Tag Archives: Jesus

December 3, 2025 · 4:19 PM

Christmastime: A Glimpse of Glory

Jesus took three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, with him up a high mountain. While he was praying, he was transfigured before them. Jesus’ face shone like the sun. His clothes became white like lightning.

Moses and Elijah appeared in glory speaking with Jesus. Peter was so impressed by the experience that he wanted to squeeze every possible moment out of it. He wanted it to last as long as possible. He suggested makeshift shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah so they could stay on the mountain.

Can you imagine? What shelter can mere mortals possibly construct for those who are in glory? Why cover the shining splendor of Jesus Christ with the work of human hands?

Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, “Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where could you possibly build a house for me? And where would my resting place be?” (Isaiah 66:1).

While Peter ponders his foolish idea, God’s glory appears on the mountain like a bright cloud, enveloping the small group. They hear God’s voice, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5). To hear the voice of God! What does that sound like?

Despite Peter’s efforts to prolong the experience, the glory departs. Jesus leads his disciples down the mountain, back to the valley. There, the daily toil awaits them, problems and all.

But Peter, James, and John are changed, profoundly and permanently. The world will never look the same for them. They have a renewed vision of Jesus and new hope for what lies ahead.

God knows that we need encouragement to face the struggles and routines in our daily activities. He is gracious enough to give us glimpses of glory along the way. They may not be as dramatic as what Peter, James, and John experienced on the mountaintop, but God’s Spirit knows how to touch us in our inner being with great intensity, with his powerful presence.

Christmas is a perfect time to sense the wonder and awe of what God is accomplishing through Jesus Christ. The contrast between our Lord’s glory and his humility grips our hearts and inspires our confidence. The King of eternity in a manger. God does the impossible!

I pray our Lord will give you empowering glimpses of his glory this Christmas season!

May the Lord give you the eyes to see and a heart to sing at his marvelous Christmas miracle,

Brother Richard

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November 4, 2025 · 11:51 AM

The God of Abundance

God gave Israel manna in the desert. He instructed his people to gather three times a year for annual feasts. Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 in a deserted place.

Our Lord provides for our daily food and our desire to feast, reminding us that he is our provision. The Lord’s Supper is so humble that we might not think of it as a meal. But it, too, is a reminder of God’s greatest provision and it should inspire our greatest thanksgiving.

Jesus was in an upper room in Jerusalem with his disciples. They were gathered to celebrate the Passover, a feast observed annually for well over a thousand years by this time. It commemorated God’s deliverance of his chosen people from slavery in Egypt.

Passover included a meal with a roasted lamb, slaughtered as a sacrifice earlier in the day at the temple. While Jesus and the disciples were eating the Passover meal, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples.

All of this was normal enough. Unleavened bread was part of the Passover meal. It was a reminder that when God rescued the people from Egypt, they left in haste. They didn’t have time to put leaven, or yeast, in their bread and let it rise before baking it. As a result, the bread was flat and brittle like a cracker.

By the first century, the unleavened bread had taken on an additional meaning. The yeast or leaven that makes bread rise had come to be a symbol of spiritual impurity and corruption. As leaven spreads through the lump of dough, sin and unrighteousness spread through a soul, a family, a community, or even a nation. Unleavened bread had become a symbol of what is holy and pure, free of sin and corruption.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said a blessing, and broke it. He gave it to the disciples and said, “Take. Eat. This is my body.” Jesus reinterpreted the bread so that it now stands for his body. The unleavened bread is the perfect symbol for Jesus’ body, because he is sinless, pure, and holy. And as that bread was broken, so Jesus’ body would be wounded on the cross.

The Passover ritual in the ancient world included four cups of wine which the participants drank at certain times during the evening. These cups were added to the Passover ritual in later generations to remind the people of God’s promises in Exodus 6. Each cup represented one of the promises: I will bring you out, I will free you, I will redeem you, and I will take you as my own people.

The cup that Jesus used to institute the Lord’s Supper may very well have been cup number three. The third of God’s four promises was to redeem his people, the perfect symbol and reminder of Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross.

After taking the cup and offering thanks, he gave it to them saying, “Drink from it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant for many being poured out for forgiveness of sins.” Jesus says that this cup is his blood. His life.

It is his blood of the covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. The prophet Jeremiah told God’s people to expect a day when the Lord would institute a new covenant with his people, one written not on stone tablets but written on their hearts. Jesus is letting his disciples know that his sacrifice, his blood, will institute that new covenant.

Jesus’ last statement gives us the reason for his sacrifice. It is for the forgiveness of sins for the many. The many are God’s people. As God’s adopted sons and daughters, we enjoy the benefits Jesus secured with his sacrifice, including forgiveness for our sins, our disobedience against God.

“And I say to you-all I will certainly not drink from this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it with you-all new in the kingdom of my Father.” Yes, his body will be wounded, crushed, pierced, and his blood poured out, but he will again drink the fruit of the vine with his disciples. He will drink it again on that day, the day when God’s kingdom, his Father’s kingdom, is finally and fully consummated.

A day is coming when all Jesus’ followers will celebrate with him at the wedding supper of the Lamb, the Lamb of course, being Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb. Jesus assures his disciples that he will once again be at the table with them celebrating and drinking the cup.

Remember the past. Jesus died for our sins. Rejoice in the future. Jesus will come for all who belong to him. He will share his abundance and joy with us forever! Give thanks!

May the Lord inspire us to remember his abundance and express our deepest gratitude to him,

Brother Richard

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October 2, 2025 · 11:10 AM

Did Charlie Kirk Start A Revival?

I’ve heard the word revival a lot more recently, ever since Charlie Kirk’s funeral. His funeral feels like the beginning of something new, that is, something old rekindled: unashamed public faith in Jesus Christ.

Before his assassination, many people were aware of the bold public witness Charlie was living for Jesus. Others were unaware. Those of us who did not know about Charlie have been amazed and impressed to discover what a brilliant and passionate witness for Jesus Charlie was.

The early news reports after Charlie’s murder painted him as a political activist. Perhaps because the writers were from the secular camp in our culture. They always wash their stories clean of any potentially positive references to Christianity. They diligently work to present a world that is ‘free’ from any religious influence, unless they can paint religion as bad.

There is some truth to the notion that Charlie was a political activist. But it is a half-truth at best. Charlie’s political positions were inspired by his commitment to Christ. Charlie understood that Jesus is Lord, Lord of all, not just private life. For those who are true followers of Jesus, he is Lord of our public life, including our politics.

It’s true, sincere Christians don’t always agree on politics. But we should agree that our faith in Jesus is not a lamp under a bowl. We should agree that Jesus has called us to witness for him publicly. We should agree that Jesus insisted that violence is not the way to promote the gospel.

Charlie didn’t just promote the gospel on social media platforms. He personally went to places where he could engage with people face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart. Charlie was imitating our Lord. Jesus dialogued with people openly and publicly.

Jesus was accused of saying bad things. In fact, he was accused of blasphemy, of slandering God. In our culture, Christians are accused of saying bad things. We are accused of hate speech for our devotion to God and his standard of right and wrong. In fact, if we question identity politics, we are treated as blasphemers against the gods (idols) of our culture.

Jesus reminded us that the cultural leaders hated him, and he warned that they will hate us as well. Jesus modeled a loving boldness that risked personal harm out of concern for those who are lost and confused in this dark and deceptive age. Charlie followed Jesus’ model.

People like Charlie Kirk are reminders to Christians that Jesus’ words are still true. Charlie is a reminder that our task as believers is unchanged. And, Charlie is a reminder that our victory is secured. Charlie didn’t lose. He enjoyed a harvest that is still unfolding here on earth and he will enjoy the presence of our Lord in heaven forever.

When we speak the truth in love, we share the spiritual harvest. We share Jesus’ eternal victory. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16, CSB).

May the Lord inspire us and empower us to share the good news about Jesus with confidence,

Brother Richard

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August 27, 2025 · 2:39 PM

Tell People About Jesus Now

This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine! I remember singing those words. It’s a gospel song for children. It was inspired by a saying of Jesus.

Jesus told his disciples that nobody puts a lamp under a bowl or a bed. They put it on a lampstand so that it can give light to everyone in the house.

Jesus was brilliant at using common everyday experiences to reveal and explain spiritual truth. This saying is recorded in several places in the Gospels. He must have used it often.

In Luke’s Gospel, it follows immediately after his parable of the soils. In that parable, Jesus compares God’s word with seed. If seed falls on hard, shallow, or thorny soil, it does not bear fruit. When it falls on good soil, it bears fruit.

Jesus was preparing his followers for the fact that not everyone who hears God’s good news will be receptive. Some people have hearts like the hard soil, uninterested in the gospel. Others are shallow, only interested in the gospel when it feels good. They fall away when things get difficult. Still others are distracted by the things of this world. They are never really committed to the gospel, so they never bear spiritual fruit.

But Jesus didn’t want his disciples to give up on sharing the gospel. He assured them that some people have hearts that will receive the gospel and nurture it. God’s word will bear fruit in their lives. The work of sharing the good news is worth the effort.

Immediately following the parable of the soils, Jesus follows up with the saying about the lamp. He switches from comparing the gospel to seed and compares it to a lamp. Like a lamp, God’s word should not be hidden away.

When we put Jesus’ two sayings together, we get great encouragement about our efforts to share God’s good news with others. True, many will reject the good news, but some will receive it. So, we should not hide the gospel away.

Every follower of Jesus has the seed of the gospel already growing in his heart. We have the light of Jesus in our souls. Jesus has instructed us not to hide the gospel but to share it with others. God also empowers us with his Spirit, inspiring and enabling us to share the gospel.

God is not calling us all to be preachers, or teachers, or evangelists. His Spirit gives those gifts of service to the ones who are chosen by God. But every follower of Jesus is instructed to testify about Jesus, to be a witness.

We need not be Bible scholars or theologians to tell others about Jesus. Our testimony may be very simple. At times, it may be no more than a couple of sentences in a discussion at work or in the classroom or neighborhood.

The power of the gospel is not in our ability to speak well or be persuasive. The power of the gospel is in the gospel, like the seed and the lamp. When the soil is right, the seed brings the miracle of life. When the lamp is displayed, it gives light. The gospel is no different. When we scatter the seed and display the lamp, God will accomplish amazing things.

Pray and watch for opportunities to say a good word about Jesus. Ask God to give you the discernment to see the opportunities and to take advantage when they come. God’s powerful Spirit will use our feeble efforts to bear fruit for eternal life.

May the Lord inspire and enable us to tell the good news about Jesus,

Brother Richard

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August 12, 2025 · 11:26 AM

Understanding the Times and Knowing What To Do

Jesus asked the question. “To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?” (Luke 7:31). On another occasion, Jesus noted that the religious leaders knew how to read the weather, but they didn’t know how to read the signs of the times (Luke 12:54-56).

In the Old Testament we read about men from the tribe of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Isreal should do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

What about us? How should we describe our generation? Do we understand our times? Do we know what to do?

Surely most people would agree that our generation is influenced by rapidly advancing technology, especially in communications. The internet has created a virtual world that competes with the real world. Social media gobbles up more and more time and attention. Are we controlling it, or is it controlling us?

Social media can be a great blessing. It enables us to stay in touch with people who are far away, family and friends we would otherwise struggle to keep up with.

Ironically, social media can also isolate people and diminish personal contact. I can still remember the first time I saw two people sitting at the same table in a restaurant texting one another instead of talking with each other. Social media tempts us to replace personal contact with electronic communication.

This is all probably changing dramatically at this very moment. The astounding advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI) promise another great leap forward in how we communicate with one another. It seems that just as we are realizing the dangers of social media, we are being flung into the confusing world of AI.

Many aspects of technology are bewildering, but some things are crystal clear. First, advances in communication technology do not come with advances in human ethics. Bad people still exist, and they use new technologies with old evil intentions. This fact should be acknowledged and people must be warned.

Second, parents who do a poor job navigating social media will not be very effective at helping their children do so. If parents fail their kids, then that failure will likely be passed on to the next generation. We may be hopelessly falling behind.

In addition to social isolation and money scams, social media and AI have an even darker and more sinister side. AI is already being used to produce new versions of pornography. Why is it that every new communications technology is almost immediately used to produce pornography and promote sexual immorality?

Why does the world seem so hostile toward healthy marriages and families? God’s design for family is fundamental to godly life. God is faithful to his people and he wants husbands and wives to be faithful to one another, reflecting and promoting godly living. God is the loving Father to his people and he wants mothers and fathers to be loving to their children, reflecting and promoting godly living.

Our generation has changed the legal definition of marriage and doubled down on destroying unborn babies. Our generation makes it a badge of honor to say “No” to children and to say “No” to God’s design for family. Our generation is so confused and deceived that many people refuse to acknowledge the obvious natural distinction between boys and girls, men and women.

What should we do? First, we must reject pornography in all its forms and promote healthy marriages. God’s design for marriage is one man and one woman freely and fully committed to one another for life, raising their children together and enjoying their grandchildren. Christian marriage is designed by God to be a living parable of the love Jesus has for his church.

In addition, we should set healthy limits to our use of electronic communications. Personal contact with other people is normal and necessary. Church is the perfect example. There is no such thing as an online church family. Church services made available online are a blessing for those who cannot get out. They should not be a crutch for those who can get out.

Christianity has always used technology to promote the gospel, from the printing press, to radio, to TV, and now the internet. But the gospel message still needs a personal touch. Jesus didn’t sit in heaven and live stream his message to earth. He came in person. Like Jesus, we must go and interact with others.

Finally, we must remember that any media can be used to corrupt God’s truth and promote deception. Media can give the false impression that God’s Word is obsolete. It is not. Jesus assures us that heaven and earth will pass away (including the internet and smart phones), but his word will not (Luke 21:33).

We can be certain that technology will continue to change. We must also be certain that God’s Word will not. Let us contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.

May God inspire us and enable us to build strong families, communities, and churches,

Brother Richard Foster

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July 9, 2025 · 7:00 PM

Should Christians Support Israel?

God promised Abraham to make him into a great nation. Those who blessed that nation, God promised to bless. Those who cursed it, God would curse (Genesis 12:3).

Why did God choose Abraham’s descendants, Israel, and give them special consideration? Through Abraham’s offspring, God promised to bless the nations. God chose to use Israel as a blessing for all peoples. How?

God gave Israel his written word. He used his chosen people to give the Bible to the world. Even greater, God brought our Savior into the world through Israel. Jesus Christ is the offspring of Abraham who was promised by God. God sent his Son Jesus to be the Savior for all the nations.

Now that Israel has given us the Bible and Jesus, is God finished with them? Does the New Testament Church take over and replace Israel?

It is true that the Church has become God’s representatives for his great kingdom work in the world today. Jesus told the unbelieving Jewish religious leaders that the kingdom of God would be taken away from them and given to those who would bear its fruit (see Matthew 21:33-46).

Is that the end of God’s plan for Israel? No. The New Testament tells us that God’s gifts and promises to Israel are irrevocable (Romans 11:28-29). God made promises to Abraham’s descendants that he will not forget or cancel. One of those irrevocable promises is to give the piece of land on the east end of the Mediterranean Sea to the people of Israel in perpetuity.

For generations Israel was stiff-necked and hardhearted toward God. Finally, after many warnings through his prophets and many disciplinary actions through surrounding nations, God expelled Israel from the Promised Land. But he sent prophets to assure them that their exile, though painful, would only be temporary.

Throughout the Old Testament, God promised to gather his scattered people Israel from around the world and return them to the land he gave Abraham. This promise remained unfulfilled for so many generations that some students of Scripture concluded it was symbolic or spiritual, not literal.

Then, after almost two thousand years, Jews returned to their homeland and established the modern state of Israel in May of 1948. What seemed impossible became a literal fulfillment of God’s ancient promise.

Not everyone was impressed. Muslim nations surrounding Israel immediately attacked, trying to destroy the Jews and claim the Promised Land for themselves. But God protected the modern state of Israel, and he has continued to do so for decades.

It is true that the modern state of Israel is largely a secular state. But the New Testament promises that all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26). A time is coming when a great revival will visit God’s chosen people and they will be blessed with saving faith in Jesus.

The New Testament Church has not and will not replace Israel. The Bible tells us that the Church is grafted into God’s promises and his plan of salvation (Romans 11:17-23). The Church is included but Israel is not excluded.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John records his God-given vision of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth. He sees twelve gates and twelve foundations. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are inscribed on the gates. The names of the twelve apostles of Jesus are on the foundations. Both Israel and the church are represented in the eternal city of God, together forever.

Must we agree with every detail of every policy and action taken by the modern state of Israel? God promised Abraham he would bless those who bless his descendants, not those who agree on everything. So, we bless Israel. We choose sides with them and not against them. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).

Our support for Israel is an acknowledgement and affirmation of God’s great plan of salvation. God chose to use Israel to bless the nations, including ours. We support God’s plan because we trust him and his ways. We want his blessing for our nation. As the psalmist writes, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12).

May God richly bless his people,

Brother Richard Foster

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June 4, 2025 · 9:31 AM

Good Reasons to Worship God

The Bible verse for Vacation Bible School in 2025 is Psalm 34:3. Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together (CSB). The heading to Psalm 34 tells us it was written by David about his escape from his enemies the Philistines. David could see God’s hand in the events surrounding his rescue. As a result, he called on others to join him in proclaiming the Lord’s greatness and exalting his name.

In Scripture we find three solid reasons for proclaiming the Lord’s greatness. First, we should exalt his name together because of his character. God is love. He is righteous. He is faithful. He is all-powerful and eternal. He is wise and true. Nobody is like God. If he never did a thing, the Lord would be worthy of our worship simply because of his personal attributes. (See Revelation 4:8.)

Second, God is our Creator. He is also the creator of all that exists. He is the maker of the universe. In the beginning, God created! The Lord is the source and support of everything and everybody. Without God, nothing and nobody would exist. We owe him our lives. We should exalt his name because he has given us life and he has made a marvelous world for us to inhabit. (See Revelation 4:11.)

Third, God is our Savior. We thank God for this life and this world, but we also recognize that we live broken lives in a broken world. Our disobedience against God has wrecked God’s good creation. But the Lord was not caught off guard by our rebellion. He has a plan. He promises to make a new heaven and a new earth without sorrow, sadness, crying, or dying.

God invites us to join him in his new heaven and earth. He offers to rescue us from this world which is passing away. God’s great rescue is accomplished by his Son Jesus. Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice to guarantee forgiveness for all our disobedience. When we trust Jesus, we belong to God. He promises to give his people a special place in his new creation. (See Revelation 5:9:10.)

God’s providence in David’s escape from the Philistines inspired him to write Psalm 34. Verse 3 is a call for others to join David in proclaiming the Lord’s greatness with him. David is not satisfied with simply thanking God personally. He wants others to exalt God’s great name with him. Psalm 34:3 is a call to worship.

Vacation Bible School is one way that we call on others to join us in proclaiming the Lord’s greatness and exalting his name. At VBS we focus on teaching children about God’s greatness so they can worship and serve him. But adult workers and family members are also reminded of God’s greatness. VBS is a call to worship and serve the One who is worthy of our very best.

Pray for God to bless our efforts again this year as we call on others to join us in worshiping and serving our glorious Maker and Savior!

May God bless inspire and empower us to serve him well,

Brother Richard Foster

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April 16, 2025 · 5:10 PM

Jesus Means No Going Back

When Columbus discovered America, the course of history changed forever. There was no undoing it. America could not be un-discovered.

After the Wright brothers bounced around in their kite-looking contraption on the beach, flying for short stretches, history moved in a new direction. Within one lifetime, astronauts walked on the moon.

When it seemed that millions might die to end the war in Japan in the 1940s, the power of the atom was harnessed. Two atomic bombs were dropped and the war ended. The nuclear age was born and there was no going back. The world has been a different place ever since.

In the 1970s a man named Marty was working for Motorola. He made the first cell phone. Can we even imagine a world without cell phones now?

All these changes in human history were profound yet they pale in comparison with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great dividing line in all human history. The change made by Jesus is cosmic.

This is not to say that Jesus changed everything. He did not replace God and his revelation of himself in the Old Testament. Jesus did not do away with holiness. God is still holy and our goal is still to be holy.

Jesus did not cancel God’s promises to Israel. God made unconditional promises to his chosen people Israel and they will be fulfilled, like his promise to give them the Promised Land.

So, what exactly did Jesus change? Jesus opened a new and living way to God and his blessings. When Jesus died on the cross, he said, “It is finished.” At that moment, the curtain that blocked entry into the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem was torn apart. Suddenly, there was an opening to that place of God’s presence.

The curtain covering the entrance to God’s presence was not torn from the bottom up, as if people forced their way in, demanding to experience God’s presence. The curtain was torn from the top down. God invited us in because of the profound change accomplished by Jesus. We can now approach God’s presence with confidence because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross at Calvary.

We no longer bring a goat or a lamb to church when we gather to worship. We no longer pour out the blood of a sacrificial animal at the base of the altar. That was a vital part of worship for God’s people in the Old Testament, the old covenant.

Jesus shed his precious blood as the final and full sacrifice for all of God’s people for all time and eternity. We come before God by faith in him and his blood, no longer needing to bring our sin offerings over and over, year after year, generation after generation. It is finished!

On the third Day, God raised Jesus from the dead. He walked away from his tomb, alive forever, victorious over sin, triumphant over death. The course of time and eternity was altered permanently. Jesus is the agent of a new age, the age of God’s kingdom.

Thinking about Jesus as new may be difficult for those of us who have grown up in church hearing all the Bible accounts about him. Saying that Jesus is new may seem strange since his Church has now been in existence for two thousand years.

But Jesus is the new way. Any other way is the old way, the way of hoping our best will be good enough for God. Now we can be confident because God has given us his best, his Son and our Savior Jesus Christ.

We should rejoice that God has chosen to put us at this moment in history. Yes, the Old Testament saints had their blessings, but what an honor it is to live in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection!

May our hearts and souls bless the Lord with great joy on Easter and always,

Brother Richard

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April 16, 2025 · 3:36 PM

Jesus Disappointed Them

Imagine a city where nobody is ill. No need for a hospital. No clinics. No doctors or nurses. No pharmacies. Nobody calling in sick.

For just a few hours, a city in Galilee enjoyed this amazing experience.

It all started with Jesus. His words had astounding authority and power. With a word, he could liberate a man possessed by a demon. With a word, he could heal a woman suffering from a high fever.

Social media was yet to be invented. Social networks, however, were surprisingly effective. The word about Jesus spread like wildfire.

Everyone in town brought those who were sick to Jesus. He healed them. Every single one! They even brought people with demons. Jesus cast them out. All of them!

The next morning, they were upset to discover that Jesus was missing. They went into a panic and searched for him. They found Jesus in a deserted place praying.

The crowds tried to convince Jesus that he should stay with them. Look at all the good he was doing! No doubt they could use him in the future. After all, people get sick.

Their desire to keep Jesus to themselves is certainly understandable. Jesus did so much good for their families and friends. He made their city a better place.

Despite their earnest appeals, Jesus disappointed them. He refused their offer to stay in that city and take care of all their needs. Why did he decline their offer?

Jesus told the people, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43).

Jesus had a message that was meant for everyone. Staying in one city to heal their sick and cast out their demons would keep his message from reaching others.

“I was sent,” Jesus said. He was sent by God. His message and mission were from God. The folks in this city had no right to override God’s plans.

Jesus told them that he was sent “to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God.” God’s kingdom is his benevolent and transforming rule in the hearts of all who trust in him. God’s kingdom was announced and initiated by Jesus; and it will be consummated at Jesus’ Second Coming.

Jesus was sent “to the other towns also.” He left that town and continued proclaiming the good news about God’s kingdom throughout Israel, and beyond. The power of his word continued to heal and to liberate, advancing into other communities, into other lives.

After Jesus’ sacrificial death on a cross in Jerusalem and his triumphant resurrection from the tomb, he prepared to return to God the Father in heaven. His disciples asked if he was restoring God’s kingdom to Israel at that time. Like the people who wanted Jesus to stay in their town, the disciples were still limiting his reach. Stay in our nation and bless us!

Jesus told them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. He entrusted his mission to his followers. They followed his instructions and continued proclaiming the good news. The good news about God’s kingdom spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire.

Since then, Christians have faced the same temptation as that city in Galilee almost two thousand years ago: to try and keep Jesus to ourselves. But Jesus will not be contained. God’s mission is unchanged. His Spirit in our hearts urges us to tell people everywhere about God’s benevolent rule through faith in Jesus.

Jesus has entrusted his mission to us, his followers. It is our turn to be faithful in our generation. If we try to keep Jesus to ourselves and ignore the great spiritual need in other lives and communities, Jesus will disappoint us.

When we tell others the good news about Jesus, we are participating in God’s great work of salvation. When we tell others the good news about Jesus, God will use our efforts to save souls for eternal life!

May the love of God compel us to tell the good news about Jesus Christ,

Brother Richard

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April 15, 2025 · 1:33 PM

Is There No God?

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” These words are about three thousand years old, recorded by King David in Psalm 14:1. The temptation to dismiss God as a figment of someone’s imagination is nothing new. And this ancient notion is still with us today.

We live in a world filled with skepticism about eternal realities: life after death, final judgment, heaven and hell, and so forth. Satan has convinced many people that God is nothing more than a threat to their personal freedoms. Without God, he promises, they are free from accountability, thus free to live as they please, to do as they please.

But the old serpent is not telling the whole truth. Without God, we would live in a world utterly devoid of real meaning and purpose. True, we would be able to do whatever we wished, or at least we could try. But whatever we might do would be empty of any lasting value. Whatever momentary thrill we gained would soon be lost and forgotten, just as we also would be.

Life without meaning is a deeply troubling prospect. Those who fear that their lives have no purpose are often visited by depression. We are ‘hardwired’ to believe that life should be meaningful. If there is no God and life truly is meaningless, then why are we so stubborn in our conviction that our existence must have meaning and purpose?

Here are more ancient words from the Bible: “He (God) has put eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God has put eternity in the hearts of all people everywhere at all times. In the very core of our being, our mind, will and emotion, we are ‘stamped’ with the idea that life is both valuable and meaningful. This is one mark of the image of God in us. God’s existence is meaningful. So is ours, because we reflect him.

This ‘imprint’ of God’s character on each of us is robust. Parents who lose a beloved child to an apparently random accident or disease might insist on starting a foundation to raise money and do research to avoid future similar fatalities. This good work is done in the name of the lost child. Why? In order to find meaning in a life that was cut off too soon. Living with the idea that the child’s life had no meaning is unacceptable.

Atheists propose a solution to the problem of our desire for purpose and our need for God to supply ultimate meaning. They insist that people can still live fulfilling lives even if God is imaginary and life is ultimately meaningless. How? By simply inventing a purpose for life. In other words, by pretending that life does have meaning, all the while knowing that it doesn’t.

The atheist considers this a bold and admirable move. But is it honest? No. They are asking us to live a dishonest and deceived life. This bizarre solution is ironic since atheists have long accused Christians of engaging in wishful thinking and refusing to face reality.

But what purpose is there in a world filled with evil and injustice? How can we believe in a good God, they ask, considering the terrible pain and suffering in this world? They want us to conclude that either God is not good (since he allows suffering), that God is not all-powerful (since a good God would stop suffering if he could), or that God is non-existent. They opt for the final choice and persuade us to agree with them.

However, the atheist’s argument from the existence of evil is incomplete. There is another possibility. Perhaps pain and suffering is meaningful. This is precisely what the Bible reveals. The greatest example is Jesus Christ. The life of Jesus shows that God is willing to join us in our suffering (since Jesus is God). And, the sacrificial death of Jesus shows that suffering can produce great good. Jesus’ unjust suffering on the cross saves all the faithful from eternal judgment and condemnation.

God loves us enough to send Jesus to join us in our pain and suffering. God despises pain and suffering enough to send Jesus to the cross to sacrifice himself so we can be set free even from death itself. God proves his power by raising Jesus from the dead. God is powerful enough to defeat suffering and injustice and to create a new heaven and earth where evil will no longer exist. God invites us to join him in that new heaven and earth by trusting in Jesus.

May we seek the Lord while he may be found,

Brother Richard

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