AS the Lord had very specific specifications when building the tabernacle, or tent of meeting, so the Lord has specific precepts about how His body, church should function (Ex. 25:40; 26:30; 2 Tim. 1:13; Heb. 8:5). Of course, the most important specification is that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone (Matt. 21:42).
Jesus was revolutionary! He did not add anything to the old, no He replaced the old with something much better! Too many believers still think from an Old Testament, old covenant paradigm, and try to weave the words and concepts of the New Testament and new covenant into Christ into the old. Jesus was radically NEW. He paved a whole new path, through His preaching and example, His suffering and death, and His resurrection! The origin of Christianity did not begin in Genesis, it began with Jesus, and His resurrection!
Over the centuries, this difficult issue has been debated in various ways. I’m not going to pretend to be the final answer on this, but everyone should examine the Word of God and accompanying reading material themselves to gain insight and wisdom on exactly how we are going to deal with the presence of evil in our lives.
Not being able to experience pain is life-threatening.
Not feeling emotional pain makes people unscrupulous.
Without pain we do not become stronger and we do not build capacity. This is beautifully illustrated in the animated film, WALL-E. In the movie, robots do everything for humanity while humans just lie in their chairs, gain weight and watch TV.
“We have all been called to be foot-washers.” Allan Woods SERVANTHOOD paves the way, to the discovery of purpose of your creation and confirmation of it. “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John 12:26). “Servant leadership” is a…
“but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:7-8 – NKJV) IN a world of self-determination, “selfies” and self-enrichment, the biblical concept of serviceability stands in stark…
“What is it about tears that should be so terrifying? The touch of God is marked by tears… deep, soul-shaking tears, weeping… it comes when that last barrier is down and you surrender yourself to health and wholeness.” ― David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade WHEN we look closely at the ministry of Jesus…
Saved of what? A bad relationship? A harmful habit? An illness? Too little money? Too much money? Savings-guilt?
When one looks at humanity, then they do not seem to realize they need to be saved from something. Prosperity and life expectancy are higher than ever in history. People who have nothing are looking for a savior. People who are satiated with earthly comfort do not even think about it. The church is trying to convince the world that they need salvation from a whirlpool of immorality, of humanistic and secular worldviews. The post-modern millennial generation wants to see social justice that focuses on earthly, physical care – often without considering spiritual care.
Jesus understands rejection. “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isa. 53:3). How alone Jesus had to feel to live without sin in this world? (Heb. 4:15). One can imagine this: For someone who lived righteously, it must have been torture to live among the unrighteous and to witness and hear so many of their atrocities day by day (2 Pet. 2:8).
