand with confidence. It may refer to wherever a church or nation has rejected God… is dead to God… and is decaying… there God’s ministers of vengeance, the vultures, do their work of destruction so as to leave room for new life.

 29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Verses 29-31 again reinforce that Jesus’ return will not be subtle. It will be magnificent and obvious for those who are prepared to recognize it. His return will not be something that is unclear at all but rather He will come in great power.

All the tribes of the earth will mourn… all those who have rejected Jesus and instead chosen another path fear the coming of judgment. If they do not fear it now… they will fear it as Jesus returns in full power and glory and they can no longer rationalize their denial and rejection of Him.

The angels are sent forth with great fanfare to gather those on the earth who have chosen and submitted to Jesus, for they were scattered.

For those of us who follow and submit to Jesus, this time represents a wonderful time for celebration! For those who reject Jesus , it is a time to dread… judgment comes and they are on the wrong side of it.

Thankfully, we do not have to fully understand prophecy to understand what Jesus is calling us to do to prepare. We are called to accept Jesus as Lord repenting from our sins, become disciples through constant study and prayer, and then go and make disciples of others. This is how we prepare for the end times… to be ready even though we do not know exactly when it comes. We know enough to recognize that we better devote our lives to Jesus and help others to do the same. That is how we prepare.

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Click link to continue to Part 3 in this article series.

Please pray with me:

Father, please help me to come to proper relationship with You now. Let me not put it off, assuming it only matters that I am doing what is right when You return. Help me to strengthen my faith, my passion for Your word, to worship You, to spend time with You, to share the gospel with others. Help me to know when I hear from You. Lead me to repent of my sins. Help me to prepare now, this very day. Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Salvation, Through Prophets, Tribulation

Jesus Prophecies About The Temple Destruction And His Return (Part 1)

Jesus provides prophetic insight into when He returns at the end of the age to his disciples in Matthew 24:1-14. I find it interesting to note that this particular teaching, which may be harder to understand than others is directed in a private discussion between Jesus and some of His disciples, rather than a public forum. Some prophecy can be difficult to fully understand, especially by those who have not yet come into proper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

      1Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

      3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

      4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

      9“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Let us dive in and explore this prophecy from Jesus verse by verse. To study in more detail, I recommend starting by reviewing a variety of commentaries for this scripture on BibleHub.com. You can go verse by verse at:

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-1.htm

1Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.

As Jesus and His disciples left the temple, it would be natural to expect them to observe the structure in all of its splendor. It was magnificent.

2And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

Jesus uses a proverbial and figurative expression “not one stone here will be left upon another” to reveal the coming destruction of the temple.  Barnes’ Notes Commentary provides the following historical information:

The temple was vast, rich, splendid. It was the pride of the nation, and the nation was at peace. Yet in the short space of 40 years all this was accomplished exactly. Jerusalem was taken by the Roman armies, under the command of Titus, 70 a.d. The account of the siege and destruction of the city is left us by Josephus, a historian of undoubted veracity and singular fidelity. He was a Jewish priest. In the wars of which he gives an account, he fell into the hands of the Romans, and remained with them during the siege and destruction of the city. Being a Jew, he would of course say nothing designed to confirm the prophecies of Jesus Christ; yet his whole history appears almost like a running commentary on these predictions respecting the destruction of the temple.

3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

The prediction that the temple would be destroyed had been made in the presence of all the apostles. A “part” now came privately to know more. We know from Mark 13:3, that Peter, James, John, and Andrew were the disciples who came with Jesus to ask about these things.

There were three questions asked by the disciples.

1. When will the temple be destroyed?

2. What will be the sign of Your coming?

3. What will be the sign of the end of the age?

 4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

Jesus begins an answer in verse 4 that continues for several chapters. We will not cover all of it in one devotion, but rather continue studying it over the course of several devotions as we walk through the book of Matthew.

Jesus provides no specific answer to the first question about when the temple will be destroyed. In fact He answers in a way that intermingles the description of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age so that it is at times difficult to separate which comments apply for which event. He  answers as if both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age may be described by a similar answer… as if one is a  foreshadowing one for the other.

Jesus does not provide a distinct and specific description of the events, but instead seems most interested in providing a warning about what is to come. We are warned not to be mislead by the many who claim to come in His name. There are many false prophets who claim the name of Jesus, but we must spend time studying the word and in prayer daily to fully recognize the false prophets from the true ones. Many will be led astray to their peril! We are not to be lazy in our desire to know and serve God or we will be easy prey to be led away from Him by false prophets.

6“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Jesus warns us further not to be frightened by the wars, famines and earthquakes. These events must occur. They are but the beginnings of birth pangs… the beginning of labor. These things can continue on for a long time before the end of the age… the birth of a new one. Knowing what they signal is coming… a new age… can help us to avoid fear as our response… just as knowing about birth pains helps us avoid fear when those pains are experienced in pregnancy. For those who understand pregnancy and birth, this metaphor clearly serves as warning also that more difficulty and pain are to come. The birth pains are more intense than the early labor pains.

9“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. .

Contrary to the incorrect belief of many, the scripture indicates believers will experience tribulation, not be called away to Heaven before it comes. God’s people will be hated by all the nations because they submit to the name of Jesus. Under this intense pressure and persecution, many will fall away and betray one another. Many will hate one another. False prophets lead people away from God.

We can be encouraged because Jesus has warned us ahead of time. Those who understand and heed the warning will be better prepared to avoid being misled… being led away from Christ. We can endure tough situations, even finding joy in them, knowing that God has not been defeated… far from it! Jesus told us it would happen. We can look forward with great anticipation for the end of this age and the hope of the age to come.

12“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold

Lawlessness refers specifically to the law of God… His commands on how we are to live. Jesus summarized God’s commands as loving God and loving your neighbor. As people discard the commands of God, claiming they are no longer relevant… their love grows cold. Some even teach discarding portions of the law because Jesus died for us, but this is contrary to what Jesus teaches. (To learn more, study our teaching Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today?)

Matthew 22:35-40

35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus wants us to continue obeying all the laws and commands of God to the end of the age. By doing so we show love to God and our neighbors and do not allow our love to grow cold.

13“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Only the one who endures to the end will be saved. Those that turn away from God and follow their own path when it gets tough will be lost, regardless of whatever prior relationship they had with Jesus. While no one can “snatch” one out of the Father’s hand, all of God’s people must freely choose to submit to Him… and can also freely choose to reject and rebel against Him, even if they once submitted to Him.

John 10:26-30

26“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30“I and the Father are one.”

For each of us, our end comes in different ways and different times.  Every day, about 150,000 people a day are dying… meeting their end. Yes, some will make it to the end of the age, but for most of us our end comes before then. Either way, we are each called to endure to the end, submitting our lives to God despite suffering or hard times.

14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus gave a clear command to His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, confirming again what He said in Matthew 24:14. We should study this command and obey it as well. It not only applies to the disciples, but to all who truly submit to Jesus Christ and therefore commit to do His work and obey His will and honor His kingdom. The command may not be easy to follow, but neither was dying on the cross easy. Jesus’ command should be very important to each of us that declare Him “Lord”.

Matthew 28:16-20

16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Those of us who serve Christ have our marching orders, a mission if you will. Jesus did not say… “Live comfortably and according to your own desires. When you feel like it and when it is convenient and easy, please consider telling others about me.” Not at all. Quite the opposite. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all the world! Do not think that this was easy for the disciples either, but rather it was a challenging task. To study more about the Great Commission commanded by Jesus, review our teaching, The Great Commission – Make Disciples Of All The Nations.

We should consider Jesus’ warnings and instructions carefully and thoughtfully consider how to apply them to our lives!

Of course, the first step, for those who have not yet done so, is to turn from our sins and wrong behaviors, ask forgiveness from Jesus and submit to Jesus Christ  as Lord of our lives. It is a journey that lasts a lifetime, transforming us to be less like our old sinful nature and more like Jesus along the way. Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross. Accepting Jesus as Lord is just the beginning!

Click link to continue to Part 2 in this article series.

Please pray with me:

Father, please help me to come to proper relationship with You now. Let me not put it off, assuming it only matters that I am doing what is right when You return. Help me to strengthen my faith, my passion for Your word, to worship You, to spend time with You, to share the gospel with others. Help me to know when I hear from You. Lead me to repent of my sins. Help me to prepare now, this very day. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Discerning / Judging, Parenting, Purposeful / Intentional, Wise

Make Learning About God Fun!

The world continuously bombards our children with messages that are not consistent with a Christian world view – whether online websites, apps, videos or music. However, there are some very creative Christians that have put their talents to work honoring God by creating wonderful material that is consistent with what we hear from Jesus. You and your kids can honor God and have fun doing it!

What your children are exposed to does matter. Don’t settle for programming and entertainment that mocks or ignores our Lord. Instead seek out material which trains up our children in the way they should go. Please take some time to explore the resource links we have included here and share with those you think may benefit from it. There is some great stuff to get you started. If you are like me, once you know this kind of stuff is out there, you will go look for it on your own and find much more than what I have listed here.

Check out the Kid Zone section in Resources on our website, www.HearingFromJesus.org. Click the specific links below to dive right into the Kid Zone.

Kid Zone

Proverbs 22:6

6Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Do you have recommendations that honor God? Please share your input through our Contact Us page.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare – the Battle Is Real

The most basic rule of warfare is perhaps that if you don’t realize or accept there is an enemy moving against you, you will most probably lose. If you don’t fight back with an effective strategy, you will lose even if you take on the enemy. If you don’t properly identify your enemy, you will develop the wrong strategy.

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul provides us important guidance about the reality of spiritual warfare. Too often Christians dismiss spiritual warfare and focus only on the things we can see and touch. This leaves us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. If we do not recognize the true enemy, we will struggle to win against him.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Some key points upon which to reflect:

  • Our strength comes from the Lord, not ourselves
  • The devil is real and he has strategies he uses to lie, cheat and destroy. He will use more than one strategy against us.
  • Warfare does not always take place in physical world, sometimes it is in the spiritual world. Consider the book of Job.
  • Just putting on one or two pieces of the armor of God is not enough, we need to put on all of them.
  • Prayer and a relationship with Jesus is necessary! Jesus tells us to pray daily and to pray specifically to not let us yield to temptation, and to be rescued from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13
  • We are to stay alert and pray for others in addition to ourselves. Pray for those preach the gospel that they would preach boldly!

Let’s explore what it really means to put on the full armor of God.

Truth can simply be defined as the real facts about something. Surprisingly the world today proposes that truth is relative when it comes to God or how we live… “True for you but not for me”, etc. This is no more accurate than saying “If I do not believe in gravity, I will not fall off a ladder.” Gravity is true whether or not I believe in or accept it. God lovingly and in great detail shares truth in the Bible and reveals it in the world around us. There is absolute truth.

Righteousness is characterized by living consistently with God’s standards of morality, justice, virtue, etc. As God’s standard is Himself, it is a lofty bar. We will never achieve it to perfection but He is the standard and reference point none the less. We should keep our eyes on Jesus and seek help from the Holy Spirit to keep changing to be more like Him.

The peace that comes from knowing the good news is not a promise that we will avoid conflicts and trials, but rather an affirmation that when we have relationship with Jesus Christ we know He is with us in this life and that we have eternal life on the other side of this world. We can have peace through the mightiest storms.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1. In this context Paul reminds us that we must trust in God even when we are under attack by Satan. Just because we can not recognize how God is working in the situation does not mean that He is not there. We can be confident He is with us.

Salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequence, which is death. It is not enough to know or acknowledge Jesus Christ. Even Satan and his demons do that. By asking and accepting Jesus into our lives and repenting from our sinful ways we receive salvation through grace.

The sword of the spirit, or word of God, is what Jesus Himself used to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. We must know the word of God before the attack comes just as a soldier must train and be prepared before he goes to battle.

To be effective we must understand and use all of this equipment daily. It ceases to become “something we do” and becomes “how we do everything” in our lives.

Remember to heed Paul’s warning and guidance for prayer. The battle is not ours alone, but the Lord’s!

18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, help me focus on the real enemy, Satan, rather than thinking of others in the physical as my enemy. Thank You for Your guidance and power to resist him. Help us as Your people in the application of putting on the full armor as You instruct. Let not the enemy divide Your people, but rather bring us together to resist him and glorify Your name. Amen. 

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Learning To Pray Effectively, Obeying God, Seeking God, Thankfulness

Open Our Eyes That We May Behold the Wonderful Things of Your Law, O’ God

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is written originally in Hebrew in a literary style that begins one section after another, each with the next letter of the aleph bet (Hebrew alphabet). It is beautiful and passionate. It focuses on the law of God. It is only one place in scripture that speaks about the law of God, but it is a great place to start. Read and digest all that it claims about the law of God and then ask yourself, does describe the law as burdensome? difficult? harsh? or does it describe it as quite different than that? Does it describe something that we would want to be set free from? Is it bondage?

Take time and consider what was said about the law of God by New Testament writers like James. James calls on us to be doers of the word and then refers to the “perfect law, the law of liberty”. Those who abide by it will be blessed.

James 1:22-25

22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Paul is often misunderstood by many who take scripture out of context to claim he taught against the law. In truth, he calls on the law as holy and righteous and good. He teaches against following the law for salvation. He does not teach against following the law once we are saved through Yeshua.

Romans 7:12

12So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Put aside what you think you know about the law from those who do not understand it and listen to how it is described by one who understood it well and loved our heavenly Father very deeply. Don’t worry for now about what is the full content of “the law” or if we can fully follow the law today, but instead let us just try to better understand if scripture reveals it to be burdensome or something else.

Pray that the Lord would open our eyes that we may behold the wonderful things of His law!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let me not be led astray by the culture around me or the ways of man which have strayed far from Your ways according to Your word in the Bible. Help me to study Your word and seek a meaningful relationship with You. Help me test every teaching against Your word. Open my eyes to the wonderful ways of Your Law. Help me to delight in all of Your commandments, not just 10. Help me to understand how to apply your Law to my life today. 

Learn more…

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.