By faith, we see the hand of God

By faith, we see the hand of God
In the light of creation’s grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand
A place where peace and justice reign

By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth

By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight

We’ll walk by faith and not by sight

By Stuart Townend / Keith Getty / Kristyn Getty


"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful"
Hebrews 10:19-23

My mind is made up and I give it to Jesus!

Praise the Lord! This makes my heart happy :)

When you pass through the waters

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
"For I am the LORD your God,"
Isaiah 43:1-3

I daily become more knowledgeable of the valleys through which creation must go. These of people that I know and of people that I have never met, all of whom I love and grieve to see their suffering.

When waters of affliction seems to drown a weary heart, when the rivers overwhelm in rapids of fear, when the fire of pain flames within a broken spirit, Christ is near. He is never absent from His children. All sovereignty and provision of suffering and gladness are in His hands. Christ has endured all things for the glory of the Father and for the good of His children. Hope, we have hope in Christ and that is great, great reason to rejoice! He provides peace and gives strength in the sovereign moment we need it. I want to proclaim this truth to you, friend, this truth found in the gospel of Christ Jesus. The gospel through which we are rescued. Know it and rejoice in it!

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him."
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:14-21

Night as bright as day

It is late and dark. Only lever late and never dark to Him at all, for-- "If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You." Psalm 139:11-12

I am thankful to serve a God who never grows weary of loving His children, who never tires of caring for us, who knows no darkness because He is infinitely good. I just arrived home from filling a time slot in the twenty four hour prayer vigil at church. I fail at even attempting to love Christ completely for one hour, I grew sleepy and became distracted. There are no slots for God's time towards us, no replacements when an hour has ended. I sleep, I forget, I am late, I am wrong, I sin. I am but an insignificant vapor in this earthly vessel. Our Lord, He is always awake, always knows, always at the perfect moment, always correct, always righteous. He is the only significance that exists and His existence is eternal.

I write this for you, my sweet friend...In the darkest hour, glorious light is revealed to the broken hearted. When anguish overwhelms your soul, Christ upholds His hope to conquer the fear which you are deeply bedded in. Take heart, friend. Christ is victorious in all things. His love endures.

Brokenness

I have a dear friend enduring the circumstances that have been in the face of my family. As she tells me her deep hurt, my heart painfully aches with her. Hope is found in Christ as we rest in His unchanging grace. In His grace. In His grace. Rejoice in His grace.

"For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ."
2 Corinthians 1:5

"O dear friend, when thy grief presses thee to the very dust, worship there!"

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39

"How can a trial be met which is independent of divine rule, and outside of the sacred
zone of providential government? It is hopeful when we find that all our ills lie within the ring-fence of omnipotent overruling."

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."
Deuteronomy 31:8

"Be thou bold to believe, for He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."In this promise, God gives to His people everything. "I will never leave thee." Then no attribute of God can cease to be engaged for us. Is He mighty? He will show Himself strong on the behalf of them that trust Him. Is He love? Then with lovingkindness will He have mercy upon us. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side. To put everything in one, there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text—"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
---Spurgeon

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need"
2 Corinthians 9:8

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:16

On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest
frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

His oath, His covenant, His blood
support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

When He shall come with trumpet sound
oh may I then in Him be found
pressed in His righteous alone
faultless to stand before the throne
---Edward Mote

Face of Jesus

"In the beatific vision it is Christ whom they see; and further, it is his face which they behold. They shall not see the skirts of his robe as Moses saw the back parts of Jehovah; they shall not be satisfied to touch the hem of his garment, or to sit far down at his feet where they can only see his sandals, but they “shall see his face;” by which I understand two things: first, that they shall literally and physically, with their risen bodies, actually look into the face of Jesus; and secondly, that spiritually their mental faculties shall be enlarged, so that they shall be enabled to look into the very heart, and soul, and character of Christ, so as to understand him, his work, his love, his all in all, as they never understood him before."
--Spurgeon

"And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed."
--Daniel 7:14

At the Altar

Going before God at the altar is so comforting for me. It does not matter whether I come rejoicing or in repentance, either way I know my Heavenly Father is eagerly waiting for me. Our home church has recently begun opening time at the end of each service to come to the altar and pray. My heart is glad to go every single week to kneel before God, lay my head in His lap to bear my soul and listen to the Holy Spirit speak in my heart. This morning in particular I was thinking of my Mom and how much she must be enjoying the presence of Christ. My experience at the feet of Christ is for now spiritual and somewhat metaphorical, and I rejoice beyond expression to think of her sitting there at His feet, to literally see and touch Him!

Little buddy!

Today we are playing together :) I love my little nephew!

I rejoice in Christ for the family God has given me. I love my family, so very much. My heart is thankful that our Creator designed our lives to be knitted together. God has used my mom and dad and my sisters to display His Word to me in love. Praise His name, oh my soul.

Lay me low, bring me to His feet

"PERHAPS, O tried soul, the Lord is doing this to develop thy graces. There are some of thy graces which would never be discovered if it were not for thy trials. Dost thou not know that thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of His children's graces, to make them shine the better. It was but a little while ago that on thy knees thou wast saying, "Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith." Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials?—for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised? Depend upon it, God often sends us trials that our graces may be discovered, and that we may be certified of their existence. Besides, it is not merely discovery, real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains His soldiers, not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and using them to forced marches and hard service. He makes them ford through streams, and swim through rivers, and climb mountains, and walk many a long mile with heavy knapsacks of sorrow on their backs. Well, Christian, may not this account for the troubles through which thou art passing? Is not the Lord bringing out your graces, and making them grow? Is not this the reason why He is contending with you?"

From CH Spurgeon

Little Soul

He tells me with eagerness that he wants to be a real reader one day and then as his head goes down, he says that he can't.

I see him translate for the new student.

I am amazed by this six year old boy.

He feels inadequate from not being able to read like the rest of the class. This little boy has a humble intelligence.

He is precious. God has given him a gift that he is unaware of. I love to tell him how wonderfully he is doing and glimpse his little smile! Oh my goodness, I swell with excitement when he reads a new word!

This seems to often plague human hearts, becoming engrossed in inabilities rather than rejoicing with thankfulness in our Creator's strength. I have become utterly aware of my inadequacies and inabilities, they are great and many. My heart is grateful that the Lord's strength is steadfast in all circumstances. In our weakness, He is strong.

Love Christ. Fight Sin.

It's so easy to overlook the ways in which sin so cunningly infiltrates our lives. I think this is especially true for those of us who have comfortably settled into the life of a believer. In my life I often find this sin quietly hidden under masks of self-righteousness, selfish ambition and false humility. Truth be told, sometimes this sin isn't really quiet within my soul at all. In the times when selfish motives push me toward action, I am often fully aware of the presence of sin in my heart.

It is humbling when I consider just how much of my life is motivated by my desires for self-glorification rather than the glory of Jesus Christ. While pride may not be at the center of each believer's struggle against sin, I do believe that self-centeredness is. Our sinful desires, whether for pleasure, financial and social gain or recognition; are fueled by the belief that "I" am first.

It is my prayer that the body of Christ would come to see Christ as first and all else second. I pray, brothers and sisters, that Christ would lift the scales from our eyes so that we would see the Glory of God; and that in truly seeing His Glory we would realize that He is greater, He is more beautiful and He is more satisfying than any reward that our selfish desires might bring.

Today, I read through Matthew 18, in which Jesus answers the question"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Here is his response:

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." ~ Matthew 18: 2-9

So brothers and sisters, I implore you to love Christ and fight sin.

Provision

I see him walk in, his head bumps the hanging lamp when he stands, his feet are size 17. His voice is deep and kind, his skin is scruffy and dark. With each glance there is a timid smile from his face as he speaks short, soft words. He waited in the rain for the bus. Here he sits and waits his turn. No house, no job, no car, no insurance. But one thing he does have, cancer.

Few people know the fear in this man's heart, the ache of his soul. How precious he is. Oh, how his Maker loves him. His hurt is not unknown to the Father, his despair is not a stranger to the Savior. You see, Christ, just see Him, just view Him. He, God himself, lived as us in this dreadful flesh. Our Creator knows His creation. In the skin as one of us, He felt pain, He wept with sorrow, He knew nights without sleep. This pleased the Father, who sovereignly painted affliction into the life of His Son. When Christ was tempted by these sufferings to sin against His Father, He resisted all temptations. His obedience was full and perfect marking righteousness with His blood for all mankind. The cross, the place of propitiation, renders redemption for all nations of sinners. The resurrection, the new life, cleanses with hope that does not fade but rather a hope that is eternal and true, a hope that endures forever. It is fulfilled. Christ has come. We are reconciled. There is nothing to shatter His hope, nothing to end His love and nothing to cease His grace. View Him. View Him. View Him.


Pray for this man.

Omnipotent Hand

How Firm a Foundation

"How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake."

---1787 Hymn by John Rippon

It is well for me to confess that my joy is supplied in every circumstance, not of my own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the hope designed by sovereign ordainment in the Father's good work of His omnipotent hand. My sin causes my faith to be anchored in fleeting hopes from which I must flee. All hope apart from Christ is feeble and undone. Praise His name that by the humble act of the cross, sin and death have been overcome by the might of the resurrection! My unwinding heart is bound by this hope found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Priority of Relationships

I have learned a lot recently about the priority of relationships. The only relationship that is relevant beyond this life is the one with Jesus Christ. How would you describe your relationship with Christ? Friend, enemy, family and foe are only with us a little while - once they pass away that relationship has ended. Even marriage though lifelong is not eternal, it was designed as a reflection to help us understand the relationship between Christ and His people. Whether you have accepted Christ or denied Him is the only decision that will influence you eternally. I urge you to examine your spiritual life and seek the truth. Jesus has prepared a place for you, He sacrificed His life to cover your sin so that you might go before God blameless. Denying Christ, even just ignoring Him, will require you to atone for your sin all on your own - I do not wish that for any of you!

"As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
Ephesians 5:31-33
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/printerFriendly.cfm?b=Eph&c=5&t=nltp

"Jesus replied, 'Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in heaven. But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead - haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." So he is the God of the living, not the dead.'"
Matthew 22:29-32
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/printerFriendly.cfm?b=Mat&c=22&t=nltp

Like birds in the egg

"Today we are like birds in the egg; so long as the shell is whole we are not free: death breaks the shell. Does the fledgling lament the dissolution of the shell? I never heard of a bird in its nest pining over its broken shell; no, its thoughts run otherwise: to wings, and flight, and sunny skies. So let it be with us. This body will be dissolved: let it be so; it is meet it should be. We have been glad of it while we have needed it, and we thank God for the wondrous skill displayed in it; but when we no longer require it we shall escape from it as from imprisonment, and never wish to return to its narrow bounds---Death is no punishment to the believer: it is the gate of endless joy."

"The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems
great; but it is not so. We are not far from home—a moment will bring us there."

--Charles Spurgeon

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."
John 5:24

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
Philippians 3:20-21

Holy Spirit, rain down

I am so very grateful for the Holy Spirit. Even Christ said He needed to leave so we could receive it. Life is so intricately intertwined among us all. The gift of the Holy Spirit opens the door for us to respond to a need that we may not even be aware of by simply responding to an urging of the Holy Spirit.

A relationship with the Holy Spirit is similar to any other, it needs to be maintained. You can exercise your spiritual muscles to gain strength in that relationship. I have noticed in my life when I act on the smallest urgings, they are always worthwhile and they allow me to discern the Holy Spirit even more clearly next time. Alternatively, if I ignore the Holy Spirit on even the smallest urging, the opposite is true - I can feel myself declining spiritually and it becomes more difficult to hear those urgings.

Praise God for His infinite wisdom in providing us a Spirit to live within us that is a holy comfort and guide!

Daffodils

Daffodils are so sweet. This flower seems to say, "rejoice in the Maker of heaven and earth!" with it's little trumpet mouth. Soon they will bloom :)
(this pic is from the internet)

Fulfilled

Now Are the Days Fulfilled

Now are the days fulfilled,
God’s Son is manifested,
Now His great majesty
In human flesh is vested.
Behold the mighty God,
By Whom all wrath is stilled,
The woman’s promised Seed—
Now are the days fulfilled.

Now are the days fulfilled,
Lo, Jacob’s Star is shining;
The gloomy night has fled
Wherein the world lay pining.
Now, Israel, look on Him
Who long thy heart hath thrilled;
Hear Zion’s watchmen cry:
Now are the days fulfilled.

Now are the days fulfilled,
The child of God rejoices;
No bondage of the Law,
No curses that it voices,
Can fill our hearts with fear;
On Christ our hope we build.
Behold the Prince of Peace—
Now are the days fulfilled.


What sweet truth of His fulfilled promises!
1746 Hymn and the author is unknown.

Author of the weather

It is cold and rainy outside which could be a tempter for feeling dreary. This day was meant for cold rain, so we will rejoice in the truth that Christ reigns with omnipotent supremacy in all things, even the weather. Yes, He is beautiful when there is warm sunshine and when there is cold rain. His love is constant today as every other day, and His plans are sovereign today as every other day. We are thankful for what His hand governs and rejoice in His name!


"For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'
And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.'
"He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
"Then the beast goes into its lair
And remains in its den.
"Out of the south comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
"From the breath of God ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
"Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
"It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.
"Whether for correction, or for His world,
Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.
"Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
"Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
"Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,
You whose garments are hot,
When the land is still because of the south wind?

Job 37:6-17

Hello, my name is...

I just thought I should introduce myself - I am Jocelyn and I am the eldest of the three sisters.

I am a woman of priorities. My faith is my highest priority and is a comfort and guide over the rest of my life. Family is my second priority - spending time with them and caring for them is my joy and passion! All other responsibilities and activities are a result of these. I look forward to sharing with you about how God moves in my life. May He richly bless you as you seek after Him!

When faith becomes my eyes

"Worthy is the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb"

Oh they day when my faith shall become sight and I will bow before my Maker in wholeness of reverence at His holy name--sin will not tempt--hurt is unknown--sorrow is lost. Praise be to Christ for the seal of the promised Holy Spirit brought to us in the gospel of redemption.

Present and past circumstances have caused me to meditate on this day and night. It is a beautiful truth to be encompassed by.


2 Corinthians 5

1For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--7for we walk by faith, not by sight--8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. 13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

What is Relevant?

As I journeyed through 5 years at UNC Chapel Hill, more times than I can count, I heard and took part in discussions concerning Campus outreach and relevance. "How can we make this event relevant to students at UNC?" "How can we make this appealing to non-believers?" "How can we attract liberally minded students and faculty to the gospel without repelling them at the same time?" As I participated in these conversations I found myself wooed by the hope of lightening the gospel just enough for it to be slightly more palatable to unbelieving hearts.

In our attempts to create a more palatable gospel we substitute truth for foolishness and create a worldly glaze to disguise the harsh reality of our need for a Savior. Brothers and sisters, relevance does not indicate that something is inherently non-offensive. Pauls says quite the opposite in 1 Corinthians 1:23 when he states that "we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Glossing over sin, skimming over hell, editing out the gore of the cross, postponing any mention of sacrifice and heartache for the sake of the gospel; all of these eliminations seem to make the gospel more relevant and palatable when presenting it to resistant hearts. The problem with this so called relevance is that when you remove the sickening reality of sin, the awful existence of hell, the necessity and importance of sacrifice and suffering for the sake of Christ and His gospel...then, piece by piece, you disassemble the gospel and weaken it to the point of utmost irrelevance.

Nothing is more relevant than the gospel itself. Than Jesus Christ, fully man/fully God, born of a virgin, who lived a perfect and sinless life, who suffered the crucifying death of murders and thieves, bled and struggled for breath to the point of death on our behalf, carried the weight of a world/a history of sin (murder, hate, racism, genocide, adultery, lies, slander, unforgiveness, bitterness, theft, violence...all of it) and all of the guilt that accompanied it, defeated sin and death through his perfect and sacrificial grace and love, rose from the dead after three days in the tomb so that we (sinners) could take hold of his gracious redemption, and through him have salvation and eternal life in the Glory of God our Creator, Father, Redeemer and Lord.

No, brothers and sisters, nothing is more relevant than the unashamed, unedited, unfiltered truth of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Os Guiness discusses the matter of relevance in his book Prophetic Untimeliness in the following passage:

"Emphasize only the natural fit between the gospel and the spirit of our age and we will have an easy, comfortable gospel that is closer to our age than to the gospel—all answers to human aspirations, for example, and no mention of self-denial and sacrifice. But emphasize the difficult, the obscure, and even the repellent themes of the gospel, certain that they too are relevant even though we don’t know how, and we will remain true to the full gospel. And, surprisingly, we will be relevant not only to our own generation but also to the next, and the next, and the next."

Brothers and sisters, I implore you to cling to the relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Love and rejoice in this glorious truth.

Here is a link to another discussion of relevance (which also references the passage from Os Guiness's book).