Jesus had died and was buried in a borrowed tomb. We can say “borrowed” because three days later, after the Passover had come and gone, the women who did not have the time to fully bury the body came to deliver and apply the burial spices, about sixty pounds worth, only to find the tomb open and empty. Jesus was gone. The tomb was sealed lest anyone steal the body and proclaim a Resurrection, and the Roman guard would be there with no chance of sleeping on duty under penalty of death. The seal wasn’t merely cracked; the entire stone slab, which weighed several thousand pounds, wasn’t just rolled away but more tossed out of the way. The description isn’t merely to just get the door open, but to knock the door off its hinges. And Jesus was nowhere to be found, and apparently neither were the guards.
The women were baffled until a man approached Mary Magdalene and asked why she was crying. The man comforted her and then called her by her name. Suddenly, she recognized Jesus and sought to cling to Him, but Jesus refused. His glorified body was not fit for that, as He was now preparing for His ascension. So the women ran back to the disciples. Peter and John didn’t even hesitate; they ran to the tomb. Though John beat Peter in the race, John stopped, and Peter ran into the tomb directly. While an angel announced Jesus’ resurrection to the woman sitting on the stone door, here two other angels sat inside the tomb at Jesus’ head and feet, and all that was left were the grave clothes.
There are multiple times in the Bible when someone had died and was brought back to life, but most had just recently died, like the same day, and only a couple of cases had several days pass. But even then, their life was merely restored to them temporarily. Each person who died and was brought back to life would die again when it was their time. But Jesus did not have His life restored to His body; He was resurrected. The body He was born in perished, marking the death of the sin-cursed, but it was changed, transformed, and made new in its glorified form. However, Jesus still bore the five scars from His crucifixion: the holes in both hands and feet and the spear-pierced side. The scars were there, yet fully healed.
Jesus was the first resurrected person, and no one else is going to be resurrected until the time for all judgment to come. One thing that is often missed is that literally everyone is going to be resurrected. Good, bad, young, and old, every person of every point in history is going to die physically (or taken to heaven in some rapture-type thing of which I am not going to delve into), and that body will be resurrected. This is how every person is going to give an account for their lives. We all are going to receive immortal and perfect bodies, bodies that will not die. Those who are in Christ will be welcomed to paradise, but those who are not will suffer the wrath of God for eternity in a body that cannot die. That needs to scare us.
The second “death” is not annihilation or an eternal slumber where even time will forget us. No, this lake of fire is where God’s eternal, righteous, and just wrath is going to be poured out without exhaustion. Unlike man, whose wrath can be exhausted, God’s wrath is never exhausted. While His love and grace and mercy are infinite, so is His wrath, and we are going to glorify God one way or the other: in paradise or in eternal judgment. Those who lived this life in sin and crime and did not meet judgment here on earth will face it with God. And those who did experience judgment here on earth faced their crimes against humanity, not their crimes against deity. The only escape from the judgment for crime against deity is Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ death took the just punishment against sin as though He were the only one to have sinned. But in His resurrection came the defeat of sin, Hell, and the grave, so that all who are “in Christ,” those who died to themselves and submitted themselves to a new Master, will escape it. Just as Noah and his family escaped the Flood by one means of salvation, so we can escape the judgment of God through the one means of salvation: the cross.
Just as Adam and Eve were clothed, Paul uses this notion of being “in Christ” so that when Jesus died, we died, and when He rose, we will rise with Him. However, it’s more than just that. God does more than just see Jesus in our place. When Jesus died, He came back the same God as when He came. He did not change other than having His human nature. When we die in Christ and when we are resurrected in Christ, we are changed. Jesus never had a sin nature to change from; we do. When we die, the law that demands our judgment is still fulfilled. But when we are resurrected, we are raised under a new law that gives us a new master. We experience the resurrection in part in this life because we have a new heart, new mind, new motives, and new drives, but we don’t have a new body yet. That still has to die as well, and then we will receive our new bodies that will not experience the curse of sin. They will be fully functional as they would have been had we never sinned.
How it is going to look can only, at best, be described with “glorified imagination” and I don’t have the time or space, let alone the vocabulary, to describe it. But Jesus’ resurrection is what gives us the hope that we have. It is the resurrection that will enable us to endure whatever this world gives us to offer if only we would start thinking eternally again. But in that eternal thinking is the doom people have if we do not tell them how to escape it. We must see both, and I fear too many of us have fallen for the intellectual game that keeps the reality of things “out there.” Jesus did die for us. He did rise from the grave. He did defeat sin, death, and Hell. But do we live like we believe that?
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Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
- Psalm 91:9-16
Today was our monthly men’s meeting. Part of our time at the very end was centered around, “Why is it that there’s this sense or feeling we’ve lost our passion?” Of course, I had to speak up.
“We can’t blame God or anyone else for this loss of passion except ourselves. You see, if individually, each of us, in our vertical relationship isn’t there or is almost non-existent, to have a horizontal relationship with each other can be confusing and literally, impossible.”
Seeing questioning looks in the room, in essence saying, “What are you talking about?” excited me to share more.
You see, in today’s life of all the business with our schedules just so full, we don’t take time to read God’s Word, let alone pray and talk with Him. Basically, we seek Him when a crisis hits. We pray when it’s convenient for us.
All along, we spew out our know-it-all attitudes, and then when the ceiling falls in on us, the finger-pointing begins. The “He said, she said” verbiage begins.
We’re confused and don’t know what to do because we have not stayed in control with the One who has the answers for us. Also, most of the time we don’t like His answers because they’re so unrealistic, so simple, or they’re not in line with our thinking.
We can’t show up for a one-hour time frame or less per week and walk out the front door of God’s house thinking and/or saying, “Well, I’ve done my duty for the week. You know this Christian thinking, it’s not so hard.” Think about that for a moment, in this light – just because I go and sit in my garage overnight doesn’t make me a car by morning.
We need to remember that sin brings pain to us and to God. Just because God isn’t physically right here, we have a hard time believing He’s experiencing pain. In Judges 10:15, Israel knew they had sinned, they let God know, and asked to be delivered from the day in whatever way God would choose. In Judges 10:16, it tells us that God’s soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
Does God hurt? Does God feel pain? You bet! And not just heart pain, it went to the depths of His soul.
The misery we suffer because of spiritual rebellion will always cause pain to the Lord. Isaiah 63:9 says, “In all their affliction, He was afflicted.”
The greatest pain God suffered was when His Son went to the Cross for our sins.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
- Isaiah 43:2
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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
- Galatians 5:22-23
When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he was addressing a community caught in the tension between the law and grace, between what people could produce on their own and what God desired to produce within them. In that context, Paul gave one of the most beautiful and practical lists in all of Scripture: the fruit of the Spirit.
These nine characteristics are not individual fruits we pick and choose from, nor are they goals we achieve through sheer willpower. They are one singular fruit displayed in different ways, the natural result of the Holy Spirit’s presence and work in the life of a believer. A person walking closely with the Spirit naturally bears love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Love is not just the first in the list. It is the foundation upon which all the other fruits grow. Without love, joy becomes self-centered happiness. Without love, peace becomes mere comfort. Without love, patience becomes passive endurance. Love gives meaning, purpose, and strength to every other fruit of the Spirit.
The word “love” today can feel overused and underdefined. We say we love pizza, we love our pets, we love our favorite TV shows, and in the same breath, we might say we love our family or God. The English word love covers everything from affection to desire to admiration. But in the original Greek, the word Paul uses is agapē, a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is not a love that depends on feelings, circumstances, or reciprocity. It is the love that chooses to seek the good of others, even when it costs us something.
Agapē love is the love that characterizes God Himself, as in 1 John 4:7-8. God’s very nature is love. Everything He does flows from this reality: His creation, His redemption, His patience, His discipline, His mercy. When His Spirit lives in us, that same love begins to grow in our hearts and express itself in how we relate to others. Love is not something we manufacture; it’s something God cultivates in us through His Spirit.
But before we can love others, we have to understand that love begins with God’s love for us. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This is where many Christians struggle. We know in our heads that God loves us, but we often live as if we have to earn His approval. We try to be “good Christians” to stay in His favor, but that mindset leads to striving, exhaustion, and guilt.
The fruit of love grows only when we rest in the soil of grace, when we fully accept that God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). His love is unfailing and steadfast (Psalm 136). Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). When we truly believe this, it transforms how we see ourselves and others. We no longer have to prove our worth or compete for love. Instead, we become free to love others as we have been loved, generously, graciously, and unconditionally.
That’s why the first fruit of the Spirit is love. Everything begins with receiving God’s love. Paul describes this kind of love more fully in 1 Corinthians 13, a passage often read at weddings but written for the church as a whole. Read more about that here. Love is not measured by what we say or how we feel, but by how we treat others, especially those who are hard to love. Loving others in this way is not natural. It goes against our instincts to protect ourselves, get even, or seek recognition. That’s why it’s called the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of human effort.
In John 13:35, Jesus told His followers that love would be their defining mark. Notice that He didn’t say people will know we are His followers by our theology, our worship style, or our moral stances. He said love would be the unmistakable evidence of our faith. In a world filled with division, hatred, and self-interest, genuine love stands out like light in the darkness.
The early church was known for this kind of radical love. They cared for the sick during plagues, shared food with the poor, welcomed strangers, and treated slaves and masters as equals in Christ. Their love turned the world upside down, and it still can today. Imagine what would happen if the church truly lived out the fruit of love in every community, workplace, and family.
So how do we cultivate this fruit in our lives? First, we should abide in God’s Word. Scripture reveals the character of God and reminds us of His love. The more we meditate on His truth, the more our hearts align with His. Next, we should ask the Holy Spirit daily to fill us with love – not the world’s definition, but God’s. The Spirit delights to answer that prayer. We should practice forgiveness and serve one another, especially those who cannot repay us.
Love cannot grow in isolation. We need the body of Christ – people who challenge us, comfort us, and help us learn how to love in real life. The fruit of love isn’t meant to stay theoretical or reserved for church. It’s meant to show up in the ordinary rhythms of life. Every act of love, no matter how small, becomes a testimony to God’s transforming grace. Love becomes a way of life, a movement of the Holy Spirit flowing through us into the world around us.
As we begin this journey through the fruit of the Spirit, remember that love is not simply the first virtue in a list, but it is the root from which all the others grow. Without love, the Christian life becomes empty duty. But with love, even the smallest actions become sacred. When we walk in love, we walk in the very nature of God.
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The cross is the singular most discussed topic of all of history. There is literally no other event in all of world history that remotely compares to the crucifixion of Jesus. It truly is the singular most important world-changing event. It is because of the cross that we have BC and AD for our calendar. If we did not have the cross, we would be either still counting years by ruler or like the Jews, who started from creation and counted forward. We count from the birth of Christ forward. But the reason we start with Christ’s birth is that that is when the most important person in history was born. But without the cross, Jesus’ birth doesn’t have the same weight. The cross is why Jesus came to us to begin with. All Jesus did and experienced was for this one moment of history that literally changed how everything operates.
The physical torture Jesus endured is beyond harrowing. At the time, it was the most severe form of torture known to man. The whipping was just the opening. Roman soldiers, taking their cat o’ nine tails, edged with glass, rocks, bones, or whatever would rip into flesh easily. And they made a sport out of it – who could make the most devastating blow. Scripture describes Jesus being unrecognizable, just a standing hunk of meat. Some would not survive such a beating due to the loss of blood, let alone any infection that would finish the job. The crown of thorns, the mocking, and the mob assault added to the mix. The crown of thorns not only drew blood but would cause serious head pain that would make anyone lose concentration easily. Getting beaten up and having your beard ripped out in chunks doesn’t help either. And that’s all before being driven down the streets of Jerusalem outside the city, being forced to carry the very cross that would be used to execute Him. Jesus was so weak from all this that He could not physically carry it anymore, and so they had to pull a man from the streets to finish the job. Then, finally, He was nailed to the cross and hung naked, having to rely on His very weak body to get a breath. The very setting of the cross into the hole would make most joints get dislocated.
Often, it could take 2-3 days for someone to finally die on a cross. Jesus didn’t make it for at most six hours, to include the events we know and the three hours of darkness. Jesus died of a burst heart, indicated by the water and blood flowing out of the chest wound from a soldier’s spear, meaning it was already settling out from each other. Then the earthquake happened, and even the centurion on site acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God.
Jesus’ death on the cross was unlike any other death or self-sacrifice. While it has been echoed in Narina and Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter, Jesus was the root of it. The notion of a sacrifice preceded Jesus, going all the way back to Genesis. What is unique in the Bible and in Jesus is the key component that the sacrifice must be pure and innocent, and a substitute for others. Absolutely perfect. While other myths would have the concept of a pure maiden giving her life, none of them have a sacrificial element. Only Aslan in Narnia, who is hard to deny was meant to BE Jesus, gets close. But these are all snapshots, pictures, and shadows of the one reality that Jesus did.
Jesus did not die merely sacrificially; He died as a substitute. We had sinned, and we deserved the full wrath of Almighty God. Throughout history, man has sought to downplay the severity of our crime against deity or to increase the value of humanity. We love trying to make our own sins not very significant, and we also love making ourselves victims deserving of being rescued. So we’ll call our sins “mistakes” or “imperfections,” but we’ll say that we are so valuable in God’s eyes that He couldn’t live without us. That’s heresy. Jesus didn’t die to show us how valuable we are to Him. He died because of how heinous our sin is. And we need to remind ourselves every day of the severity of our sin, developing a hatred for it so that we would put it to death. It is such a slap in the face of Jesus to proclaim His death and resurrection and our salvation just to live however we want.
The thing about the cross that we have missed is that we, too, must die. Jesus didn’t merely die as our substitute, representing us. We have to be “in Christ,” which means we must die, too. We won’t face the wrath of God as Jesus did, but our old sinful selves must be put to death so that we may be raised in new life. We love citing John 3:16, but we recoil at Luke 9:23. If we are in Christ, we have a new master, and it’s not sin and it’s not self.
Jesus didn’t die to free us from the hands of the devil; Jesus died to free us from ourselves. Satan is just a deceiver, but he would be completely powerless if we simply didn’t listen to him. All he can actually do is just dangle carrots in front of us, and because we are our own problem, we lunge at those carrots and get ourselves in trouble. And if Satan didn’t do that, we’d still find our own trouble. That’s why Satan simply leaves most people alone because they are so good at their own sin. Jesus died to save us from that. He died to save us from ourselves, so we need to put self on that cross daily so that we live not the very lives that cost Jesus His life to begin with, but that we might live a resurrected life in Christ, which we will cover next week.
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Special Note from our president, Jason DeZurik: In April 2025, my earthly father went to be with His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Though it has been incredibly hard losing him physically here on earth, I am so honored to share with you writings of his from over many, many years of journaling from his personal devotion time while here on the earth. Admittedly, I considered just keeping these for our family to enjoy, but I know my father would want these to be shared with the world. If these writings will help to bring only one person into God’s Kingdom, that is enough for my wonderful earthly father, Frank DeZurik. I believe he has not only given to me and our family a great gift but also a gift for all of us to meditate on and enjoy as well. The following is just the first of many installments to our blog from my father posthumously.
1 Peter 1:3-9
Even when Christ died on the cross, there were many who taunted and jeered and looked upon Jesus’ crucifixion as just the death of another criminal. They knew His death was very different from those they observed in the past, and even with all the happenings were blinded because of the choices man made. Yes, God could have stopped it, BUT God’s plan for His son was drawing to a close.
All through Scripture, we’ve read how the blood was an atonement for sins, and it needed to be one spotless and pure. From the Old Testament to the cross, we read and come to our understanding of the purity, the cleansing power, and its atoning power, the last sacrifice necessary to cleanse us and usher us into God’s throne room of grace.
Today, those so inclined go to, of all things, a blood bank. Of course, the importance here is to give life to someone whose own supply is dangerously low because of some injury, whether an accident or because of bad choices made by others.
Now, not all who donate or want to donate can because of something they’ve contracted through tainted food, or because of some bad choice made, and someone has HIV-AIDS. Now, I know accidentally you can contract AIDS. The thing is, we should not even be dealing with this disease if, through the course of time, man had chosen to follow God’s law and teaching rather than his own selfish, lustful desires, but this is a whole other matter.
Let’s see Christ’s death, a perfect sacrifice, His blood shed for the atonement of the world, when He took His last breath, and the heavy curtain that separated man from God was torn in two, meaning we can all now have direct access to God. BUT each of us, like in the Old Testament, needs to bring before God a perfect sacrifice for our sin. That is our personal relationship of knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. NOTHING else will do, nothing else in and from this world can take the place of the cross, not even our own self-believed perfections.
Yes, we can donate blood, give blood to help save someone to live for another day, BUT how about offering them the blood of life to save them to live for all eternity?
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As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.
Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with you all.
- Titus 3:12-15
The book of Titus ends in what may look like a simple farewell. Paul gives travel plans, names a few companions, and closes with greetings. At first glance, these verses might seem unremarkable compared to the powerful doctrinal and practical truths earlier in the letter. But as we’ve seen throughout Titus, every word is inspired and intentional. Even in Paul’s closing words, there are deep lessons for the church.
This final passage of the letter gives us a glimpse into the everyday rhythms of early Christian community and mission. It highlights the importance of faithful people working together, the call to generous support of gospel workers, the priority of living productive lives of service, and the unifying power of grace. For the church today, these verses are not merely historical footnotes but living instructions.
In verse 12, Paul reveals his strategy. He plans to send either Artemas or Tychicus to relieve Titus, freeing him to join Paul at Nicopolis. This verse underscores a vital truth: gospel ministry is a team effort. Paul depended on co-workers, not only to spread the gospel but also to encourage one another.
Artemas is otherwise unknown in Scripture, yet Paul trusted him enough to send him to Crete, a difficult mission field. Tychicus, however, appears several times in Paul’s letters as a faithful messenger and servant (see Ephesians 6:21 and Colossians 4:7). Whether well-known or obscure, both were useful to Paul and to Christ. Also, notice Paul’s desire for fellowship. He wanted Titus with him during the winter months, likely for mutual encouragement, planning, and prayer. Ministry is not just about tasks but about relationships.
The church today must remember that ministry is never a solo mission. Pastors, leaders, and laypeople alike need co-laborers. Churches should cultivate partnerships, not competition, across congregations and denominations. Every believer, whether more in the spotlight like Tychicus or relatively unknown like Artemas, has a vital role in God’s work. Do not underestimate your place in the Kingdom. Leaders should prioritize not only work but also relationships – spending intentional time encouraging and strengthening one another in Christ, to build this community of co-laborers.
In verse 13, Paul emphasizes the responsibility of the church to provide for traveling missionaries and teachers. Zenas, possibly trained in Roman law or Jewish law, and Apollos, the eloquent preacher from Alexandria (Acts 18:24-28), were evidently on mission. Paul urges Titus and the church in Crete to ensure they are well-supplied. This highlights the biblical principle of supporting those who labor in teaching and spreading the gospel. Ministry requires practical provisions like food, lodging, travel expenses, and encouragement. Gospel partnership involves generosity.
Churches should be eager to support missionaries, pastors, and Christian workers, not minimally but generously, ensuring they “have everything they need.” We as believers should ask ourselves, How am I partnering financially, prayerfully, and practically in the advance of the gospel? Support goes beyond just money. Hosting, encouragement, prayer, and friendship are invaluable gifts to those serving in ministry.
Verse 14 ties the whole letter together. Throughout this letter, Paul has emphasized “doing what is good” (see 1:16, 2:7,14, and 3:1,8). Here, he reinforces the point: believers must be devoted to doing good, not just casually interested. Why? To meet urgent needs and avoid unproductive lives. The believers in Crete faced a culture of laziness and dishonesty (1:12). Paul calls them to a countercultural lifestyle of service, productivity, and usefulness for Christ.
Good works are not the means of salvation (Paul has already stressed that salvation is by grace in various places), but they are the evidence of salvation. Productive Christian living means putting faith into action in tangible ways. Churches should regularly teach believers to be intentional in meeting urgent needs in their communities, whether poverty, loneliness, injustice, or disaster relief. Christians should evaluate their lives: Am I living productively for Christ, or am I wasting my time and energy on trivial pursuits? Productivity in Scripture is not about worldly success but kingdom fruitfulness: lives touched, needs met, and people pointed to Christ.
Paul ends with greetings and a blessing in verse 15. These simple words reflect the warmth of Christian fellowship. The gospel binds believers together across geography, culture, and background. Paul’s final prayer is for grace – the same grace that saved, sustains, and empowers the church. Notice Paul greets not just leaders but “those who love us in the faith.” The church is not an institution but a family, united by love in Christ. And grace, not law or performance, has the last word.
The Church must cultivate authentic relationships, marked by love for all who are in Christ. Believers should regularly encourage one another with words of grace. The church should be a community where people are refreshed, not drained. Grace should shape not only the beginning of our faith journey but the ongoing life of the church.
The closing verses of Titus remind us that even the “ordinary” parts of Scripture are filled with extraordinary wisdom. This passage calls us to invest in relationships, practice radical generosity, live productive lives, and embrace grace in all we do. May God’s grace empower us to live productive, fruitful, Christ-centered lives until the day we see Him face to face.
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Jesus was arrested and taken straight to trial by the Sanhedrin. They were ready for Him. This shows very easily that the whole thing was a setup. They needed enough of the seventy members to make a quorum, and clearly, they did not call ALL the members for this quorum, but the ones who were opposed to Jesus, not the ones who supported Him. At the seat of judgment, leading this trial, was Caiphas, the High Priest. Caiphas was very political and hated Rome with a passion, but he did everything to keep the peace with Rome, knowing that to trigger Rome would steal their power and would lead to their destruction. Rome was actually beneficial to the Sadducees because Rome kept them in power. And here came Jesus, a very clear threat to the system, and just a few days ago, he made a huge scene with the cleansing of the temple and even evading the tax question. They wanted Jesus dead, but now they had to find a reason to do so.
So they tried to get witnesses to lie about him, but they needed at least two to agree. Despite a multitude of witnesses, none of them could actually agree on it. This trial was a setup, but it was also a rush job. We have an example of another setup back in 1 Kings 21, when Jezebel got two scoundrels to testify together against Naboth and had him executed on false charges so Ahab could take Naboth’s vineyard. Yet here, the quorum could not get any two witnesses to agree until two finally stepped up and relied on Jesus’ claim to destroy the temple and bring it back in three days. And Jesus kept silent until Jesus was forced under oath to say if he was the Son of God. Then Jesus simply said, “You said it,” and then added that He wasn’t merely a human, but the Son of Man referenced in Daniel. They knew precisely what Jesus was saying: He wasn’t just claiming to be the Messiah but to be God Himself. The Sanhedrin found Jesus guilty of death; however, they only had the legal right to execute anyone on Temple grounds. So they went to their next step: appealing to the Romans.
Jesus was sent to Pilate because Pilate had to order the crucifixion. He was expected to just comply with the Jews on their sentences, but Pilate had his own political issues. He was under pressure from the Capitol for carrying out too many executions, and the political pressure with the Passover feast, where over a million people had gathered, equating the population of Rome itself. In the center of it was Jesus: the now-famed miracle-worker who had just raised Lazarus from the dead and created a scene in the Temple. Pilate wanted nothing to do with this and then sent Jesus to Herod, who played the role of a king, but knew more of Jewish custom. Both Herod and Pilate could find nothing wrong with Jesus, who did nothing to defend Himself.
Finally, Pilate got Him back and sought to set Jesus free, baffled that Jesus would not defend Himself. He wondered if Jesus was even taking this seriously enough that Pilate could have Him executed, but Jesus basically said, “You don’t have any authority over Me except what My Father lets you have.” There was nothing Pilate could find. But he had to deal with the Jews. So he offered a notorious criminal, Barabbas, thinking they’d actually choose to have the criminal executed, but they chose Jesus. So Pilate took a bowl of water, washed his hands, and declared he was not going to be held responsible for this. And with that, Pilate signaled for Jesus to be crucified.
The amazing thing in all this is Jesus’ silence. Jesus would not defend Himself. Yes, we know He had to fulfill Scripture and be silent as a lamb before shearers, but Jesus endured all sorts of slander, mockery, and insults and did not raise a finger to defend Himself. Before, He stood when Pharisees tried to stone Him and asked, “For what do you stone Me?” Not this time. Jesus remained silent, demonstrating one of His key teachings: turning the other cheek. This is echoed throughout Scripture: Repay evil with good. Scripture tells us to suffer well, even when people lie and slander about us, and live so that no accusation can be proved. This is no easy task.
There is a place to defend ourselves. Paul did to avoid another farce trial in Jerusalem while under Roman protection, and he appealed to Caesar when it showed he wasn’t going to be able to be released without facing the Jews in Jerusalem. But part of this was knowing that he was to go to Rome. Paul knew his journey wasn’t over. Jesus knew His earthly journey was over. This was to be His death, and it had to be a death in which He gave His life. It could not be taken from Him.
We have a SEVERE problem in our culture, and we don’t have a “doctrine of suffering” because we in the U.S. have not suffered. Sure, we have been mocked and ridiculed, but we haven’t experienced actual suffering for our faith. Yes, I am aware of MLK Jr., and yes, Charlie Kirk is still fresh on our minds, but those were more politically motivated as opposed to Gospel related. They weren’t killed simply because they were Christians and preaching a Christian message. They were killed because their political views, which came out of their faith, had greatly disturbed the status quo.
But we are now at the verge of facing true persecution. With AI and Deep Fakes being very easy to manipulate and perform, it is vital that we learn how to keep our mouths shut – except at the proclamation of the Gospel. We need to learn when to properly defend ourselves and when not to, and at any cost, don’t give the enemy reason to question our character because they’ll see weakness and then seek to get us to say something to incriminate ourselves. We must be watchful.
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.
- Proverbs 3:5-8
The title of this blog post is a quote that my good friend Shane Adams says a lot. For those of you seeing it possibly for the first time, it basically refers to the importance of everyone who is a part of an organization or of a group needing to get on the same page in their beliefs before moving forward. “Alignment Before Assignment.” It conveys the idea that when dealing with a group of people, it is wise to try and get everyone not necessarily to be thinking the same thing, but to get them heading in the same direction before giving a destination of where we should be heading. “Alignment before assignment.” This is, in essence, how Jesus taught His disciples, and it is virtually the example of Christ in leading people. It seems that many, even inside the Church, struggle with this idea.
Some of you might be wondering why I write that many inside the Church struggle with this idea. Relating to denominational differences, this is attributed to John Wesley: "In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, freedom; in all things, love."
This quote is something I heard many, many years ago while serving under Pastor Derik Hines and Pastor Marc Quinter. It is a quote I learned to embrace as a youth minister. It helped me think through and realize not just the importance of working with all Christians to advance the Kingdom of God, but the importance of embracing our differences in theology and differences in methods – our denominational differences. Though I learned this and attempted to practice this for many years, I had not yet realized how many others struggled with this concept and putting this into practice in their own lives. This is part of the reason we started Worldview Warriors.
At the inception of this ministry, I had no idea about the incredible journey God was about to take me, my wife, my children, and some close friends on. I freely admit that I was naïve, mainly because we had not taken the journey yet. Throughout this time, I came to embrace the very fact that people are people and that not all differences are bad or should be a struggle in relationships with one another. Many people today seem to want to change someone else to be in their “own image” or make that person do their “bidding,” instead of embracing who God has made that person to be with the gifts and talents He has given to that person. Hence, dare I say, many people end up abusing others for the sake of growing their own little kingdom here on the earth, instead of growing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
I write all of this because for years, I struggled with the very fact that, in my mind, some Christians just didn’t seem to “get it” regarding the importance of advancing God’s Kingdom here on the earth. I have come to realize this was pride and arrogance on my part. I was being incredibly judgmental of others at that time, and I apologize for doing this. I hope and pray that if I have offended anyone that you can come to a place of forgiving me.
Now, with all that said, I have found “my tribe,” if you will, and I have come to realize the importance of the meaning of John Wesley’s words even more than before. This journey we have been on has brought us to a congregation named Evangelical Pietist Church of Chatfield, just north of Bucyrus, Ohio. Two years ago, by becoming the pastor of this small congregation in Ohio, the Lord has brought me much peace of mind in loving God, loving others, and truly striving to live for Him in all that I do.
“It is not enough to have knowledge of the Christian faith, for Christianity consists rather of practice. Christianity should not be docile, but active. We should therefore awaken a fervent love among our Christians, first, toward one another and then toward all men.”
- Philipp Jakob Spener, the father of Pietism (1635-1705)
While understanding the grace that God gives is incredibly important, we also must begin to understand and strive to put our faith in Jesus Christ into action. It’s both/and. It’s not an either/or proposition. In my personal experience, with many people inside the Church, pastors as well as those lay leaders who belong to the priesthood of believers, many seem to believe that it’s one or the other:
#1. The grace of God only inasmuch to where we have no responsibility whatsoever in advancing the Kingdom of God here on earth or
#2. Work, work, work, work, work! In and for the Lord, but work. It’s both/and. We need to be studying, reading, and listening for the voice of God and then putting His word into action. Hear the voice of God and obey. It really is that simple.
Some of you might be wondering how this all connects with the ministry of Worldview Warriors. For years, we here at Worldview Warriors have been about encouraging and equipping students and the saints to Impact this generation for Jesus Christ. Short of the Lord leading us in a completely different direction, we won’t stop doing that. But we know we need to get better at discipleship. We have been encouraging and equipping not only students but their parents and grandparents in being prepared to share their faith in Jesus Christ, and now we are looking to engage even more with small groups and discipleship. This is all still a work in progress, but know that as a ministry, we are seeking the Lord as individuals and in groups through prayer and studying God’s Word for guidance and direction for ourselves and for Worldview Warriors.
What does the future hold? I truly don’t know. What I do know, though, is that this is a very exciting time during this part of the journey. I hope and pray you will come along with us during this amazing time of uncertainty and transparency. Please continue to pray.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- Psalm 1
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Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.
- Titus 3:10-11
Every church, no matter its size, faces challenges in relationships. While the gospel calls us to unity in Christ, human pride, selfishness, and stubbornness often create conflict. Some disagreements are normal and can even be healthy when handled with humility and love. But what happens when conflict hardens into division, and a person refuses to repent?
Paul gave a warning against these in verse 9 just before this: “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” Now, after that warning, Paul gives clear instructions to Titus about handling divisive people in the church. His words remind us that unity in the body of Christ is precious, fragile, and worth protecting.
What does “divisive” mean? The Greek word Paul uses is the root of our English word “heretic.” In this context, it refers not only to false teachers but also to anyone who stubbornly chooses their own path and rejects correction. Such a person creates factions, stirs division, and threatens the unity of the church. This doesn’t describe someone who simply has questions, wrestles with doubt, or disagrees respectfully on secondary matters. A divisive person is someone who refuses correction, promotes their own agenda over the gospel, stirs conflict intentionally, and puts themselves above the unity of the body.
Division is a serious issue because it undermines the witness of the church. Jesus prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one, so that the world may believe. The gospel message is obscured when the church is torn apart by factions and quarrels. Paul repeatedly warns against division, including passages like 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 and Galatians 5:19-21. For him, divisiveness is not a small issue; it’s evidence of sin and rebellion.
Paul instructs Titus to follow a clear process when dealing with divisiveness, outlined in verse 10. The first step is confrontation. A divisive person must be warned, lovingly but firmly, that their behavior is damaging the body. This warning should be clear, specific, and grounded in Scripture. The goal is repentance and restoration, not punishment.
Then, if the person refuses to listen, Paul says to warn them again. This second warning reinforces the seriousness of the matter and provides another opportunity for repentance. It reflects God’s patience and mercy; He is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
If, after two warnings, the person remains unrepentant, Paul says to “have nothing to do with them.” This echoes Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:15-17 about church discipline: if someone refuses to listen even to the church, “treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” The purpose is not cruelty but protection, guarding the church from further harm, and a last effort to bring the person to repentance by showing the seriousness of their sin.
The church is one body, and division is like a disease. Just as a doctor removes an infection to save the body, leaders sometimes must separate a divisive person to preserve the health of the church. When unbelievers see a church consumed by quarrels, they are repelled from Christ. But when they see a church that values truth, love, and unity, they are drawn to Him. Protecting against division is not just about internal harmony; it’s about the church’s mission.
Paul then gives a strong assessment in verse 11: “You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” The word “warped” conveys being twisted, turned from what is straight and true. A divisive person is no longer aligned with God’s truth but has distorted it for their own ends. Paul names the root issue: sinfulness. Division is not just a personality quirk; it is rebellion against God’s design for His church. But perhaps the most sobering phrase is that Paul says they condemn themselves. By persisting in sin and refusing correction, they bring judgment on their own head. The church doesn’t condemn them; their own actions do in light of God’s standards.
As believers today, we need to recognize the danger of division. In an age where individualism is celebrated, it’s easy to downplay division as a difference of opinion. But Paul calls it a serious sin. Churches today must recognize that unity is not optional; it is a gospel issue.
Paul outlines a clear process for dealing with this issue: warn, warn again, and separate if unrepentant. Churches should not skip steps, even when we are tempted to avoid confrontation out of fear or rush to separate without patience. Discipline must be carried out with love, prayer, and humility.
It is also important to remember that not everyone who disagrees is divisive. Healthy discussion, even disagreement, can build the Church. The issue is those who display stubborn, unrepentant behavior that undermines unity. Leaders must exercise discernment and avoid labeling sincere questions as divisive.
It’s easy to point fingers at others, but we must also examine ourselves. Do we contribute to unity or division? Do we promote Christ or our own agenda? Paul’s words remind us that division often begins in prideful hearts.
The Church is called to unity in Christ, but division threatens that unity. Paul instructs Titus (and us) to deal with divisive people firmly but patiently: warn once, warn again, and if unrepentant, separate. Protecting the unity of the church is not optional; it is essential for the health of the body and the witness of the gospel. By following Paul’s guidance, we can guard that unity, preserve our witness, and reflect the heart of Christ, the one who gave His life to make us one.
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Jesus was a man of prayer, and He would make a purpose to sneak out and slip away to be with His Father. Here, Jesus is about to face the very moment for which He came to earth and became a man, and He needed His Father more than ever before. He was about to face the wrath of God and bear the sins of mankind. The one who knew no sin and never experienced the Father’s anger was about to, at the fullest force. Jesus knew of God’s wrath by seeing it in action and the judgment upon mankind throughout the ages; none was a greater judgment than the Flood of Noah’s day. But what Jesus was about to endure was more severe than anything this world has ever known. In His humanity, Jesus needed help more than ever before. So He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to go do battle in prayer before His big showdown.
Jesus had eight of His disciples stand guard because Judas had already left to run his “errand,” and He took Peter, James, and John with Him into the interior. Jesus wanted companions but also knew these three could not go with Him all the way, so He had them stand, watch, and pray while He went further in. Jesus went in with great sorrow. I find myself often skimming over such emotional descriptions because the words simply don’t give the reality of the emotion such justice. To truly describe the grief Jesus was facing at this moment would take pages because we simply don’t have the language for it in just a phrase or word. The grief of a miscarriage or the betrayal of a parent/mentor, as severe as those are and no marginalization whatsoever of that type of pain, doesn’t compare to what Jesus was going through at this moment. Jesus was under such distress and dread of facing the full wrath of the eternal, holy, righteous, and just God that His body began to sweat literal blood. The physical stress caused by these emotions was so great that His heart was about to burst, and His blood vessels couldn’t take it.
Jesus had a simple prayer: “If it may be, take this cup from Me. But not My will but Your will be done.” Jesus was begging His Father to find any other route to save mankind without Him going to the cross. This was a temptation Jesus frequently faced. Why go through the suffering of the cross if He could have been given the world easily by the enemy? Even Peter rebuked Jesus for even thinking of dying. But Jesus knew His mission, and He knew His calling. This was Jesus’ humanity pleading before God for one last attempt at mercy from having to go this route. But as He had done His whole life, Jesus submitted His will to the will of the Father. He was not about to turn back now at the moment of decision.
Jesus went back and found His disciples sleeping. He understood and knew they didn’t have what it took to stand guard. They were emotionally exhausted from the Last Supper meal in which Jesus gave one of the hardest messages He had to give: that He was leaving His friends. It wasn’t just hard on Jesus; it was harder on the Apostles. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit yet, and the very Messiah who had poured His life into them was leaving them. Not without hope, but leaving physically. And Peter was wrestling with the fact that Jesus told him he would betray Him that night. We tend to think they were just tired from the day, but this was an excessively exhausting day mentally and emotionally. As a teacher, I feel fine physically after the day, but I am exhausted mentally. This was an emotional exhaustion, and there was a spiritual pressure here that was even above and beyond that. When I think about this, it is no wonder they fell asleep.
So Jesus went back and prayed again and then found the disciples sleeping again. And Jesus prayed a third time, this time sealing the deal and fully committing Himself one last time to go through with what He was about to face. He knew His mission, He knew the calling, and He had the strength He needed; it was now time to go face it. He got up, and His disciples followed Him straight towards a crowd that was led by none other than their own Judas.
Jesus stood His ground. He was not going to be captured. He was going to surrender. Just in identifying Himself, the group and mob fell backwards. Peter, in such a confused mess, drew his sword and, with bad aim, ended up cutting off Malchus’s ear. Jesus healed him and then surrendered Himself on the premise that they let His disciples go, and they scattered quickly.
One thing needs to be made clear, that I am going to re-emphasize. Jesus was never conquered; He was never beaten. He surrendered. He allowed Himself to be captured for this moment. Every single thing He did in ministry and every word He said was designed to lead up to this moment. Each of Jesus’ miracles was not merely to get the attention of people or to be compassionate to the people, but to prove to the system that He was the Messiah. Each of Jesus’ teachings wasn’t merely to instruct people how to live, but to set the stakes so high that it made Him a threat to the system. And then His rebukes to the system only enraged them all the more, but each step, each miracle, and each word spoken built itself to this moment. Jesus forced the Pharisees’ hands to take action and, in their desperation and in the sovereignty of God, their reaction to Jesus perfectly set up this moment so they would beg for Jesus’ death and do exactly what God intended all along.
I love how God uses His own enemies to fulfill His purposes and give Him glory, and here we are seeing that in action. If the enemies of Christ actually knew what they were doing, they would not have crucified Him. But Jesus directed all these events towards this moment in accordance with the will of the Father, and now it was time to finish the job.
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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
– Romans 12:2
When I was still living in Seattle, Washington, in the 1990s and living my own way, God brought an amazing man into my life who challenged me greatly, both in the way I was living and the way I thought about things connected to life. I was not a follower of Jesus Christ by any stroke of the imagination, but he sure was. Even while my friends and I would be hanging out at the clubs, living our lives the way we wanted, there he was hanging out with us, drinking his Coca-Cola. Even though we were flat-out heathens, he chose to work and live with us, “godless heathens.” Little did I realize how God was going to use this man in my life to help draw me closer to Him.
For about four months, Danny discipled me in the strangest way. He not only lived with us, but he also challenged me in my thoughts and beliefs with a lot of questions. He would always ask me questions like, Why do you think that’s true? Or, how do you know you are being told the truth? Then he would give me something to read up on and dig into. We would then talk about that, and he would keep leading me to Jesus Christ, the Author and Creator of life. In and through that time, I grew in the Lord immensely; I just didn’t know it. I was going to go wherever truth took me, and that journey to truth led me to Jesus Christ.
I have also been blessed to be discipled by many incredible men of God over my lifetime. Their biblical beliefs and convictions have impacted me greatly as a follower of Jesus Christ. At the time, I really had no idea how much this would impact not only me but my family as well. Consciously choosing to take the “narrow path” Jesus Christ teaches on is an amazing journey, but it can also be a very difficult journey. Now that I am an older man, I make certain that when I am about to begin discipling someone, I try to warn them about the cost that this journey will have, not only on their own life, but with human relationships they have as well.
Choosing to follow Christ is not for the faint of heart. He is, after all, I believe, the strongest man to ever walk this planet. If you don’t agree with my assessment, please consider that He took on all of the sin of the world for all time onto Himself. He did this while all of His earthly friends deserted Him, and His Father in heaven left Him. I am in awe of what the Savior of the world did.
Over the past year, I have been meeting with not only a small group of young men, but a small group of older men as well. It’s becoming more and more clear to me about what God is not just calling Worldview Warriors to do, but it’s more and more clear to me about what the Church is supposed to do. It’s time for those who are older to genuinely sink into the younger generations with not only the good news of Jesus Christ but to challenge them to live for Christ in all they do, truly following the example of Jesus Christ. The older generations need to see that many in the younger generations desire to seek and serve the Lord and have much to offer, too.
With all of that said, I am planning to start a discipleship group for young men interested in growing in the Lord, starting on Saturday, October 11, at 10:15 am for 7 weeks. We are planning to meet at Evangelical Pietist Church of Chatfield, located at 3535 Chatfield Center Road, Bloomville, Ohio. If you or someone you know might be interested in joining these young men, you can write me at epcpastor.1@gmail.com for more information and direction. You can also message us on the Worldview Warriors Facebook page.
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This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
- Titus 3:8-9
In his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul focuses on sound doctrine and practical living. The gospel is not merely an idea to be believed but a truth to be lived out. After describing God’s merciful work of salvation in Titus 3:4-7 (which you can read more about here and here), he shifts to the practical implications for the Christian community. Believers must devote themselves to good works, while at the same time avoiding divisive and fruitless disputes. For the church today, these verses speak directly to the tension we often feel between living out our faith actively in love and being distracted by arguments that do not advance God’s Kingdom.
Paul begins in verse 8 with, “This is a trustworthy saying.” This phrase likely refers back to the gospel summary in the previous verses, affirming that the message of salvation by God’s mercy, rebirth, renewal by the Spirit, and justification by grace is completely reliable. He wants Titus and the churches in Crete to hold fast to this truth without wavering. The gospel is trustworthy; the Church’s foundation is not shifting sand but solid truth.
Then Paul charges Titus, as a church leader, to emphasize the gospel truths consistently. This wasn’t to be a one-time sermon but an ongoing theme. The gospel is not just the entry point to Christianity; it is the message that must continually be stressed to keep the church healthy. Leaders today can be tempted to shift focus to what seems more practical, entertaining, or marketable. But Paul reminds us that stressing the gospel is the most practical thing we can do. When believers are grounded in what God has done, they are motivated and empowered to live faithfully.
Paul explains the purpose: “so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.” Faith in God is not passive. True trust leads to an intentional commitment to doing good works. This is not salvation by works but salvation that leads to good works (see James 2:14-26). Doing good is not only an act of obedience to God but also a blessing to society. Christians are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), demonstrating the goodness of God in tangible ways.
For Christ followers now, being “devoted to doing good” means more than sporadic acts of kindness. It means living with a posture of service by meeting needs, seeking justice, and extending mercy in everyday life. Churches must cultivate a culture where good works are the natural outflow of faith, not optional extras.
After urging devotion to good, Paul gives a contrast to that in verse 9: “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” In the church in Crete, some false teachers were obsessed with speculative debates about genealogies (possibly Jewish myths about ancestry), arguments over the finer points of the Mosaic law, and controversies that stirred division rather than building faith. These disputes wasted time and distracted believers from living out the gospel.
We may think these things don’t apply to the Church today since we don’t get hung up on debating genealogies or the Mosaic law. But we do get sidetracked by debates that are similarly unprofitable. We have long online debates over secondary theological issues. We have division over cultural or political matters that overshadow the gospel. We may get obsessed with speculative end-times predictions or conspiracy theories. But Paul’s warning is clear: the church’s energy should not be consumed by fruitless quarrels. Our calling is not to win arguments but to live out the truth in love.
This passage from Titus calls us as believers to live in balance. On the one hand, we must be devoted to good works, actively serving, loving, and blessing others. On the other hand, we must avoid distractions that derail our mission, arguments that divide and consume energy without producing fruit. This balance is difficult. Some Christians emphasize good works but neglect doctrinal clarity. Others focus on doctrinal disputes but neglect practical love. Paul insists that both matter: sound doctrine fuels good works, and foolish disputes undermine them.
How can we work through this? First, church leaders should continually stress the gospel message, not assuming people already know it. The gospel motivates good works and keeps us from drifting into speculation. Second, we should encourage believers to see good works as a daily devotion, not occasional charity. Highlight stories of service, celebrate them, and model them. Third, we should learn and then teach others how to distinguish between core doctrines that must be defended (like salvation by grace alone) and secondary issues where disagreement is acceptable. Finally, we should promote a spirit of humility, patience, and love in the church. Unity does not mean uniformity, but it requires believers to stay focused on Christ rather than peripheral controversies.
This passage presents a vision for the Christian life that is both simple and difficult at the same time: stress the gospel, devote yourselves to doing good, and avoid distractions that are unprofitable and useless. For the Church today, these words are an important reminder. We live in a world where endless debates, controversies, and distractions threaten to consume our attention. But Paul directs us back to what matters: grounding ourselves in the trustworthy gospel and expressing that faith through good works that bless everyone. This is the kind of church the world needs to see today.
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Last week, I emphasized Jesus’ final teachings from what’s known as the Upper Room discourse, and today, I’ll finish that by emphasizing John 16-17, which is a final teaching on the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ great prayer, the longest recorded single prayer in Scripture.
Jesus spoke of all these things so His disciples would not stumble. The world would come after them because they were associated with Jesus. The authorities would arrest them, beat them, slander them, and seek to do all they could to destroy them. And understand this: the authorities and the church were synonymous in those days. If applied today, the government would be arresting us, but some of the very people we think we should trust are those who will turn us in. The biggest enemies of the Church have been the counterfeits in the Church.
But Jesus said we are not to fear these things, but to know that when they happen, do not be surprised. When Peter and John were arrested in Acts 4 for preaching the name of Jesus after healing a lame man, they sang for joy because they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ. But this joy can only come from the Holy Spirit. It will never come from the flesh. It also must be practiced and prepared before you can actually do this. Richard Wurmbrand told people in the West that we need to practice suffering. One way he would do that was to go through an American grocery store and say, “I can go without that.” And would end up leaving and getting nothing. Yes, he would get food to eat, but 14 years of prison in Communist Romania teaches you to cherish what you have, but also not to indulge in things even when you can. Jesus told us we would suffer, and the US church is the only one so far to not have gone through actual persecution in the way the rest of the world has. Even when the Church had moments of peace from Roman emperors, it was short-lived. So if Jesus says we will suffer, guess what, if we are living the Christian life, we will suffer, and people won’t like us. We need to get used to that.
However, in this promise is another promise of help: the Holy Spirit. The reason why the world is going to hate us so much is not merely because of Christ in us. They will hate us because the Holy Spirit has a primary job of convicting the world of sin, and you don’t even have to say anything for this to happen. Why? Because the Holy Spirit will convict you of sin and warn you against sin, and when you don’t engage in sin when the world seeks to, that action will tell them, “Oh, you are one of those Christians.” Understand that these reactions are actually a cover for their FEAR of God because they know that God is real and that judgment is coming. They don’t just want you to know that this is what is going on. But when this happens, the Holy Spirit will guide us to all truth and even what to say and what not to say.
Then Jesus warns of His death and resurrection again. There will be great sorrow within 24 hours, but great rejoicing just a couple of days later. And when that happens, the disciples won’t need to question what God is saying due to a lack of understanding, because when they ask what they need, they’ll get what they need in prayer. Yet tribulation is imminent.
From there, Jesus goes to His epic prayer of John 17, first praying for Himself, then praying for His disciples, and then for all believers. Jesus prays for Himself for the moment He was about to go through, and that He would be glorified in receiving the judgment of God for the sin of the world. He prays for His disciples that they would be able to endure the trials to come and to be kept and protected. He prays for the rest of the believers for endurance and protection during the times of persecution that they may be good witnesses. And Jesus ended it with the knowledge of God and that the love of God would be on full display among the church.
With this, Jesus finished teaching His disciples and headed for the Garden of Gethsemane, where He would have the battle for His life: the internal battle about whether He would go to the Cross or seek another way.
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It's beyond obvious now, for those paying attention, how much the world has changed, and how much the United States of America has gotten away from the Biblical principles that our nation was founded upon. We are now beginning to finally see what so many of us have been warning about for decades.
We are receiving the consequences of our actions, or dare I say inaction and silence, on many of our parts in the Church. This has brought not only chaos, but much anger in many people inside and outside of the Church. Many are now seemingly believing that they are justified in becoming the very thing that they feared for so many years.
What is that?
They are becoming tyrants or are seemingly choosing to support tyranny in order to get their way. They are forcing others to live Biblically, even when a person might not agree with it. Sadly, many inside the church are now embracing this idea that forcing others to follow Jesus and his ways is good, right, and true.
Even though you might think it's good, it is not good. Jesus never forced people to follow Him. Did he challenge, equip, and educate them? Well, yes. Forcing someone, who is an adult, to do what you want them to do, for the most part, is not good.
It is exactly what I personally have been warning about for so long. I have been encouraging all of us who are followers of Christ to be on the lookout for this within our own hearts. It's why I have had to step back from the ministry of Worldview Warriors for a time in order to try to get my house and family in order.
Discipleship is so incredibly important. It isn't cute, and it doesn't always have a great impact in the short term. But follow the example of Christ and consciously choose to sink into the few in order to reach the many, for Jesus Christ is the answer! I am convinced of this!
So, with this in mind, I would like to share with you what I have been up to over the past two years. After much prayer, consideration, and counsel, I have been pastoring a small church in the state of Ohio, where we have been digging into the Word of God, worshiping, and fellowshipping together. We have been striving to know Christ and are trying to make Him known. We are striving to learn and act in allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. Do we have it all figured out? Absolutely not! However, we have been and are continuing to embrace the importance of discipleship within the body of Christ.
I am convinced that we must follow the example of Jesus Christ when sinking into His people if we are going to see any movement and action for the Kingdom of God in this world. We must have alignment before assignment.
It is time to continue to grow and become mature and complete in the Lord, so we can then act and be doers of the Word, as it tells us to do in James 1:19-25.
Over the past two years, I have been blessed to personally lead a number of small discipleship groups. God has not only allowed me the opportunities to lead young men, but God has also allowed me to be in relationships with many older men and women as well. They have been an incredible blessing to me. I hope I have been able to bless them, too.
God has also given me the amazing opportunity to sink into the lives of many young ladies and other young men to discipline them through a sports ministry that, with the help of others, my family and I started back in 2018. It is called The Senedot Stripes. Why am I sharing all this? Because starting this winter, we will slowly start rolling out opportunities, starting with young men, to join a small group solely focused on discipleship and unity in the Lord. These opportunities will start in the state of Ohio. Things will roll out slowly, but we are excited to see where the Lord will take this. I encourage you to be on the lookout for more details about all of this in the future.
May God bless you, and may the Lord's will be done as I hope we all continue to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in each one of our lives.
Jason has been married to his wife since 1997. They have been blessed with 6 children. Jason is the President of Worldview Warriors, and he is also the pastor at Evangelical Pietist Church of Chatfield. He is also the Athletic Director for the Senedot Stripes.
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