CHRIST IS...

This is the most beautiful prose I have ever read about the beauty of Jesus Christ. It's written by Kat Huff, she writes on her blog "Harvest of Pearls". 

You can read her prose by clicking on the below link:

"CHRIST IS" by Kat Huff

Christ: Triumphant over death

Ever since the creation of mankind and the eventual fall of Adam and Eve, humanity has been plagued by one of its most menacing enemies – Death itself. It is important for us to note that death was not the original intent of God’s plan and have never been part of his eternal purpose (Genesis 1 & 2). However it is due to Adam and Eve’s (and ours) transgression of God’s commandment that God had to inflict this penalty on them and their descendants – the penalty of death (Genesis 3).

The Grim Reaper has ever since dogged us, hunt us down one by one, ruthlessly pounced on us regardless of time and circumstances, and taken away our loved ones.

“…for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19 NIV)

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away…” (Job 1:21 NIV)

Eventually, man’s egoistic nature did not allow him to repent. Instead, man took great pride in death and soon men started inflicting death on each other. Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) and when God asked him about Abel’s whereabouts Cain replied: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

Man became pleased at the death of fellow man. Clarence Darrow once said, “I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”

But the same cannot be said of God.

"For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone", declares the Sovereign LORD. "Repent and live!" (Ezekiel 18:32 NIV)

God cares about us and God wants us to repent and return to Him.

'…As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die…?' (Ezekiel 33:11 NIV)

Death, in God’s word, meant a physical death – separation of soul from body, and a spiritual death – eternal destruction of the soul in hell. Adam’s sin brought with it both the physical death as well as the spiritual death.

God knew that mankind would never be able to overcome death on its own. Victory over death required a sinless human being to fight the battle and eventually triumph. So the all powerful and almighty God took the form of a human – Jesus Christ. Christ took death face on and fought a grueling and vicious battle with the Grim Reaper himself!

It was a battle of the ages! Christ – the Son of the living God – on one side and Death – Satan’s most powerful ally – on the other. Mano-a-mano! But tragedy struck! They flogged Him, battered Him with everything they could, and they finally nailed Him to the cross. There, on that hill, Christ died a brutal death. His body was taken down, wrapped in linen, and buried in an unmarked tomb. Was it the end? Had Satan finally triumphed over God?

Wait a minute! Jesus once said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." (John 2:19 NIV)

Didn’t He mean his own body? There had to be a mistake! No there isn’t any mistake, because…

“HE HAS RISEN”, cried the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb. Three days later, our Lord, our Supreme Lord, resurrected from the dead and visited His disciples! How did it happen? God the Father came to the rescue, He sent His Spirit to quicken the body of His Son. For He had once declared, “I will not allow my loved one to see decay.” (Psalm 16:10) God raised up His Son and there stood Jesus, triumphant over death. He came in the form of a man and fought out battle for us, in our name, and He defeated the oldest enemy of mankind. Christ became the ‘last Adam’ and reversed the effects of the first Adam.

Paul says,

So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV)

Does this mean that we will never die physically? Of course not! What we can cherish through Christ’s resurrection is an abundant life both before our physical death and after it. Christ Himself is the ‘Life of all ages’. We will one day be with Him and with the ‘Eternal Life’. He who has triumphed over death is Life itself.

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies..." (John 11:25 NIV)

Christ: Triumphant where others have failed

In one of the long list of meetings and seminaries I had attended, I heard the preacher encouraging the viewers to be more like Solomon and not be like David.  The particular example he was giving was of Solomon when he had prayed to God not for wealth or power but for wisdom, and that King David had given in to adultery on part of Bathsheba.

However I was puzzled in the early years of my new spiritual life. There were a host of personalities from the Bible – Moses, David, Solomon, etc. Which of these are worthy enough to be a role model for the Christian? Would it surprise the reader when I say – none? No one, absolutely none whatsoever!

Let me tell you why. While Moses, David, and Solomon, all of these men were heroes of faith and worthy of their place in the Word of God, each of them had their special shortcomings. Moses for example was told by God to ‘speak’ to the rock and water would gush out of it (Numbers 20:8). But Moses wanted to be the ‘action hero’ and preferred to strike the rock with his staff (Numbers 20:11), not once but twice! As a result of Moses’ antics God effectively barred him from the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12).

David’s scandalous affair with Bathsheba, who was a married woman, was equally detested by God and as a severe punishment God took away their first born child (2 Samuel 11, 12:1-22). Solomon, David’s son, was thoroughly blessed by God with material wealth as well as spiritual wealth. But Israel’s ruler of the ‘golden era’ would soon lose his way by having scandalous affairs with numerous women, many of them pagans. Under the influence of his pagan wives, Solomon was led to worshipping idols (1 Kings 11:1-6). As a result of this act of idolatry and infidelity, Solomon’s son did not inherit his father’s entire kingdom (1 Kings 11:9-13).

So seeing these heroes and their tragic moments, who would I follow? Who would be my role model? The answer lies in a Man who walked the earth two thousand years ago and triumphantly defeated Satan and his demonic minions by dying a brutal death on the cross. Not only did Christ die a brutal death but three days later He was raised from the dead, completing His victory over death.

Paul, a messenger and apostle of Jesus Christ, endured much hardship.

“…I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-27 NIV)

But Paul refused to boast in himself and chose instead to boast in the Lord Jesus Christ as ‘the power and wisdom of God’.

…but 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. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:23-25 NIV)

Also he said.

“Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31 NIV)

Unlike any other person in the entire Bible, even prophets and kings, Jesus had no shortcomings. Where the devil tried to tempt Him to sin, He resisted the temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). Where scheming Pharisees tried to trap Him, He reversed the trap (Mark 12:13-17. Where those who were helpless before Him needed forgiveness, He provided mercy (John 8:1-11).

It was and still is clear now whom I should follow. Not Moses, not David, and not Solomon. It is clear in God’s Word that where others have failed, Christ Jesus has emerged triumphant.

Christ: Triumphant over the gods

I spent the days of my youth reading myths of Hindu gods and goddesses waging war on evil asuras, falling in lust with mortals, and other feats that would put Superman to shame. These gods were, in a way, a reflection of the agonizing quest of millions of Indians to find that one and only perfect man. Fallen man had always needed perfect and supreme deity who would lift mankind from the bottomless pit of spiritual insanity. Unfortunately the gods man had created would turn out to be fallen themselves. The ancient rishis realized that they, like their gods, had fallen into bondage. Here is a prayer from one of the ancient Indian texts:

From unreality lead me unto the Reality,
From darkness lead me into Light;
And from death lead me unto Life Eternal.


Around two thousand years ago, a physician by the name of Luke wrote to the Greeks who, like the ancient rishis, were searching for the perfect man. Unlike the man-made gods, Luke's Saviour came face to face with evil, withstood the temptations of sin, and triumphed over the powers of darkness. Luke's Saviour was truly the perfect and supreme Deity man had been looking for throughout the ages. Luke's Saviour was: the perfect Teacher (Luke ch. 6), the perfect Servant (John 13:5), the perfect Prayer (John ch. 17), the perfect Lover (John 15:10), the perfect Warrior (Revelation 19:11), and the perfect Ruler (Revelation 19:15-16).

Luke's Saviour was none other than...

Christ - The Teacher of God
Christ - The Servant of God
Christ - The Prayer of God
Christ - The Love of God
Christ - The Warrior of God
Christ - The Almighty God

Where does Christ Jesus stand compared to the gods of man? I leave that to a man named Heinrich Heine and his description of Christ entering the feast of the gods.

Then suddenly approached, panting, a pale Jew with drops of blood on his brow, with a crown of thorns on his head, and a great cross laid on his shoulders; and he threw the cross on the high table of the gods so that the golden cups tottered, and the gods became dumb and pale, and grew even paler till at last they melted away into vapor.

THE ABSENCE OF CHRIST

The following article is written by Jim McGuiggan. Jim is the author of "Celebrating the Wrath of God"; "The God Who Commands the Impossible"; "Jesus: Hero of Thy Soul" and "The Dragon Slayer". His website is http://www.jimmcguiggan.com

“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.” 1 Corinthians 11:17; do see 11:17-34.

His following remarks rise out of what was happening at the Eucharistic (Thanksgiving) meal in particular. They had the bread and the wine to eat and drink but it wasn’t the Lord’s Supper they were eating (11:20); it was an exhibition of crass selfishness and bitter resentment.

The setting seems clear enough. They were having a “love feast” at which time they engaged in what was to be Holy Communion and Thanksgiving (see 1 Corinthians 10:14-22).

If there’s a section in the NT that shows us that ordinances without heartfelt understanding and commitment to God in Jesus Christ are worse than useless it is this one. The meaning and purpose of the Lord’s Supper is obliterated in practice despite the fact that the bread is eaten and the wine drunk with the correct prayerful words if the assembly is divided against itself (11:18).

The body of Christ speaks of Christ himself! While the bread and wine always remain just that, bread and wine, they are no longer merely bread and wine when God’s assemblies eat in faith. In the refrigerator at home or in the pantry the wine and bread are merely wine and bread but when we place them as provided by the Lord before him in the Lord’s Supper they are no longer merely bread and wine. Now they are a sign of his presence by his Holy Spirit who indwells the Church, the Body of Christ. Something happens to the bread and the wine. It isn’t magic and there’s no molecular change in their structure but if shot through with truth and visioned by faith the bread is food and the wine is sustenance and the Lord by his Holy Spirit is present in the midst of his people.

At the “haves” brought plenty of food and wine and gorged on them while sitting there beside them were the “have nots” who burned with resentment at being betrayed by brothers and sisters. So when some shepherd rose to “offer thanks for the bread” it was merely bread they ate! When the prayer was offered thanking God “for the blood of Christ” it was merely wine they drank! Even the mere bread and wine was now less than mere bread and wine—the Lord had been driven from the entire proceeding.

The “haves” did not remember (for they had no heart to remember) that on the night the Lord was betrayed he said, “This is my body which is given for you.” He gave himself and they would not give so much as a decent meal to the hungry and needy. The “have nots” in their burning bitterness at betrayal forgot (for they had no wish to remember) that on the night in which Jesus was betrayed his response was not one of rage and resentment but of self-giving for the forgiveness of sins.

 “Do you think I should praise you because you come together as an assembly and have the ‘correct emblems’ when you humiliate and rob the needy among you or burn in unbridled resentment at those who sin against you? You think I should praise you because you are ‘doing what the Lord has commanded’? I certainly will not praise you! You eat and drink condemnation to yourselves.” Compare 11: 22, 27-29.

The assembly missed completely the body of Christ in the bread and the wine!

The assembly missed completely the body of Christ in the people who sat around them!

The Supper became an occasion for the various factions to express the absence of the Lord Jesus from their hearts and minds. There’s something frightening about a head bowed in seeming piety while the heart chooses to enjoy the humiliation or hatred of others.

The Supper is a celebration of joyous redemption and peace for penitent sinners.

The Supper is a unity meal that says in Jesus we’re one body.

The Supper is a covenant renewal meal in which we commit to the meaning of Jesus, his mission and his method.

The Supper is a time of feeding on Jesus and all that he means to God for us and all that he means to us for God.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST – THE PRICE FOR THE SOUL

This is a guest article by a friend of mine: Ian Terry. Ian is an evangelist from the churches of Christ in Houston, Texas. He teaches on how to effectively share the gospel to people of other faiths. His website is: http://www.sharingtheabundantlife.org

When I lived in New Zealand there was a huge slaughterhouse located just outside the city of Wellington. Great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep were processed daily for the export market. You could see these animals waiting quietly but nervously for their turn on the killing chain.

As the animals were slaughtered their blood was hosed down channels that carried it out to a stream which flowed past the meat-works and on into the sea. It was a river of blood, and there was a spreading crimson stain at the place where the river ran into the ocean.

In the Old Testament, God required that animals be sacrificed as offerings for sin. Even though countless cattle, sheep, and goats must have been slaughtered throughout that period, the Bible teaches that no actual sin was forgiven (Hebrews 10:4). The purpose of the sacrificial system was to render a provisional forgiveness until the real price was paid by Jesus on the cross (Romans 3:25, Hebrews 9:15, 10:3).

Since it is, “...impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4), if every clean animal that has ever existed was sacrificed, the price would still not be enough to procure the forgiveness of a single sin!

In fact, if every human being who ever lived was sacrificed, even that price would not be enough to purchase the salvation of one soul (Psalm 49:7-8).

The magnitude of the sacrifice required to redeem the souls of men is so great that only God Himself has sufficient holiness and merit to pay such a price. And this He has done through the infinite value of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross (Hebrews 9:11-14).

The Bible says that Jesus is the one who, “...loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood...” (Revelation 1:5).

God cares for the souls of men. He was willing to pay the ultimate price to redeem them. Do we care enough to do what we can to minister that salvation to the lost souls of our community?

The Breath of Life

In the book of Genesis we read of the creation of the universe and mankind. It is clear that the creation of mankind is the most wonderful creation of God, and it is because man was created in the image of God. Let us now look closely at the way God created the first man - Adam.

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7, New American Standard Bible)

So God breathed life into the man and the man became a living being or, according to the King James Version, a living soul. It is also interesting to note that this 'breathing method' - the breathing to impart life or soul - is practiced by God alone in the Old Testament. This 'breath of life' is what keeps every human being alive as David rightfully asserted in Psalm 39 (v. 5,11).

In the New Testament the 'breathing method' makes a comeback, but this breathing is used to impart an entirely new form of life - not the physical life describe in the creation account but the spiritual life of which Jesus speaks in John 3.

After His resurrection, the Lord paid a visit to His disciples.

So Jesus said to them again, “ Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:21-22, New American Standard Bible)

The Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into His disciples and with the second Adam - Jesus - began a new creation and a new life. This second breath - Holy Spirit - extended into more men and women on the day of the Pentecost when about three thousand people were baptized into the church of Christ (Acts 2). This new life that was imparted into mankind would forever change the relationship between mankind and its Creator.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. (John 1:1-4, New American Standard Bible)