The Story

     So I’ve been offline for a while, and in light of everything that has been happening in the world, I think it’s best to just share the Gospel and share God’s detailed and arousing love story for you with you. I want this to be a unique presentation of the Gospel, so as you read, prepare your hearts for a time of worship. Set aside a good amount of time to just read and listen and enjoy God. There will be videos posted throughout the blog, and to make this deeper, I ask that you take the time to WATCH the videos as well as listen. I was moved as I began to type and watch and search, and I want God to move just as swiftly and strongly in you as He did in me.

    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was God in the Beginning.” -John 1:1

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1

God was here before the earth even began. With His tremendous voice, He spoke the world into existence. Everything was His from the beginning. Light and dark separated as God said, “Let there be."

 
 After this, God made the earth and the planets and the plants and the sea. He created the earth over the next few days and on the sixth day, He created man.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; man and female, he created them.” -Genesis 1:26

He gave man (Adam and Eve) the Garden of Eden. I imagine that it was a blissful paradise. A babbling brook off in the distance, trees lush with leaves and weighed down with fruit. Animals walking peacefully beside one another. Literally, there was no need or want for anything. God had provided for everything. It must have been perfect.
     Adam and Eve were made and wandered in the Garden naked. There was no shame. Nothing to hide. There was no sin. Literally, there were no boundaries to leap over. No walls built to hide unwanted information. Everything was out in the open and everything was at peace.
     There was a serpent, though, that was in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was in the middle of the Garden and God had commanded man not to eat of it’s fruits. The serpent is believed to have been Satan himself, impersonating the form of the serpent. He convinced Eve to eat of the fruit and the world was changed forever.

In that moment, the fall of all mankind came. Sin entered the world for the first time and now runs rampant through our lives today. We are now falling down in a spiral of despair. Walls, shame, and wrongdoings were created in that split second decision to eat the fruit. Instead of walking and talking with God unashamed and naked, we now hide and cover our eyes because the glory and perfection of our God is just too great.
     Over the next hundreds of years, wars were fought, people were murdered, laws were made, and sin continued to grow and spread. The world was becoming more and more corrupt. Suddenly, God was silent, and no comfort, no new Word, no nothing came from heaven. God was silent. He was waiting and preparing to give the world His perfect gift that was His ultimatum of grace.

Imagine being a young teenage girl. Acne has reared it’s ugly head. You feel unsure of yourself as your body starts to change. Your mood swings are wild. Sad one day and happy the next. Loving fish one day and then despising it’s existence the next. Everything is a roller coaster ride. Now think about adding an unexpected pregnancy to that. You are a virgin. You’ve never even considered the act of sex before marriage because your parents would kill you. Also, you have a fiancé. What would he have to say about that? Would they believe you when you said that the Lord filled you with the Spirit and you were carrying the Son of God?
     This is Mary. She was a young girl when God gave her the duty and honor of delivering His son into the world.

“…what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save people from their sins.” -Matthew 1:20-21

     There was bravery in her soul and dedication to the Lord in her spirit as she accepted God’s will for her life. On a trip to Bethlehem to honor the census being taken, our Lord, Jesus Christ, was born. He came into the world quietly. Though he was of the utmost royalty, he was born in a cave with animals. It was an ordinary night to most, but those to whom the Lord had revealed were changed. After years and years, God had spoken. He had moved in a mighty way. Not to make a bold entrance, the Savior of our world was born quietly.

Jesus walked on this earth. He came and taught solid truths about himself, about God, and about grace.

“For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” -John 3:17

     Jesus could not stay here forever though. God sent Jesus to fulfill the purpose of grace. You see, for so many years, people tried to live according to the standard of the law set forth by God and man, but not a single man could keep all of the laws and commandments.

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” -Romans 3:19-20

 The only thing left for us to do as sinners is to recognize our sin and let go. We cannot defeat sin on our own. Instead, we must surrender everything and follow Jesus.

     Jesus was crucified. Though he did no wrong, he was considered guilty for all and hanged on a cross like a criminal. It is at the cross that we should leave our sins. While Jesus hung there, he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. All sin, past, present and future, was weighing on him. Christ died for you. He loves you so much that he died for you. Instead of running away from that love, run towards him. Run to the cross and take your burdens with you. He handled the cross, so by all means, he can handle whatever baggage you have with you. Stand, kneel, lay, sit…whatever you want, but find yourself at the cross. Someone once said that it was YOUR sin that nailed him to the cross. As you find sin in your life, take it to the cross. Lay everything down at the Lord’s feet. He died for you. You cannot defeat sin on your own, but God knows that and gave us Jesus as the gift of grace. Because of the Father’s love, you have been forgiven.

“Above all else, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.” -1 Peter 4:8

     Jesus showed his love for us by dying for us so that we could experience life with Him. You may say, “Well Jesus died. Isn’t it a little difficult to experience life with a…dead guy?” What is even more beautiful about this story is that, though Jesus died, he didn’t stay dead. Just 3 days after being buried in a guarded tomb, Jesus came back to life. My Lord conquered over DEATH! God raised him from the dead so that our sinful, spiritually dead selves could be made alive in Christ.

Hallelujah for such an incredible display of love!

While we are on the earth, we are here to serve the Lord. We will fail and fall into sin. The point is to keep going. When we recognize that our strength is not our own and that the Lord fights for us, we are stronger than any thing this world can give us!

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

     I encourage you to take this message to heart. Cling to the Gospel and don’t let go. Don’t let old sins inhibit you from future glory. God is big enough to handle you. God passionately wants you to be His and His alone. He pursues an intimate and loving relationship with you. I am so tired of people giving the ABC’s to Salvation and expecting everyone to just understand and get it! This relationship is one of the most important things to happen to you, and it isn’t a one-time deal. You must do this relationship every day, just like your relationships with people here on earth. When this relationship is growing and flowing through prayer, reading of Scripture, and faith-based actions, you will notice a difference in your life and in the lives of others around you. There is a hope for us. His name is Jesus. He is a passionate, relentless, beautiful Savior who wants you personally to become part of the church body and become his bride. He loved you enough to die for you. He is aching to pour his love and blessings on you.

    It’s time to rise up and share this message. Don’t be afraid to share this with other people. Seek others out and tell them about Jesus. Tell them how your life is different. I encourage you to nurture your relationships with others and mentor people with Godly passion. You have been charged to carry this message out into the world and to make disciples.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.” -Matthew 28:19-20

    We have no reason to be afraid of the world. As Jesus promised at the end of this Great Commission, he will be with you until the very end of age. He fights for you and before you. March on with Gospel and shine a beacon of light and hope into the darkness of this world. Be Christ to all and extend love, but fight for what is true and right in the eyes of God. Love without judgment. Fight the good fight and stand in the faith. God bless!